Shena had had a seizure. The doctor said it was a side effect of the new medication that had been prescribed for her bipolar disorder. Zoe felt terrible for pushing her to try the new meds. She only wanted her sister to feel better. Now, after a frantic night in the emergency room, Shena was finally resting peacefully in the hospital bed with her mother and Zoe at her side.
Zoe hadn’t been back home since she’d run out on Ethan the night before. She tiptoed from the hospital room and headed to the family lounge so she could text him. Exhausted, she flopped into one of the chairs and pulled out her phone.
Sorry I had to run out so quickly. It was a family emergency. All is well now, but I’ll need another day off to handle a few things.
She hoped that would be enough. Next she texted the office manager, Bella, and told her about the family emergency. The only thing her coworkers knew was that Zoe had a sickly mother. Her true family dynamics weren’t any of their business.
Her phone buzzed. She’d received a reply from Ethan.
Sorry to hear that. Glad all is well now. Take the time you need. Anything I can do to help?
Thanks and thanks for the offer. We will be fine.
OK. I’m here if you need me.
Zoe wasn’t used to the cordial tone they were using in this exchange. Their familiar, playful nature filled with sexual innuendo was gone. It hurt. Bad.
But she knew she was making the right choice. She’d find a new job and raise her baby on her own. Neither she nor Ethan had signed up for that kind of commitment and she wasn’t going to stand by and let his family speak ill of her or her child.
Zoe was no longer a nervous college student. She wasn’t going to sit by and allow herself to be scorned by Ethan’s parents for not growing up wealthy. She already knew how Bill felt about her. It would be one thing if it was just Ethan’s father, but Bill was also her boss’s boss. Work would become unbearable. If they found out about the pregnancy, their opinion of her would only get worse. She wouldn’t subject herself to the Blackwells’ judgment of her.
She’d never imagined being a single mom—or a mom at all. Her own mother had struggled all her life raising Zoe and Shena. With Zoe’s finance career, she’d manage much better than her mother had been able to on a modest blue-collar salary.
And Zoe would cherish this baby like the miracle that he or she was. Of course, she would have preferred to raise a child under better circumstances.
A new job. Zoe hated to have to look for one. She loved working for Blackwell Wealth Management. Not to mention, she made more money working for them than she had her entire career. Hopefully she’d find a job with a great boss like Ethan and nothing like Seth.
Thinking about jobs made her go to LinkedIn. She checked her profile and noted changes she needed to make. She noticed that Robert Richford had just posted and remembered meeting him at the conference a few months back. She’d connected with him on the social media platform immediately afterward, of course, and with a few others from the conference, as well. His company, Richford Financial, did similar work to Blackwell, with a few different options as to what they offered their clients.
Zoe went to his profile and wrote him a quick message about seeking opportunities with his firm. To her surprise, he responded right away.
Hi, Zoe, of course I remember you. I’d be happy to speak with you about opportunities here at Richford. Can you come by the office? Or perhaps we can meet for coffee or lunch sometime this week.
Zoe couldn’t believe her luck. If she could land a job at Richford Financial, she wouldn’t have to worry about hiding her pregnancy until something else came along. The sooner she could leave Blackwell, the better. She checked her work calendar on her phone.
Great. This week works. I have the most flexibility today. Otherwise Wednesday or Thursday would work.
Zoe hit Send and waited for his response. It didn’t come as fast as the previous one. She put her phone down, got up and walked over to the window.
The family lounge looked out over the ambulance bay. Flashing lights colored the area. Zoe hugged herself against the coolness of the room and watched an emergency vehicle back up to the entrance. She couldn’t see much else since the building blocked the rest of her view. Instead, she stared at the bright lights.
She placed a hand on her stomach. A baby. She was going to have a baby. Her mother would be the first person she’d tell when the time was right. She already knew this pregnancy would be risky, but she was willing to do whatever was necessary to ensure that her baby came out just fine.
Zoe’s phone buzzed. She’d gotten a message back from Robert.
I could make today work as long as it’s after 1 p.m.
She smiled.
2 pm is perfect. I can come to your office. See you then!
This was exactly what she needed.
Zoe went back to her sister’s room. Her mother was stretching in the chair she’d slept in.
“Hey, Ma. I need to head home and get myself together for work. I have a meeting I have to get to this afternoon.”
“Go ahead, honey. I’ll call you if anything changes.”
“Okay. I’ll be back after my meeting.” Zoe kissed her sister and her mother’s forehead and headed home.
After making a few updates to her LinkedIn profile, she made similar changes to her résumé, and then called Willena to tell her about the opportunity.
“You want to leave Blackwell so soon?” Willena asked.
Zoe didn’t want to go into the whole story but told Willena she’d explain more later. “I just wanted to get some insight about Richford before I meet with Robert. I didn’t expect to be able to meet with him so quickly.”
“It’s a great company, but Blackwell is a better fit,” Willena pointed out. “The company is expanding, and the opportunities there are endless. I think you should stay put, but it sounds like your mind is made up. Did something happen?”
Zoe closed her eyes and sighed. She decided to tell Willena the whole story. Willena had never judged her.
“Mmm-hmm,” she said occasionally as Zoe spoke. “I see,” she finally said. “A woman must do what a woman must do. Let me know how the interview goes. I’ll call and put in a good word.”
“Thank you so much, Willena. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.”
Zoe ended the call and busied herself polishing her credentials until it was time to leave for her meeting with Richford Financial. She printed copies of her résumé and placed them in her bag.
The interior of Richford Financial was just as posh as Blackwell Wealth Management. Plaques of Robert featured in major finance magazines hung along the lobby walls.
Moments after Zoe arrived, she was called into his office.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Richford.” Zoe reached her hand toward him.
“Good afternoon.” Robert shook her hand. “Please, have a seat.”
She discreetly scanned the space. Robert’s office was the size of her living room at home.
“Good seeing you again,” he said. “How are things over at Blackwell?”
“Actually not bad at all. There are a few changes coming down the pike and I thought it best to explore my options,” she said casually. “I really want to plant my feet at a place where I can see myself staying and growing for a long time. I saw your recent post on LinkedIn and thought I should look into your firm. You’ve fared well in the market.” Zoe didn’t want to paint a bad picture of Blackwell but she couldn’t say she was leaving because her secret affair with her boss had been exposed.
“Yes, we have,” Robert agreed. “I see you’ve done your homework. So, tell me about yourself.”
Zoe shared her work history, then Robert shared a bit about his career path, and the meeting turned more conversational. By the time their meeting was wrapping up, she felt like she’d been chatting with an old mentor.
“I like the way you think,” Robert said at last. “I believe you’d be a great addition to the Richford team if you’re willing.”
“Oh, I’m definitely willing.” Zoe couldn’t believe her luck. It normally took weeks of multiple interviews to land a job in her field.
“When can you start?”
“I believe it would be fair to give my job proper notice. Two weeks would do.”
“Great.”
In her excitement, Zoe almost forgot to mention the most important thing. “Oh. Mr. Richford. There’s something I should tell you.”
“What is it?” His brows creased with concern.
“Um. I’m expecting. You can’t tell now, but I’m due this summer. I understand if you don’t—”
Robert waved off her concern. “Fine. Your benefits will be in place way before then. Congratulations!”
“Oh. Thank you, Mr. Richford. I’m looking forward to getting started.” Zoe was surprised that Robert expressed no resistance to her news.
“So am I,” he said with a smile.
She closed out her meeting with him and headed back to the hospital. On the way, she called Willena to let her know how the interview went.
When Zoe got back to Shena’s room, her sister was awake but groggy. Zoe sent her mother home to get some rest and stayed with Shena a few more hours. Things were moving forward. Not going the way she would have liked but going the way they had to.
Now she had to find a way to tell Ethan she would be leaving. Zoe felt her heart break all over again. She was doing the right thing. Right?