Page 93 of Embracing the Beat
“What do you want me to do, West?” Defensiveness creeps into her tone. “Wait for Sawyer to try to get me out of something when he has no idea what to do?”
“You haven’t really given Sawyer a chance.”
“I understand he’s working on it. But this is on me to fix. I’m the one who has to go back to Reverb if I can’t find a way out of this.”
“Over my goddamn dead body,” I growl out.
“If I don’t go back, and I can’t find a way out of my contract, I get sued. Do you have money to pay for that?”
Her mention of money burns more than it should. She knows I make less money than I can live on.
“Thanks for pointing out that I can’t take care of you.”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all, West! God, you’re twisting things.”
“I’m not twisting anything.”
“Yes, you are. You act like you don’t trust me.”
“I don’t trust them. I trust Sawyer.”
“Do you trust me?”
“I…” Do I trust Michaela? Yes, you idiot! “Of course I trust you.”
“Then trust that I’m making the right decisions.”
“I do.”
“Actions speak louder than words, West. I-I think I’m going to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Mich—”
I don’t get her name out before the phone beeps in my ear.
Shit.
How the hell did I go from worry to distrust to concern to uncertainty in the less than ten minutes?
??????
“Thank you again for turning in your resume for the department head job,” Phil says as we finish up lunch in the teacher’s lounge.
It’s late for lunch—my last planning period for the day—but I’d been busy helping a student during my actual lunch. Phil had come in for a cup of coffee and ended up staying as we talked about how classes were going so far this year.
“Absolutely. I know it might be premature since I haven’t been here long.”
“Not necessarily a problem, given your experience prior to coming here. It looks like you were well on track to make department head there as soon as the previous one retired. What brought you back to Philadelphia?”
Fidgeting in my seat, I debate about how much to tell my boss. “Philly is home for me. I had relocated to Pittsburgh with my fiancée, but when we parted ways, I decided I wanted to come home.”
“I imagine that must have been difficult.”
I shrug. “Sometimes the right thing isn’t the easiest thing.”
He nods in agreement. “Very true.”
“When will interviews be scheduled?”
