Page 23 of Let's Call a Truce
Ben leaned against the doorframe and sent me a crooked grin.
“What areyouthinking about?”
I straightened my spine, attempting to look down my nose at him even though I had the low ground. “Nothing involving you, I assure you. What can I do for you?”
“I received a call from Dean Warren a few minutes ago. He’s happy with our initial plan but wants to discuss some of the learning components. I figured you would want to be involved in any conversations involving the program. He is only free tonight at sevenP.M.He heads to some big conference tomorrow and wants it done before leaving. I know it’s complicated with your kids, so if you can’t make it, I’ll handle it.”
I bristled at the comment. Without answering, I held up a finger and tapped my phone.
A few rings in, my mom picked up. “Hey, honey, is everything alright?”
“Yeah, Mom, everything’s fine. But I need a favor. Are you free to watch the girls tonight? Someone scheduled a late meeting.” I sent a pointed look at Ben, who was still by the door, hands in his pockets. He looked like the picture of relaxation, not at all concerned by my glare.
“Of course. We’d love to spend the evening with them. Stay as long as you need to.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
I felt a rush of affection and gratitude for my parents. The way they had stepped up since I started working had blown me away. My sister and her family lived out of state, so Clara and Sophie got all their attention.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’ll be there,” I told Ben.
His head dropped forward as he shook it from side to side. “Believe it or not, I was trying to be helpful by saying I’d handle the meeting alone. I know it’s hard with everything you’re managing.”
No, he didn’t. No one knew. They might pity me or theoretically get that my life is difficult, but it’s impossible to understand the pressure of being the absolute sole provider. The loneliness of having no one to share the failures or victories with. Even the most empathetic of people didn’t get it, and Ben didn’t fit into themost empatheticcategory.
When I said nothing, he huffed. “Be in my office at six forty-five so we can prepare.” He turned on his heel and headed away from my office.
“You forgot ‘please,’” I called after him, earning stares from a few people passing by. I waved and gave them my most charming smile.
My determination to focus on my work was unsuccessful, andby lunchtime, I’d accomplished less than half of my to-do list. I needed to get some of this energy out, so I grabbed the bag of exercise gear from the bottom drawer of my desk. Eduardo splurged and repurposed an old conference room into a small gym for us, so most of the employees kept some workout clothes at the ready, but I needed fresh air, too. I popped my head into Christina’s office to tell her I was going for a run during my break.
A few miles worth of burning muscles was exactly what my body needed.
Our office was a few blocks away from one of the city’s prettiest parks, and the tension left my body as my feet pounded against the pavement. With so many things going on in my life, I wasn’t great about prioritizing my self-care, but running was the one thing I couldn’t sacrifice. Most of the time, I ran behind the girls on their bikes, focusing on keeping them out of the road, but at least it was something.
Today my mind was free to wander, flitting between my ever-growing to-do list, my spiel for Dean Warren, and the newest book I was trying to read in my thirty minutes of free time a day. I ran past the swans and ducks, smiling as they waddled along next to me for a minute. The slight chill in the air nipped at my cheeks, and I savored the cool weather, knowing within a month it would be too hot to run when the sun was up, much less in the middle of the day.
I was completing my first lap around the lake when someone fell into step beside me.
I surveyed Ben’s profile out of the corner of my eye as he jogged next to me. “Are you stalking me now?” I asked.
He laughed. “I got some information from Billings College to share, and when Christina told me you were out here for a run, I figured you could use the company. Lake Eola can be sketchy during the week.”
“I’m a big girl, Ben. I don’t need you protecting me.”
“Of course not, but I needed the run anyway, and it can’t hurt, right?”
“Clearly, it can,” I said under my breath, keeping my pace up.
“So, do you want to know the news?”
I let out a long-suffering sigh. “Not really. I’m trying to enjoy my run.”
“You run like five times a week. Are you telling me you can’t talk while you do it?”
“First, it’s weird you know that.”
“We’re in the same office every day. It’d be weird if I didn’t know anything about my colleagues.”
