Had she driven him away for good?
Now, as she kept looking at the ceiling, she formed another version of her resignation letter, one she could have sent.
Dear Sirs:
Much to my regret, I’m resigning my position at The Barron Group forthwith.
Working there would mean pretending that my boss, the man I thought I’d marry and be with for the rest of my life, still loved me. I’m not sure I could bear seeing him day after day.
She wiped a hand over her eyes, blocking her view of the ceiling. The real letter had been much more formal and professional, just as she’d always been. And she was clinging to the orderly, people-pleasingly simple Mina now, because she wasn’t sure she had much more than that left.
Sitting up, she glanced at the old-school yellow phone on her secondhand coffee table, just as if that would make the thing ring. As if that would bring his voice on the other end of the line and he would beg her not only to come back to the office, but to return to him.
Yet she doubted that would happen, especially after what she’d said to him. He obviously hadn’t wanted her enough to stay and, this time, it had been no accident.
This time, she’d earned the rejection because she’d wanted too much, too soon.
In fact, she feared that the only time she might hear from Chet was through an attorney, informing her that he was filing for custody.
Maybe she was overreacting, but that didn’t mean the mere thought hadn’t kept her up last night.
Tearfully, she rubbed her belly, wishing it was bigger, that her baby would be coming sooner.
Wishing she didn’t want to take back the last couple of weeks to see if things could’ve turned out differently.
“I’m such a whiz,” said Mina’s father that same afternoon as they sat in the living room of her parents’ home, avoiding the overcast weather outside. Since she’d been up and about since the crack of dawn, she’d come here early, needing the company.
The change in temperature had triggered some kind of cold in her dad, and his nose was stuffy, the scent of VapoRub wafting from him.
“This almost makes me forget that I’m not on the high seas with your mother,” he said while he toyed with the new smartphone that Amy and her husband had purchased for him as a birthday gift. It did seem to cheer him up, because even though he’d pretended that he wasn’t looking forward to the cruise, his sickness had caused her parents to miss it. They weren’t even going to have a big impromptu party for his birthday tomorrow because he needed to rest.
Mina smiled at his interest in the phone, but her gesture wasn’t natural. She had so many “wired up” devices herself—her own smartphone, her computer, the iPad—and even though they were supposed to connect a person with the rest of the world, Mina didn’t feel linked to much of anyone at all, except for the baby.
To make things even worse, her dad’s enthusiasm reminded her of Chet’s level of expertise with newfangled “doodads.”
Then again, everything reminded her of Chet.
Surely he’d read her letter by now, but did he even care? There’d been no phone calls from him—only a few from her friends in the office who’d checked in about her absence and learned of her resignation. Danny and Corrine had even invited her out to dinner tonight to say goodbye.
The aroma of chicken soup floated through the room, and Mina’s mom came out of the kitchen, carrying a couple of bowls with steam waving out of them.
“Eat up,” Mom said, slipping a serving in front of Mina on the pine coffee table just before she gave one to Dad, too.
“I’m not that hungry.” Her stomach was a mess because she hadn’t just come here to nurse her dad.
She had some things to get off of her chest if she wanted to move on without Chet. To do that, she knew that her support system would help to pull her through.
True, she knew she could survive without interference from her family, but it felt darn good to have it if she wanted it.
Mom was spooning some of the soup and lifting it to Mina’s mouth.
“Seriously, Mom,” Mina said. “Not hungry.”
“All right, crankypants.” Her mother frowned as she put the spoon back into the bowl.
Dad laughed under his breath.
“Chicken soup is proven to lift moods as well as fight sickness,” Mom said to him. “I could eat a whole pot of it along with ten bars of chocolate some days.” She patted her stomach. “I’d pay for it, though.”
“Honey,” Dad said, “if there’s more of you to love, I won’t be complaining.”
“Thank you, Ewan.” Mom rolled her eyes.
Dad seemed to know just when to leave a room…and a woman’s mild temper. He got up from his chair and headed for the hallway.