Shattered: A Salvation Society Novel Bella Emy (best ebook reader for laptop .TXT) 📖

I throw my phone to the side and look about the place. What am I supposed to do now? I no longer have a job, I don’t have any important things coming up, nor do I have anything to look forward to. My only friends are Erin, and of course Joanna from my old job, but she’s probably at work right now.

Maybe I could clean up a bit around here, but after a few quick glances, I decide against it. I had left the place spotless before I went away. There’s nothing to clean. I probably should go through my purse and throw out any flyers and things I picked up during my time away.

I grab my purse sitting to my right and begin rummaging through it. There are so many colorful brochures from Starling Paradise, I don’t even remember stashing them away in here.

And then, I see it. The little card from Mr. Elmers on my last day at work. I smile to myself as I pull it out and read it over again.

“You will always be part of our family, and should things not work out for you at your new endeavor, know that you are always welcome back and we’ll take you in with open arms…” 

And now, I know exactly what I have to do.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“Girl, I’m so happy you called and came back! I missed having you around the office so much!” Joanna throws the vodka to the back of her throat, swallowing hard. Then she cringes. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant.”

I shake my head. “No, I know you didn’t mean it like that. It’s okay, really.” I tip back my own glass of Mojito and look toward the right.

Somehow, after calling Mr. Elmers back and explaining the whole situation to him, I was rehired. He didn’t make a big deal about it. He knew about the fire, of course, who didn’t? He was hoping I’d call and come back, but he didn’t push me or call first because he wanted to make sure this is something I wanted.

While I love my job at Elmers & Elmers, it’s not something I was hoping to be doing for the rest of my life. But somehow, that’s what it looks like it will be now. And although this is not a bad thing, it still makes me so sad to think that my dreams didn’t work out.

Joanna pats me on the back. “I’m so sorry things didn’t work out for you, girl. I was really happy for you finally getting to do what you really wanted… even though I missed the hell out of you around the office!”

We giggle at her statement. I don’t start back until Monday, but after I got off the phone with Mr. Elmers, Joanna was the first one I called to let her know of the news. Of course, I would have told Erin, but she was not returning any of my missed calls.

“I know. So, you wanted to talk? How’s everything else been going? Michael and the papers?” I ask about her upcoming divorce. Michael, her soon-to-be ex-husband, has been difficult to say the least. After she caught him tangled up in a messy affair with one of his female co-workers, she threw him out and began the divorce process. He refused to admit it was over, but it’s coming to an end, and sooner or later, he’s going to have no choice but to accept what’s done is done.

And Joanna is done with him.

Jo grimaces. “That piece of shit… I’m going to need another one for this conversation. Excuse me a sec.” She turns her head the other way and raises a finger. “Bartender, may I please get a refill?”

The bartender nods, walks over and refills her glass to the brim.

She tilts her glass higher. “Thank you.” Then turning back to face me, she says, “So, where were we?”

I smile. “Michael and the papers?”

Her eyes widen. “Ah, yes. Hold that thought.” She tips the cup back, draining the glass in one sip. Swallowing, she then slams it down onto the counter. “He’s still not signing but claims it’s my fault. Can you believe that?”

Now I’m the one whose eyes are widening in disbelief. “What? Why? How is this your fault?” I take another sip of my drink.

She pushes two thick strands of her blonde hair out of her eyes. “He said if I would have slept with him every night, he wouldn’t have felt the need to cheat and get it elsewhere.”

I gasp. “What a jerk.”

“The worst. Can you believe him? Like working forty plus hours a week, going home to make dinner, doing the dishes, the laundry, and keeping the house clean is an easy feat. He’s an asshole.”

I shake my head. “Unreal.”

She shrugs. “I’m just glad there are no kids involved. Now I see the reason why God never blessed us with them.”

I frown. It’s sad, and I know she had wanted children for a very long time, but she and Michael were never able to have them. She’d been pregnant a few times before, but each one ended in an early miscarriage.

She pushes back the tears, but I had already seen them forming in her eyes. I place an arm around her and embrace her. “Aww, I’m sorry, Jo. I know it’s not easy.”

She lets me comfort her and lets herself cry it out for a bit before pulling away and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Thanks, Lexi. I don’t know why that reality still hurts after all these years.”

“Because it’s something you’ve dreamt of your whole life… I know how that goes,” I say, thinking of my own misfortunes. Yes, I’ve dreamed of owning a lounge for a very long time, but I’ve also wanted a family—the whole husband and kids thing—of my own someday. Somehow, it seems without having a serious relationship, this dream won’t be possible.

Serious relationship, listen to me. I sound like that’s the only thing I can’t