“I think the worst of the morning sickness is behind me,” Liz said. “I felt fine this morning, but it does kind of come and go.”
“For now, I’m going to open. Then, ideally, I’d like Tori to come in midmorning and stay until Ava comes in at two. I’ll come back in and cook for the dinner crowd, with Rose and Liz both stepping in when we need more hands on deck.” She stopped and looked at Tori. “I know you’re supposed to be really part-time, but if you could do the regular hours until we get a cook or Liz is over the hump, I’d really appreciate it.”
Tori had been prepared for this and given it a lot of thought. On the one hand, she couldn’t cut corners on her design work. It took years to build a reputation and no time flat to lose it. But these were her friends and, most importantly, Gavin wouldn’t have this opportunity if not for Paige.
“I can do it,” she said. “Honestly, it’s easier for me to manage my work schedule if I know up front when I’m working rather than being called in at random times.”
“Thank you, Tori.”
She sipped her coffee while Paige went down the line, speaking to each of them about the schedule change and making sure everybody was on board. Not surprisingly, they were all willing to do whatever it took to keep the place going.
“I can still work for the two weeks,” Gavin pointed out.
Paige shook her head. “You can help us streamline the menu so it’s manageable and if we get in a bind, we might call you, but you have planning and packing to do. And you need a haircut, too, before you go.”
They all laughed again, and the meeting was over. Liz was staying, so Tori was free to walk down to the market for some groceries and then head home.
When she unlocked her door, she almost tripped over a bag in the middle of the hallway. There was a book poking out the top and Hailey had a spare key, so she assumed it was a surprise visit from the library fairy.
Shifting both bags of groceries she’d picked up at the market after work to one hand, she picked up the bag and went upstairs. Since she wasn’t on the waiting list for anything she could think of, curiosity got the better of her and she stuck the milk in the fridge, then dug into the bag of books.
The paperback on top looked like some kind of self-help book, and she frowned. There was a typical ILL slip stuck inside, with Hailey’s lighthearted but serious warning of increased fines if the book was late. Hailey said it caused her professional embarrassment but Tori suspected she exaggerated how much in an effort to avoid the work of renewing through the lending library. And there was a sticky note on the front.
Even though I’m not single anymore, I’m still your best friend. I love you and I want you to be happy. Please don’t be mad.
There were four books in the bag and they were all self-help books for dealing with divorce and toxic family relationships. Tori’s hands shook and she dropped the books on her desk, glaring at them since the woman who’d left them in her hallway wasn’t available to be glared at. She wasn’t, however, out of reach.
Hailey answered on the second ring. “Please don’t be mad.”
“I feel like you’re trying to tell me something.”
“I’m trying to tell you what I wrote in the note. You’re my best friend, I love you and I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy.”
There was a long pause. “I think you hope if you pretend you’re happy long enough, it’ll become the truth.”
It sounded like Whitford’s do-gooder librarian had been spending too much time in the self-help section. “If this is about Max—”
“It has nothing to do with Max. It’s about you, I swear.”
Tori wanted to be mad, but she knew Hailey’s heart was in the right place. And she had to admit her current method of dealing with her parents—namely dodging their calls and avoiding going home—wasn’t working. “Did you pick them by their titles?”
“No, I researched recommended books and then I researched the authors and I read a gazillion reviews.” She heard Hailey sigh. “I wish we had a decent therapist nearby, but I know you’ll come up with a million excuses not to make the minimum of a two-hour round trip to talk to somebody.”
She couldn’t deny it. “Did you highlight the important passages for me?”
“No! Bad things happen to people who write in library books, Tori. Very bad things. And the important passages will be the ones that speak to you, not to me.”
Tori sighed and started putting away the rest of her groceries one-handed. “I thought putting some distance between me and my parents would help. It might have if that guy hadn’t invented the telephone.”
“It might have worked very short-term, but it’s been two years. This crap show has become the normal and it’s not going to change on its own.”
She laughed. “I think you snuck a few peeks before you dropped these books off.”
“I read some articles online. Like I said, I want you to be happy. And I don’t even care if you’re happy with a guy. I want you to be happy for you.”