Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(10)

“No. Go on. Please.”

“Okay,” she said with renewed excitement. “I thought a lot about career planning while I was studying, and I discovered jobs like this one will help me better understand my interests and skills until I find the right path for me.”

She had Nora’s interest. “So you’ll simply hop from place to place until you find a career path that suits your interests?”

“Exactly. One that fits my personal circumstances.” She stopped sorting and met Nora’s gaze. “I just can’t imagine ever settling, feeling stagnant. If I’m not learning and growing, that’s when I’ll know it’s time to move on.”

“Thanks for your candor,” Nora said.

“You’re welcome.” Amanda placed a small pile of unopened mail in front of Nora and held on to the rest, which would be opened, stamped, and filed away. Amanda stopped and turned around. “Oh! One more thing.”

Nora waited.

“Last Friday, as I was walking to my car after work, a man approached me. I can’t lie. The parking lot was nearly empty by then, and I was a little nervous. That is, until he said he knew you and was a friend of the family.”

“That’s odd.” Nora’s heart thumped against her ribs. “Did he give you a name or a business card, anything?”

“No. He asked how your son was doing. I told him Trevor was fine. He wondered how you were doing, too. Again, I told him you were fine.” Her head tilted. “Are you fine?”

Nora tried to slow her breathing. “And then he left?”

“Yes. He just walked back to his car and drove off.”

“Did you happen to notice what kind of car he was driving?”

“No. Why?” Amanda looked suddenly worried, as if she might have done something wrong. “The interaction made me feel horrible, because I never stopped to consider how you might be doing after everything that happened.”

Nora forced a smile. “Trevor and I are doing fine, just like you thought. Thanks for letting me know. If he comes by again or you see him, let me know, okay?”

“I will.”

After Amanda walked off, Nora took a moment to collect herself. She thought about calling the police, but what would she say? She needed proof that he was stalking her. Next time she spotted him, she would use her phone to snap a picture. She went to the window and stared down at the parking lot. No dark sedan.

After returning to her desk, she checked her schedule for the week. Every day was filled with meetings.

Staring blindly at the heaps of paperwork that wouldn’t get done when most of her time was sucked up in meetings, Nora turned her thoughts to Marianne and how excited she was to leave this place. And what about Amanda? Her passion and determination to find a fulfilling job that excited her reminded Nora of herself ten years ago.

What the hell am I doing?

She was being offered a job that fit all her aspirations and more. More time for her children’s extracurricular events due to flexible hours, more time spent on work she found enjoyable and exciting, and more money, which was icing on the cake. She picked up her phone, found Jane Bell’s number, and made the call.

David was right. Everything would be fine.

Her life was about to change for the better.





CHAPTER FIVE

Three Months Later

Nora had been at her new position with IMPACT for two months now, after giving her last company a month’s notice. Just as she’d thought, her new job was too good to be true; every day at work felt new and exciting. Nobody hung over her shoulder. Team meetings with her department were held twice a week, short and sweet, everyone standing with notebooks in hand. A few of her ideas had already been implemented with great success. Employees respected her. The alignment between personal and company values worked well.

Nora looked up at the sound of a knock on her office door. She still couldn’t get over the fact that she had a real office with four walls, three of them glass from floor to ceiling, with blinds that could open and close with the push of a button on the remote she kept in a drawer. When the blinds were open, as they were now, she had a view of the Tower Bridge, a lift bridge that stretched across the Sacramento River, linking West Sacramento to Yolo County. To the right, she could see Jane standing outside the door. Nora waved her in.

Jane entered, shutting the door behind her before crossing the room and plunking down into the plush leather chair in front of Nora’s desk.

“Happy two-month anniversary!” Jane slid a pale-pink envelope across the desk. “Go ahead. Open it!”

“What is this?” Nora peeled the envelope open and pulled out a beautifully designed invitation for a day at a luxury spa in Napa.

“You’ve exceeded all expectations and deserve to be pampered for a day.”

Nora saw that arrangements had already been made for next Friday. She glanced at her calendar. “It’s very generous of you, Jane, but I’m still feeling my way around this place, and I have a lot to do around here.”

Jane rolled her eyes. “Nothing others can’t handle for you.”

“My daughter has cheer practice after school, and I usually take her out afterward for a quick snack somewhere.”

“I can do that!”

Nora’s stomach lurched. She had told Jane more than once that spending time with Hailey was one of the perks of having flexible hours, but the excitement in Jane’s eyes made it impossible to turn down the offer. “Are you sure?”