The Living Room (59 page)

Amy started to reach for the forms but pulled back her hand.

“Excuse me,” she said.

Ms. Kirkpatrick continued, “I didn’t know until late yesterday afternoon that Mr. Phillips talked with Emily and moved up her return-to-work date. She scrambled around and arranged day care for her baby so she can be here on Monday. We’d hoped there might be another position for you, but there are a couple of girls who aren’t at full capacity. If a spot opens up in the future, do you want me to give you a call?”

Amy was flabbergasted but then quickly realized she shouldn’t be. How could Mr. Phillips explain to Ms. Kirkpatrick his real reason for letting her go? It might even constitute religious discrimination, not that Amy wanted to file a lawsuit.

“That would be up to Mr. Phillips,” she said noncommittally.

“It always is,” Ms. Kirkpatrick replied with a shrug. She pointed to a line at the bottom of a form. “Sign here.”

Amy cleaned out her desk. Mr. Phillips had an appointment out of the office, so they avoided another awkward encounter. By the time Amy reached the reception area, news of her departure had reached Janelle.

“I’m going to miss you terribly,” the receptionist said with a sorrowful look on her face. “I feel like I’ve barely gotten to know you.”

“Maybe we can still get together for lunch sometime,” Amy replied. She glanced toward the stairwell to the second floor. “Is Chris here?”

“No, he had a motion hearing at nine thirty and told me not to expect him back before eleven.”

“Okay.”

“If we have lunch, maybe you can sign a copy of your new book for me. Mom still talks about how thrilled she was to receive the signed copy of
A
Great
and
Precious
Promise
for her birthday,” Janelle said, brightening up slightly.

“That’s good, and I’d be glad to sign a copy of my new book for
you. It’ll be on the shelves in a couple of weeks, or I could bring one to you when we get together.”

“That would be way cooler. I’ll buy you lunch.”

Amy left and closed the front door of the office behind her. Her forced departure was much different from the voluntary one twenty-four months before. That time there had been a small party in the kitchen with a signed “Best Wishes” card placed in the middle of a fancy fruit and cheese basket. She’d left the office feeling a mixture of freedom and excitement. This time, feeling numb and detached, she had her belongings jumbled together in a canvas tote bag.

Natalie was waiting for her at the coffee shop. As soon as Amy came through the door, her friend jumped up, ran over, and gave her a hug.

“I’ve felt sick about what happened ever since you called,” Natalie said. “I want to barge into Mr. Phillips’s office and tell him what I think of him.”

The image of an enraged Natalie bursting in on the senior partner and chewing him out made Amy smile.

“You’re the least likely person on the planet to do something like that,” Amy said.

“You don’t know what’s burning in here.” Natalie pointed to her chest.

“Douse it with a frothy cappuccino,” Amy replied. “Let’s get something to drink.”

Sitting with Natalie and sipping a coffee brought a sense of normalcy back to Amy.

“The past few months have been a roller coaster,” she said. “And I still don’t know where I’ll end up.”

“How did Jeff react to the news?”

“Better than I could have written in a book. He’s come a long way. But I can’t leave him hanging. I’m going to have to figure out what to do that will bring in some income. And do it soon.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“Not yet. I’m going to call Bernie Masters and find out if he’s really kicking me to the curb.” Amy paused. “I don’t want to look for another legal job, although I’m sure Ms. Kirkpatrick will give me a good reference. On the other hand, Mr. Phillips—” She stopped.

“Go ahead.”

Amy told Natalie about her meeting with the office administrator. Natalie gritted her teeth.

“How cowardly! Mr. Phillips is supposed to be this super lawyer who intimidates everyone in court, but he’s afraid to admit what he did to you.”

Amy nudged Natalie’s cup with her finger.

“Quick, take another sip. I see flames behind your eyes.”

Amy gently directed the conversation onto topics she and Natalie would have covered during a routine get-together.

“Oh, Luke is putting together a mock-up of our book with my illustrations and your text,” Natalie said after they finished talking about their children.

“When can I see it?”

“In a few days. I’ll call as soon as it’s ready.”

An hour later Amy arrived home to an empty house. For months she’d been living life at one hundred miles per hour, and the shock of slamming on the brakes made the house seem eerily quiet. She changed into casual clothes and went upstairs to the writing room. Before turning on her computer, she called Bernie. He didn’t answer, so she left a message on his voice mail.

Amy stared out the window. Spring had arrived in full splendor in Cross Plains. In nature it was a time of new beginnings. What that meant for Amy was much less clear than for the flowers blooming in her neighbor’s yard across the street. She turned on her computer and opened the file for her personal journal. It had been weeks since she’d written anything. There was a lot to add.

The next two days passed without a word from Bernie. He didn’t even contact her when he received his portion of the modest advance for
The
Everlasting
Arms
. Thursday evening Amy presented the check to Jeff after cooking him one of his favorite suppers.

“I want you to put all of it in our account to pay bills,” she said.

Jeff hesitated. “But you should use some of it for yourself.”

“No,” Amy responded emphatically. “All of it in the joint account. How many months will this buy us?”

Jeff wrinkled his nose. “Uh, about three. Have you been down to the unemployment office to sign up for benefits?”

“I called today. It won’t be much since I was out of work for a year and a half before going back, and there will be a penalty if the law firm files a response that I was discharged for cause.”

“Ms. Kirkpatrick didn’t—”

“Those sorts of things are discussed by the partners,” Amy said. “I know because that’s how it was handled in the past when someone was fired.”

Amy was surprised how tired she was. The emotional strain of the past weeks and months had taken a toll. That night she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

And she went to the living room.

Never before had she felt more like royalty. Nothing about the simple surroundings spoke of pomp and circumstance, but she was enveloped in a regal robe of affirmation. Unworthiness and reminders of failure shrank back. Amy’s value was unshakable, minted in coin that couldn’t be stolen and would never lose its luster.

She remembered again the verse from Song of Songs that had been an anchor to her timid, teenage soul—
He
brought
me
to
the
banqueting
house, and his banner over me was love
. God’s truth never changes; it isn’t dependent on life’s circumstances. Amy’s seat at the table of the King had her name engraved on it.

When she woke up, Amy lay peacefully on her back, a seed of invisible faith for the future planted in her heart.

All day Friday Amy moved throughout the empty house with a song in her heart. She went to the grocery store and smiled at strangers. When she thought about Mr. Phillips or the law firm, the sting of hurt was gone. She was filled with an inexpressible joy. Ian noticed something was different shortly after she picked him up from school.

“Mom, you seem happy,” he said.

“I am.”

Ian seemed satisfied. A child’s mind doesn’t always require a reason for happiness. It can simply be a state of mind.

The party for Megan at Mr. Ryan’s townhome was scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Megan ate a light snack for supper.

“There’s going to be food at Mr. Ryan’s place,” she said. “And I want to be able to try everything.”

“Who’s fixing it?” Amy asked.

“He is.”

“What is he going to cook?” Jeff asked, looking up from a plate of chicken divan with macaroni and cheese.

“He asked Bethany what I liked for dessert, and she told him.”

“Brownies,” Ian replied with his mouth full.

“Bethany told him I liked bananas Foster crepes.”

“When did you eat one of those?” Amy asked.

“I haven’t, but I think I’d love it.”

“I hope he doesn’t burn the house down.”

“I didn’t know bananas burn,” Ian said.

“They do when you pour liquor on them,” Jeff answered.

Ian’s eyes widened. “You’re going to let Megan drink?”

“No,” Amy responded quickly. “The alcohol evaporates in the cooking process.”

Ian looked skeptical.

“I’ll find a video on the Internet after supper and show you how it works,” Jeff said. “Then you can impress Bobby.”

“Bobby loves starting fires.”

Amy drove Megan to the party. To her relief, Megan was wearing blue jeans and a modest top.

“How many people are going to be there?” Amy asked.

“I’m not sure. That’s part of my surprise. Everybody else gets there at seven thirty.”