Page 28 of Scar Tissue

“That’s all we need you to do.”

I stand up from my chair and begin pacing. “If she agrees, and that’s a bigifyou have to guarantee her safety. That’s the only way I’ll even agree to broaching the subject to her.”

He hums on his end of the line. “It’s a public event. That already guarantees a certain degree of safety. They’ll have security and press?—”

“That’ll likely be paid for by the man himself,” Claire says.

His voice is steady when he retorts, “All the same, there will be other members of the public there. He won’t want to do anything to jeopardize how they view him. She’d be in the safest position possible under the circumstances.”

“If something happens, you better have a backup plan.” I don’t give him a chance to say anything else before I end the call and look at Claire.

“He’s right, you know.”

“About what?” I snap, and immediately reel my emotions back in. “I’m sorry. About what?” I ask, softer this time.

She stares at me, clearly questioning if this conversation is worth continuing with me, as if she’s afraid anything else she says is going to spur my frustration. Finally, she speaks. “Giving her a choice. Did you stop to consider that she might want in? Considering Harrison is directly responsible for covering up her brother’s death?”

Of course I didn’t consider that. My heart and my mind are battling over whether or not to do whatever it can to protect her while the opposition knows she deserves independence.

“Exactly.”

Chapter

Eighteen

THEA

The bell chimes when I enter the flower shop. Nathan let me borrow his car to get downtown even though I told him I could take an Uber. It took me ten minutes just to find a parking space and while I’m thankful for his offer, that alone almost made me late for my interview. I made sure to pair my tank top and skirt with a jacket that covered the skin that otherwise would be showing, to make it a little more professional, even though Pepper told me it would be informal—more as a formality than anything else.

“Hey, girl, go on and head to the back. They’re waiting for you,” Pepper calls out from where she’s organizing a bouquet near the window.

I offer her a smile and head toward the back while smelling in the shop to soothe my rising nerves. When I breach the threshold to what appears to be a mix between the break room and storage, my eyes land on an older couple sitting at the table, my application in front of them. “Hi, you must be Thea.” The older lady stands up to take my hand, which I offer in return as she shakes it. “I’m Irene, and this is Bruce.” She gestures to the gentleman who remains seated, but I note a walker next to him so I don’t take any offense.

“It’s verynice to meet you. May I?” I motion to the chair across from them.

“Please,” Bruce says before adjusting in his seat.

Hanging my purse along the back of the chair, I pull it out and take a seat, resting my hands on the table in front of me. It’s stifling in here but I don’t take my jacket off, attempting to make my very best impression. “Tell us a little about yourself, Thea.” Irene offers me a sweet smile. Guess we’re diving right in.

“Well, I’m twenty-five, but I’ll be twenty-six in May. I’m from a town called Parkmore, near Baltimore. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have much work experience. My husband, well, ex-husband starting tomorrow, is in the military and so I didn’t work much. I have some experience from when I was in school—I do fancy myself as having a bit of a green thumb as a result—and when I saw thehelp wantedsign I couldn’t help myself. I recently moved here and am looking for something to do while I…figure out who I am again.” I’d love to offer them more, but truthfully there isn’t anything else exciting about my life. I’m not even sure what I offered them was worth it.

“I’m sorry to hear about your divorce. Thank you for your transparency about your job experience. While we did read it on your application, it’s always nice to hear it from the source directly. However, we don’t consider that a fault. One, because learning to cultivate plants is half of the fun, and two, because we really haven’t had much interest from folks around here. With that being said, what brought you out this direction in the first place?”

I crack my knuckles before I force myself to put my hands in my lap. “My best friend lives here. And I had nowhere else to go. Seemed like as good an option as any.”

Bruce looks at me with something akin to pity then, and even though that’s not what I was going for, I’m so desperate for something to fill my days with that I don’t mind using it to my advantage for once. Not when I’ve always seemed to be the one taken advantage of.

Although, I don’t really want to do that to them because they seem like a nice couple. Too late now, the words are out there. “When can you start?” he asks.

I blink, caught off guard by the quick offer. “Oh—uh, I can start right now.”

Irene smiles wider at me, giving Bruce a small nod. “If you truly want to, we’d be happy to have Pepper show you the ropes.”

“Okay, yeah. I’d like that. Oh—but I do need tomorrow free…I know this isn’t the most professional thing to do. It’s just, I have the final court hearing for the divorce at nine. I can even come in after, I just won’t be able to be here right away.” My stomach twists, worried they might revoke their offer.

“That’s no trouble, dear. Don’t feel like you have to come in at all. That’s a heavy thing to carry, so if you need the day to process, we respect that.” Irene pushes back in her chair and stands. “What kind of hours are you looking for?”

The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind; it hadn’t made it that far. “Would it be okay to start with twenty to thirty hours a week? Just until I can get back on my feet.”