“Well, I’m going to have to get there to check this place out before much longer. Of course, I’ll want to meet Stella, too.”
“We’ll make that happen for sure,” Amanda said, surprised but delighted at the genuine interest her mother was showing in meeting Stella. “When the time is right.”
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you about my own situation.”
“What about it?”
“I’m thinking about retiring and planned to ask if you were interested in my job, but I guess that’s a moot point now.”
“Maybe not,” Amanda said, thinking fast. “I’m sure the company realizes by now that they’d need two people to replace you since you work sixty hours a week. What if I coordinated the trade show element, and you hired someone else to manage the sales force?”
“Didn’t you just say you want to work for the Abbotts?”
“I do, but I think I could handle that part of your job, too. I’m going to have a child to support, college to pay for. The extra income will help.”
“That’s an interesting idea. I’ll pitch it to them and let you know what they say.”
“And you’ll convey my two weeks’ notice?”
“I’ll do that. It’s going to be odd not to work together anymore,” Joyce said, sounding sad about the changes.
“We’ll still talk all the time, and I’m going to want you to come visit—and eventually meet your granddaughter.”
“I’d like that.”
“Well, then, we’ll make that happen as soon as possible.”
“Keep me posted?”
“I will. Thank you again for everything you’ve done for me, Mom. The job has really meant the world to me.”
“You did a great job for us. Don’t be surprised if you hear from Martin,” she said of her boss. “He’ll want to keep his top sales rep in the family.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Amanda said with a laugh. “I’ll be ready for him.”
“Let me know how the training goes with the Abbott sales force.”
“Will do. We train on Monday.”
“I’ll speak to you soon, then. Love you, honey.”
“Love you, too, Mom.” Amanda put down the phone, feeling oddly emotional after hearing those words from her mother. Their relationship had become very businesslike and transactional after Amanda went to work for her. She was interested to see how things would evolve between them when they no longer worked together.
The phone rang again, and she grabbed it without checking the caller ID. “Did you forget something?”
“What? Who’s this?”
“Amanda. Who’s this?”
“Is Landon there?”
“No, he’s working.”
“Tell him Chrissy called. Again.”
The line went dead before she could say anything. “Lovely.” Amanda shook that off and went back to thinking about the call with her mom.
“So, that happened. You quit your job.” She took a second to let the words register, expecting to feel regret or fear or something other than elation. “I quit my job.”
Smiling, she stood, stretched and did a happy little dance that she instantly regretted when her ankle objected. “Buzzkill.” She returned to the sofa, put her foot on a pillow and powered up her new laptop for the first time to prepare for the Abbott training and to revisit the work she’d done on the catalog for the intimate line.
For the first time in a while, she actually felt like working, which was a welcome relief and a sign that maybe she was getting back to some semblance of normal. Call it the “new norm,” full of exciting challenges and adventures to come. She refused to slip back into old habits of living half a life that focused almost exclusively on work.
That was no way to live, and those days were over.
It was like she’d torn up her life plan and started over with a blank page that she could fill any way she chose. The first two items on her blank page would be Stella and Landon. Everything else that came along would be like frosting on the sweetest cake. Just knowing she didn’t have to travel from city to city all summer was enough to fill her with joy.
After an hour of reviewing the catalog and other work-related emails, she called up a web browser and dove into a deep rabbit hole of real estate options in the Butler area. That’s what she was doing when the phone rang with a call from the adoption agency.
Amanda pounced. “Hello?”
“Ms. Pressley, this is Kathleen calling with more information. Do you have a pen handy?”
“I do.” With her fingers poised on the keyboard, she was ready.
“Stella and her mother, Kelly, are available for a call tonight at nine p.m. Does that work for you?”
“Yes,” Amanda said, blinking back tears. “That works.”
“Excellent. Here’s the number at which you can reach them.”
Amanda typed the number, which was in the 518 area code, and repeated it back to Kathleen to make sure she had it right. “Please let them know I’ll call at nine.”
“I’ll do that, and I wish you all the best. I can only imagine how you must be feeling.”
“It’s hard to put into words.”
“We have counselors available should you need someone to talk to.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind. So far, I’m doing okay, but there’ve been a few tears.”
“I’m sure. For what it’s worth, Stella seems like a delightful young lady.”
“I can’t wait to talk to her. Not sure how I’ll last until nine.”
“Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you. We’re here if we can be of assistance.”
“Thank you again.”
“My pleasure.”
Amanda ended the call and immediately figured out how long it would take to get from Butler, Vermont, to Albany. “Ugh, almost four hours. Longer than I thought. Oh well, that’s still closer than a lot of other places she might’ve been.”
She was spinning and realized that, but couldn’t seem to help the desperate need to know everything about her daughter now that the door had been cracked open to allow her into the child’s life in a much more meaningful way. Since she’d received that letter, she’d had to keep reminding herself that what was the most wonderful thing to happen to her was coming at the price of a devastating loss for Stella.
By the time Landon came home at two, Amanda was about to combust from the way time seemed to move backward all day. Every time she looked at the clock, it was only one minute later than the last time.
“I’m very happy to see you,” she said to him.
He took off his boots, hung up his coat and came to sit with her on the sofa. “And why is that?”
“Other than all the obvious reasons, my brain is going to implode at some point in the next seven hours.”
“What happens in seven hours?”
“I get to talk to Stella. And her mom, Kelly.”
“Wow, that’s exciting.”
“I know! Except time is moving backward today, and I’m about to lose my shit.”
“We can’t have that.” He leaned in to kiss her. “I can think of many good ways to distract you from clock watching.”