#Chapter 38 - An Unexpected “Gift”

Shirley It’s not Alana I call that night, but Jean. Back on our usual schedule, I do my check-in right at nine o’clock, but make sure to dance around the subject of Ralph. But this time, I do mention Keith. “He seemed happy with my work,” I inform her, finding myself smiling. “He even told me as much. Which is a huge deal because he could refer me to other major clients. Could you imagine?” “That’s awesome, Shirley!” Jean says happily, sounds of her washing dishes filling the background. “I’m not surprised, though. You don’t need his approval to know how amazing you are at your work.” “I know,” I reply, shrugging as I tug the blanket on my lap higher. “But it’s still nice to hear someone say nice things. Words of validation and all that.” “I get it,” Jean reassures me. “So does that mean you’ll be coming home soon?” And there it is - Jean’s roundabout way of attempting to make sure I get the hell out of the Lock Heart pack as soon as possible. I know her w