Page 34 of Trouble from Abroad
“You do realize you terrify me in very efficient ways, right?” I soak in the compliment. He opens his mouth to say something else, but quickly shuts it.
I take it as permission to keep going.
“Give me a month,” I start. “On weekdays, you’ve got a trainer. I sourced three while I was upstairs—all make house calls. CBT twice a week—first session already booked, a top-rated psychologist, with full credentials.”
I cut off the comment I know is coming. “Yes, I work fast. That’s why Liam pays me the big bucks. Also, weekly massages. Rub the grump right off your shoulders. And thirty minutes of ‘quiet time’ before dinner. All non-negotiable.”
“Quiet time,” he repeats the words like it’s a foreign concept.
“Yes. No phone. No case studies. Just vibes. Read. Meditate. I don’t care. Just… give your nervous system a break for half an hour. It’ll help prevent burnout, improve your sleep,andmake you more present with Lily.”
I don’t say any of it unkindly. In fact, I’m surprised by how gentle my voice gets. But I’ve been watching this man clench through life for the last few days. I’ve seen how affected he gets when she-who-must-not-be-named is mentioned.
The man had a meltdown.
He’s not fit for work.
He feels he failed his kid.
I’m only here for a short time, and I’ll be damned if Idon’t turn Dr. Preston into the best version of himself. He needs a reboot. And maybe,maybe, I want to be part of it.
Preston glances at the paper again, then at me. “This is insane.”
I do a curtsy, holding my imaginary skirt. “Thank you. I do my best.”
“You actually expect me to follow this?” His finger circles my messy but readable notes.
“Of course not. I expect you to grumble, roll your eyes, follow it anyway, then pretend it was your idea all along.”
For a second, I swear he almost smiles. Then he exhales through his nose and gives the plan a once-over, like it might be rigged to explode. “I’m not doing Pilates.”
“That’s fine,” I say, already peeling that Post-it off. “That was an add-on anyway.”
“Or massages.”
“On that one I’ll have to insist. I can share studies that show?—”
“I’m not negotiating, Mia.”
When I face him again, I’m all business. “But I am. So that means you have to come to the table. I dropped Pilates. I’m not scrapping the massages. We’ll reassess at the end of every week, okay?”
He nods, relieved. A bit too soon though.
“I’m not done, by the way.” I turn to the next page. “Here are a few more things to make your life smoother and ease your routine back to work.
Another info-dump in disguise with colored cards and pretty calligraphy hits him. “I’ll have a nutritionist come and do a meal plan for the family. He’ll also do a bunch of meal prep to save you precious time with Lily. You can stillcook together a few nights, but that’ll take the burden off, so dinner doesn’t become a chore.
“Next, I’ll book that meeting at her school. They need to know that Lily’s world has changed. And they need to be both sensitive and observant of her situation. Inform you if her behavior changes in any way.”
“Fuck, you’re right. Hate that I didn’t think of that myself.”
“There’s a lot on your plate, Preston. That’s where I come in, to help unburden you.” I tidy the papers between us. “Those are the things I can do for you. There are two very important ones I can’t.” I don’t give him long to regroup. “One’s at the end of your very successful month under new management—” I thumb toward myself, grinning. “Talk to the board. Ease back in. Start with two days a week, then three. See how it feels.”
“What’s the other?” Oh, wow. Look who’s listening. I’d smile if the subject in question wasn’t a hard one.
“You need to talk to Lily about Blake. April told me she doesn’t know the whole story and at some point, she just stopped asking.” He looks at the ceiling, and I don’t judge the cop-out.
“I know.” My heart splinters at how broken he sounds in those two words. After a beat, he knocks his knuckles on the kitchen island, putting an end to my presentation. “Thanks, Mia. That was… a lot.” He deflates. “A lot of good things in there, though. We can discuss more tomorrow.”
