Antonia's Choice by Nancy Rue

Author:Nancy Rue [Rue, Nancy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Religious, Contemporary Women, Religion, Christian Life, Inspirational
ISBN: 9780307564467
Google: RBO-Oit9ULMC
Amazon: B003FCTZCY
Barnesnoble: B003FCTZCY
Goodreads: 13535454
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Published: 2003-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Eleven

MY TALK WITH DR. MICHAEL PARKINS was brief. After I told him about Ben’s situation, he said we needed to talk right away and would tomorrow afternoon be too soon? Was he kidding? I was ready to go over to his office right then.

But I still asked Reggie to check into his background for me, find out if he had a specialization in sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress syndrome, which she said she’d do first thing in the morning. Then I steeled myself for going into the office and facing Jeffrey.

It wasn’t what I wanted to do, but once I got somewhat calmed down—which I had to for Wyndham and Ben—I realized that no matter how much of a jerk Charles R. Marshall was, I’d still been irrational with him. I did have to face the music on that, and find out if I still had a job. At the rate I was hiring therapists, I was going to need the money.

The next morning, once I’d promised to have lunch with Wyndham and had dropped Ben off at school—with the promise that I personally would pick him up for soccer—I made my way reluctantly into the office and went straight to Jeffrey. Ginny was just coming out his door when I got there, hair now a raven black, pulled up tightly into a bun. Was it my imagination or was she going for a more professional look? Oddly, I was more amused than threatened.

“Do you have a minute?” I said to Jeffrey from the doorway. Light glinting off of his bald head, Jeffrey nodded to a chair. I shut the door soundlessly behind me and all but tiptoed into place.

“I want to apologize for my outburst yesterday,” I said. “Did you lose Mr. Marshall’s account?”

Jeffrey shook his head, the pistol-fingers rubbing the end of his nose

“I would be happy to write him a letter,” I said. “Unless you think that would make things worse.”

“The man is not a stone wall, Toni, and neither am I. Why didn’t you tell me what you and your son were going through?”

It took me a minute to remember that I had spewed the news about Ben’s molestation in Marshall’s face with Jeffrey right there on the scene. I was sure the people back in the mailroom had heard it. It was probably all over Westend by this time.

“Do you think I’m an ogre?” Jeffrey said.

“No, of course not. I just try to keep my business and personal lives separate.”

“But you haven’t been able to pull that off, have you?”

I bit back a retort and merely looked at him.

“You aren’t here half the time you need to be, and when you are here, you aren’t really here, not completely. Ginny has had to take up your slack—”

“Which I’m sure she is more than happy to do. Look, Jeffrey, could we just cut to the chase? If you’re letting me go and replacing me with Ginny, please just say it.”

Jeffrey’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “That’s a little blunt.

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