“Sometimes friends become our greatest enemies and sometimes they turn into our greatest allies.” ~ Johnny Outlaw
“How’s Katie working out? She’s due for her three month evaluation, correct?” I turn in my chair and ask Tracy.
“Yes. We have it set up for tomorrow. How do you feel about her managerial skills?”
“I think she’s doing a good job. She’s not you, but you’re rare like that.”
“Ha ha.”
“No joke. You are irreplaceable.”
She stares, squinting her eyes at me. “What are you up to?”
I laugh. “Nothing. Just want you to know how valuable you are to the company. We have three full-time employees and a lot of contractors and nobody cares as much as you and I do about this company.”
“True. We have a vested interest. I have stock shares I hope to cash in one day.”
“First we have to become a stock holding company. You know, it might not be bad staying a privately owned company.”
“I’m gonna need a big pay raise in that case,” she jokes.
I laugh again, but realize she’s not joking. “Don’t worry about that. You’re stuck with me and I’m willing to pay you what you deserve to keep you around.”
“I do think we should bring on another employee. The interns are working out, but they rotate out too fast. I was thinking an entry-level clerk.”
“Do what you think is best.” I broach the topic I’ve been nervous to bring up. I start off casual. “So what do you think about the time off with the baby?”
“I think you need it. I’ve done a lot research and it shows that taking maternity leave actually improves work efforts when you return. Besides that, you should take the time to heal and take care of that baby.”
“What about after?”
“I’ve been thinking about that and doing a little research. Why don’t you bring the baby here during the day? We can set up a crib and other necessities in the bedroom and we have a full kitchen downstairs since it is a townhome. You can bring whatever you need here to make it easier. But I have to warn you, the owner can be a real bitch sometimes. If you give her a chance though, she has a heart of gold,” she playfully teases, followed by a laugh.
“You’re ridiculous. By the way, I need a month off or at least to be out of pocket from meetings and such.”
Her jaw drops. When she recovers from the shock, she exclaims, “Holli!”
“I know,” I reply with my hands up. “Please don’t freak out. I’ll be working. I’ll just be working from Texas.”
“Texas? What the hell’s in Texas?”
“Dalton.”
“Oh good lord, woman. Your life gives me whiplash.” Grabbing a notepad and pen, she huffs, “Lay it on me. Give me the deets.”
“Dalton wants to get away from LA and we both want to stay together, especially after all that has happened.”
“Why Texas?”
“He wants to go to Austin. It’s a music city and, well, we’re not telling many people, but he’s gonna do some solo shows, get a feel for the stage again, start fresh.”
“This sounds serious. You’re not moving on me, are you? Cuz I’m just gonna be perfectly honest here, I need you. You’re one of my best friends.”
“Charmer,” I say, smiling ear-to-ear. “You’re one of mine too, but it’s not forever. It’s just for now. Our new motto.”
“When?”
Scared to tell her, I whisper because I figure that will ease the blow. “Five days.”
Her jaw drops again, but this time, she doesn’t seem to recover as quickly… or at all. I watch her stand and walk right out of the office. Her footsteps are heavy as she descends the stairs where Katie works in the living room. Then the front door opens and closes again.
I take off after her. As I run past Katie, I ask to verify, “She left?”
“Yes.”
Running out the front door, I call to Tracy. She’s walking quickly down the sidewalk toward the beach. I only have to jog to catch up with her, but when I do, she stops and glares at me. “You keep doing this and I’m left here to pick up the pieces.”
“I work my ass off, Tracy.”
“Yes, you do. You work more hours than I do and I work an insane amount of hours, but sometimes you need to be here.”
“I can’t work without him.”
“You have to. You started and grew this business before you even met him. I’m not trying to be mean, but if you’re taking time off then we need to hire more people—designers, artists, and the people who come up with those catchy slogans. Whatever they’re called.”
“I do all of that and I rarely miss deadlines, so this is kind of bullshit.”
“What’s bullshit is me feeling like I’m doing this alone. Once the baby comes, you’ll never be here.”
Shocked by this side of Tracy, I ask, “We just talked about that. So what’s this really about? This isn’t like you. We talk. Communicate all the time about everything, so where is this coming from?”
I see her glance down to my stomach and then turn around, putting her back to me. “Adam and I have been trying for months…”
Guilt fills my veins in an instant and my heart hurts. Not sure what to say, I say what I feel, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m stressed. I read online to relax and that means working less, not more. Everything is so much easier when you’re here.”
I walk around and hug her. “We’ll hire more people to help. Please don’t worry about that. We’ve needed to for awhile now, but I need you to tell me when you need help. You don’t have to do everything by yourself.”
When her arms release me, she says, “It was just the two of us for so long. It’s hard to let go.”
Smiling in reassurance, I say, “We don’t have to let go, Trace. We just have to loosen the grip a bit. Limelight is growing. It’s time we grow the staff and our families.”
“I just miss you and I miss the old days when we were like renegades in the business world.”
“I miss you too. The old days were great. We were doing something that felt revolutionary. We are still those visionaries. We make a great team, Trace. I couldn’t do this without you. Anything. Tell me anything I can do to help you.”
“You can go to Texas for one month and work satellite, but only one month and then no more time off until your maternity leave. Capeche?”
Smiling, I nudge her as we walk to the beach. “Capeche.”