Bedrock (6 page)

Six

Addie came to in the ER with Patrick by her side. “Hey
there, sleepy head. Sounds like you had quite the day.”

“Yeah. You could say that,” Addie said, picking at her hospital
bracelet.

“What were you doing at The Hartman Building, anyway?

The Hartman Building?
Addie stared at him confused
.
“The
what building?”

“Downtown, Addison. What were you doing downtown? Patrick said
sternly.

Well, she certainly hadn’t planned on telling him like this. “I
had a job interview.”

Patrick’s mouth formed a hard line, but he said nothing. Breaking
the uncomfortable silence, a doctor appeared, telling Addie that her CT scan
was clear but that, because she had been unconscious, he would feel more
comfortable keeping her overnight.

“Doctor, really, I’m fine. I think I’d feel more comfortable at
home, resting in my own bed.”

Patrick sighed. “How soon can we get her out of the ER and
upstairs? She’s staying.”

Addie sat up a little too abruptly. “Patrick, that’s not your
call to make.”

Patrick stared at the doctor as he spoke, though Addie knew his
words were meant directly for her. He was angry with her, and she knew it. “Doc,
clearly after the day’s events, my wife isn’t thinking clearly. She seems to be
having a hard time making sound decisions.”

The doctor remained cool, neutral. “Look, all I can do is give my
professional opinion, and, from a medical standpoint, I’d feel better if we
kept you for observation.”

Patrick turned to her, placing his hands on his hips as if to say
I told you so.

Addie lay back on the gurney, defeated. “What about the kids?”

“I had my mother pick them up from Jessica’s.”

Although she was furious with Patrick, Addie knew she should be
nicer. After all, she had betrayed him, not once today, but twice. She felt
terrible, sick to her stomach over it. But oddly enough, she wasn’t remorseful
in the way that she thought she should be. Even as she lay there in the
hospital with Patrick at her side, her thoughts drifted to the man in the
elevator. She thought about the way he kissed her and the expression on his
face as they wheeled her away. Addie knew she was wrong. She knew that she had
lied by omission twice today. Of course, with her winding up in the hospital,
Patrick now knew all about the first lie. It was only a matter of time now
before he’d find out about the second.

Once they moved Addie from the ER to her room, Patrick
left to gather some belongings. Addie told him that she would be fine, that he
would sleep better at home, but he insisted, saying there was something
important he needed to discuss with her.

While Patrick was gone Addie checked her cell: a few missed calls
and a dozen emails. Two stood out. One was from the agency she was set to
interview for.

Dear Mrs. Greyer,

We at Carlisle Agency were very sorry to learn of the elevator
malfunction you experienced this afternoon.

At this time, following a very prestigious recommendation from
Mr. Hartman himself, we would like to offer you the position of Account Manager
here at The Carlisle Agency.

Should you accept this job offer, per company policy, you'll be
eligible to receive the following beginning on your hire date:

Salary:
Annual gross starting salary of $85,000, paid in
biweekly installments by your choice of check or direct deposit

Performance Bonuses:
Up to five percent of your annual
gross salary, paid quarterly by your choice of check or direct deposit

Stock Options:
500 Carlisle stock options in your first
year, fully vested in four years at the rate of 125 shares per year

Benefits:
Standard, agency-provided benefits for
salaried-exempt employees, including the following:

401(k) retirement account

Annual stock options

Childcare assistance

Education reimbursement

Health, dental, life, and disability insurance

Profit sharing

Sick leave

V
acation
and personal days

Your work schedule would be part-time, Monday—Friday from 8
a.m.—2 p.m. Should you accept this job offer, per company policy, you’ll be
eligible to receive the above beginning on your hire date.

We at The Carlisle Agency hope that you’ll accept this job
offer and look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Sincerely,

Sondra Sheehan

CEO, The Carlisle Agency

(555) 210-3782

Addie was floored.
$85,000 a year for part-time work.
Seriously?
William had recommended her, and, just like that, she had the
job of her dreams.
How?
This kind of job had the power to change her
life. The money alone was amazing, more than she had ever made before. But the
hours were a dream come true. She would still be able to pick up the boys from
school and be there in the afternoons.
Where was the catch?
She checked
her voicemail, the first being a message from Ms. Sheehan, letting her know of
the offer awaiting in her inbox and explaining that she looked forward to
hearing from her.
The second voicemail was a hang up from a number she
didn’t recognize.
Addie clicked off her phone, thinking everything else
could wait
.
Suddenly, she couldn’t wait for Patrick to get back so that
she could tell him her news. She had a job, and it was one she couldn’t refuse.

Patrick arrived back with a flower and Chinese takeout
in hand. Her news combined with his good mood nearly made her forget about the
day’s earlier events. Addie decided to put what happened in the elevator behind
her for now. Patrick sat the flower down and removed the food from the bag,
arranging it in front of her.

Addie smiled at him, so full of love in that moment. He had
brought her, her favorite Chinese dish from their favorite takeout place to her
favorite flower, a beautiful pink orchid.

“Are the boys ok? They aren’t too worried are they? I should call—”

Patrick cut her off “My mom says they’re fine. I spoke with them
briefly, but they were too busy helping Rosie bake cookies to stop and talk.”

Addie smiled, picturing her boys with Rosie, thinking of how much
she liked her.

“Eat while it’s hot.” Patrick demanded.

“Ok, so sit down. I have some news.” Addie said jubilantly.

Patrick took a bite, grinning. “You have news? Me too. Big news.”

Addie suddenly felt nervous. “You go first.”

Patrick’s mood shifted slightly. She took a deep breath,
analyzing the seriousness of his expression. Nothing could have prepared her
for what was to come next.

“So, I’ve been given a huge assignment at work. And I think it’s
going to be great.”

Addie exhaled. “And?”

“And . . . I’ve been asked to head up our newest division in
China. I’ll get to start from scratch—do with it what I want—run it the way I
see fit. It’s a year-long project, Addie, but I’ve given it some thought, and I
think this could be great for us.”

Addie choked. Suddenly, the room was spinning, and the wind was
knocked out of her.

“Say something, Addie. What do think?”

“Um. I . . . I . . . How long have you known about this?”

“Three weeks. Why?”

“Three weeks. Three fucking weeks, Patrick? And you’re just now
telling me about it.”

“Well, yes. I wanted some time to mull it over and get all of the
facts before I ran it by you.”

“Wow. We’re talking about something that will change our entire
lives, Patrick, and you wanted to mull it over before you ran it by me? As if
we’re discussing dinner plans or picking up milk at the grocery store?”

Patrick stood, pacing the room. “So, you’re not happy? You’re not
happy? Don’t you realize what this means for my career? What this could mean
for us! That’s it? You want to pick apart and argue over how long I’ve known?”

Addie pushed her food away. “What do
you want me to say? It’s a bad idea, Patrick.”

“
Well, you’re going to have to
say a little more than that. They need an answer within forty-eight hours.”

Addie rubbed her temples, thinking before she spoke. “What is
there to discuss? It sounds as though you’ve already made up your mind. The
only thing left to do was to ‘run it by me.’”

Patrick moved closer, putting his hand on her leg. “Addison, come
on. You know that is not what I meant. You mean the world to me; your opinion
means the world to me. Look, I know this is a lot to take in all at once. But
it’s only for a year, and I know we can make it work. You and the kids can
visit, and I’ll fly home as often as I can.”

“It’s fucking China, Patrick, not California. You can’t just hop
on a plane and be home in a few hours. You do realize this, right?”

“Of course, baby. It’s just that opportunities like this only
come up once in a lifetime. It’s what I’ve been working so hard for. So many of
my colleagues would kill for this opportunity, but they asked me. Don’t you see
what this means, Addie? It means that I’m closer than ever to making partner.
It’s what we’ve always dreamed about.”

Addie wanted to tell him he was wrong. That it was what
he’d
always dreamed about. Instead she said, “I don’t want you to go, Patrick. I
need you here. The boys need you
here.”

“Don’t do this, Addie. It’s just a year.”

The nurse came in and began taking Addie’s vital signs and
charting information. Addie and Patrick stared at each other, saying nothing
until Addie broke the uncomfortable silence.

“I guess you’ve made your mind up, then.”

Patrick stood, running his fingers through his hair. “I need some
air.”

“Wait. I didn’t get to tell you
my
good news.”

Patrick raised his eyebrows. “Yeah?”

“I got the job.”

Patrick’s jaw set as he turned and walked out, his silence saying
everything.

Addie lay there, staring at their cold, uneaten food, listening
to the machines beep, and thought about how this morning, when the alarm had
gone off, it had been, for the most part, a normal day. And now here she was
lying in a hospital bed after betraying her husband in the worst way. To make
matters worse, he told her that he was leaving their family for a year and he’d
known it for weeks now. All of a sudden, Addie wasn’t sure who had betrayed
whom. She knew she could tell him not to go. In many ways, she already had. But
Patrick had already made up his mind, and it seemed the only option she had
left was to issue an ultimatum. But she wouldn’t. Addie was smart enough to
know that doing so would only lead to a life of regret and what ifs. She did
not want to become that to Patrick. She witnessed it too many times before,
growing up. So she knew exactly what she had to do. What she hadn’t expected
was just how much it would hurt.

Patrick didn’t come back that night. Addie hadn’t expected
that he would. The next morning he showed up with a bagel and orange juice,
which she understood was his way of making amends.