Hector dapped Diego. “Thanks for the opportunity. When do I start?”
“You can start tomorrow if you want. It’s up to you. Or you can come at the start of next week. I’ll put you on the books right away.”
Hector put his hands on his head. “No, I’m going to come tomorrow. Better I start sooner rather than later.”
The balance of life was slowly being restored.
Twenty-Two
Amber
“Still sleeping with the cowboy?”
My mug slipped from my fingers, but luckily, it was on a carpeted floor. The caramel-colored liquid contained in the cup flew out, staining the rug.
Lucy held her throat with her fat little fingers, laughing so hard I thought she was going into a spasmodic fit.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Why do you keep saying that?” I bit back at her with force. We were in the breakroom by ourselves, which was unusual there, as there was usually someone trying hard to escape their cases or gossiping at the water cooler.
“Because I saw you kissing him outside the grocery store. I knew from the glow up you had when you got back from the prison.” My mouth was agape, and I had a hard time pulling it back shut. “Oh, don’t worry, honey. Your secret is safe with me. I’ve had a jailbird a time or two. Lots of fun, isn’t it?”
I grabbed a rag from the kitchen and cleaned up the coffee as best I could. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lucy, and I’m not sure who you saw, but it wasn’t me.” My feeble attempts to cover up were not working in my favor. She narrowed her eyes at me.
“Come on now. You’re only fooling yourself. But if that’s what you want to do, it’s all good. We got training today?” She switched the subject.
“Yes, we do at eleven.”
“I’ll see you then.” She winked and carried herself back to her desk.
As I retreated back to my desk, I checked over my paperwork. I pulled up Colt’s file. Now the visits would back off because Bella was back in her father’s care. I made some notes and finalized my report. Technically, I was due to see Bella in six months to check in. A wry smile lifted on my face because I knew I would be seeing Bella in a couple of days. I daydreamed about my future with Colt. We hadn’t really talked about it, though. I presumed he would start back up on the farm. It dawned on me that I didn’t really know where I stood with him.
How would I fit into his life? Was he over the death of his late girlfriend? Even as his social worker, I was supposed to ask him these questions. I guessed that my primary concern was making sure Bella was okay. My big, strong cowboy didn’t talk so much about those types of things.
I checked the time on my computer. In just over an hour, I had a meeting with my new team to discuss their cases. Usually, the team meetings consisted of discussing caseloads and providing tips back and forth about what to do. Unprecedented cases would filter through the team supervisor, which was me now. My stomach churned a little from the unknown of the job and if I would be able to handle the tougher, more disturbing cases. My specialty was those incarcerated, but the child cases caused me a lot of distress. I eyed the pile of paperwork in my end tray, all documents to do with training a team and case files that were tricky. Sometimes, all I wanted to do was float away from it all. My mind was telling me that maybe I wanted to do something that was less taxing on my physical and mental health. All I saw was a crossroads.
I packed up my things and prepared for the meeting, set on the agenda for twelve seats. People from our team streamed in and took their seats.
“Hi, Marsha, welcome to the meeting.”
“Hi, Brandon, great job on that Hernandez case and getting it into the children’s court.”
Brandon wiped his brow. “Yeah, that was a tough one. Nearly broke my heart.”
“I hear you. Some of these cases can do that.”
“Lucy.”
“Amber. Sit anywhere?” She had this devious smile on her face, and my shoulders knotted together as soon as she entered the room. The remainder of the group came in, and I shut the door.
“Hi, everyone. I’m glad that you could take time out of your days to join me for the meeting. I wanted to let you know I am now in charge of overseeing your cases. Michelle has moved on to a higher role.” I looked around at their faces, and no one appeared disgruntled at the announcement, except for Lucy. “I can proudly say I have worked with each and every one of you in some capacity. It has been an absolute joy to do so. We can’t save everyone, but I know that all of you try your best. That’s all we can do.”
“We’re glad you’re here. You’re a wealth of knowledge,” Brandon said.
“I second that,” Cynthia, one of the longest-standing members of the department’s team, chimed in.
“So, I know we have an agenda, but let’s just open the floor. Do any of you have any problems with your current cases? Let’s help one another out. We can go around the room.”
Lucy put her hand up. My legs were crossed, but I squeezed them together, invisible to the others.
“Yes, I have a question.” Her eyes danced with mischief.
“Go ahead, Lucy. You have the floor,” I answered curtly.
“What happens in a misconduct case? Such as if a social worker or department worker becomes involved with a client?” My heart stomped through my chest. My palms were sweating. I maintained my cool as best I could.
“Well, first, that’s a serious allegation, and you would need undeniable proof that something was going on. Remembering that we, as social workers, are involved with home visits and accessing certain services to assist our clients. You would need proof for such a claim, and then the next necessary steps would be taken.” My caramel eyes inflicted my coldest stare back at her.
She smiled. “Just wondering is all.” She rolled her eyes arrogantly.
Brandon sat forward in his seat. “Why do you ask? Do you know someone in that position, Lucy?”
She looked straight at me, and I maintained a neutral if not blank stare. “Oh God, no, no one from this team would do that!”
A few of the others mumbled under their breath before the meeting continued. Maybe Colt and I might need to cool it until compulsory visits were over. I didn’t want to jeopardize him or me. The meeting overall was productive and ended after forty-five minutes. The threat of blackmail from Lucy had me thinking vengeful thoughts. I had the opportunity to confront her as she was the last to leave out of the room.
“What exactly are you doing? I mean, what exactly are you trying to prove? Did I miss something?
Lucy’s dark eyes lit up with envy as she looked at me. “Yes, you can do no wrong in this department. You’re a goody-two-shoes, and I’m sick of it. You got that promotion, and I’m just as qualified as you for the role. In fact, I’ve had just as many cases as you.”
The root cause of the conflict was revealed. I blew out a strong breath. “Look, your time is coming. I don’t know why you would be in a hurry for the role. Better the devil you know. I work late nights, and up until now, I haven’t really had a life outside of helping other people. Think about it.”
Her energy shifted slightly, but she’d already decided to be mad. “Well, I want to hate you, but you make it hard to.” She cracked a smile.