Don't Say Goodbye

Author:Essex, Bridget [Essex, Bridget]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Gay & Lesbian, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Genre Fiction, Lesbian, Lesbian Romance, Literature & Fiction
ISBN: 1505216958
Publisher: Rose and Star Press, First Edition
Published: 2014-11-28T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7: Intervention

“’Tis the season to be merry, and you’re not even close,” said Sam with finality as he stared Max up and down the next morning. True, her slacks weren’t ironed, and her shirt was mis-buttoned, but she’d managed to put her boots on the right feet and remembered to wear a hat to cover her extremely messy hair. What more could the world expect from Max when she was this miserable?

“There’s no law in December stating that anyone has to be merry,” she grumbled, dropping her purse on the ground beside her desk and savagely shoving the button that turned her PC on. The computer tower made a strangled noise and started to beep.

“You’ve become the Grinch, congratulations,” muttered Sam, one brow raised. He lifted his half-empty coffee mug to his lips and took an exaggerated sip. “Is there anything you want to tell me, Max?” he said quietly then, when Max said not another word and flopped down into her desk chair.

“Nothing,” she said with a very long sigh, shoving her fingers through her hair under her hat and leaning her elbows on her knees. She took a long, wavery breath and closed her eyes.

“Max, sweetheart, talk to me,” said Sam with genuine concern as he wheeled over the chair from the unoccupied cubicle. He plunked down in it, set his coffee cup on her desk and took her shoulders in his hands. He shook her very gently. “Are you okay?” he said slowly.

Max straightened, shrugging out of his grasp as she shook her head, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. “No,” she said, swallowing. She refused to let the tears be shed, and she blinked them away, rubbing at her puffy eyes with the heel of her hand. “I’m not okay. I’m helping Fiona out after work until she gets her backlog of orders taken care of, which means that I’m with Fiona every day, and that’s not good, Sam, because I’m falling in love with her.”

She had to tell someone.

And she couldn’t tell Jo.

And there was no one else in the world closer to her, after Jo, than Sam.

Sam’s eyes became as wide as saucers, but to his credit, he didn’t say anything until he’d figured out something tactful. “Um. I think you need to take a day off from work,” he said then, slowly, steadily, as he stood. “And I’m taking one off with you. Family emergency. No arguments. I’m going to go talk to Tom.”

Max groaned and pillowed her forehead on her arms on her desk. Tom State, their boss, was notorious for not allowing people to take time off for major things, including funerals. “Sam, you know that I asked for the days after Christmas off. He’s not going to let me—”

“He will,” said Sam resolutely. “You put your coat back on and turn your computer off. I’ll be back in a minute.” He rushed off, even forgetting his coffee cup on her desk in his haste. Max stared down at it and sighed, clicking the big blue button on her PC without waiting for it to fully boot up.

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