Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 10791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 54(@200wpm)___ 43(@250wpm)___ 36(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 10791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 54(@200wpm)___ 43(@250wpm)___ 36(@300wpm)
“They do.” Rory beamed at me. “And thank you for calling me a success story.”
“You are. You’re in graduate school for social work as well as working here. And you seem…well-adjusted? Happy?” I searched for the right compliment. His perpetually positive attitude was one of the things I liked most about him, right along with his lack of drama. In a small office, gossip could travel like wildfire, but Rory wasn’t the sort to involve himself in petty disputes or relay secrets.
“I’m not so sure on well-adjusted.” Rory had a musical laugh. “Thank God for therapy. But I’m happy. My present life is pretty good.”
“That’s the sort of outcome I hope for with each case.”
“Can I ask what drew you to the job?” Rory’s tone was cautious, with good reason. Like him, a lot of CASA staff, as well as those working with the resources we partnered with, had once been in the child welfare system. However, I didn’t have a straightforward explanation.
“My parents would like that answer too.” I gave an uncomfortable laugh. “My mom is a big-firm corporate lawyer in Portland. My dad owns a restaurant in Alberta. I had a pretty happy, well-off childhood, honestly.”
“I know Alberta. I got a coffee at People’s Cup when I was in Portland last week.” Rory nodded encouragingly. “And plenty of people with decent childhoods end up working in child welfare too.”
“I didn’t see my privilege until I did a semester at the family law clinic at law school,” I admitted. I’d grown up in something of a bubble. Good schools. Right to college, which was paid for by my parents. I hadn’t realized the rarity of my circumstances until I’d had broader exposure to others. “I had a case get under my skin.”
“Some cases do that.” Rory shifted like he might want to touch me again, but luckily, our positions prevented that. I wasn’t sure I could handle his understanding right then.
“Yeah. It was a complicated domestic abuse case.” I couldn’t reveal more than that for privacy’s sake, but Rory was remarkably good at getting more details from me than most. “For the first time in my life, I felt needed. Like I could make a difference. Then, closer to graduation, the professor supervising the clinic told me about this opening. I shocked everyone when I took it.”
“Your mom wanted you to end up at her firm?” Rory guessed.
“It was an option among other firm jobs.” I pursed my lips. I hated sounding even more spoiled. “To her credit, she’s supported this opportunity even if she treats it more like a phase.”
“And you want your parents to take it more seriously.” Rory nodded like that was a conclusion, not a question.
“Yeah. You’re rather perceptive.” I envied his easy ability to read people correctly. Also, my chest was strangely warm. Rory saw more than even my mom, and she had known me my whole life.
“Thanks. You’re very…professional in personality, so it makes sense you want the people important to you to give appropriate weight to your passions.” Rory spoke slowly as if selecting each word from a pile of possibilities, careful not to offend, another skill I sometimes lacked.
“Thanks. I am passionate about my work.” I’d take Rory calling me professional over uptight or stiff. “And usually, my parents do take me seriously. They were rather accommodating of my elephant phase.”
“Your elephant phase?” Rory’s eyes sparkled with fresh energy.
I groaned because I hadn’t intended to reveal that little factoid. “The Oregon Zoo had a new baby elephant when I was six. I spent the next several years wanting to know absolutely everything about elephants.”
“That’s adorable.”
“When I get into something, I tend to get…obsessed,” I admitted, but Rory nodded supportively.
“Which isn’t a bad thing.”
“It is when it’s two a.m. and you’re mid-deep dive on a character actor you saw on a single episode of a new show,” I countered, head going swimmy from the effort of keeping up with this conversation. My stomach clenched uncomfortably. I really should have eaten far sooner.
“Relatable.” Rory was nothing if not determined to keep the conversation rolling. “What show?”
“A…” The name of the show fled on a wave of dizziness. “From that writer… Am…Ambrose. Something.”
I rubbed my temples as my head pounded.
“You don’t look so good.” Rory patted the floor next to him again. “Sit before you topple over. Please.”
“Thought I was hot.” Giving into my wobbly knees, I lowered myself to sit. “And I’ll be better after I eat. Low blood sugar.”
“You have hypoglycemia?” Rory peered at me with far more concern. I hated worrying him, but I was rapidly going from hungry to emergency.
“Type 1 diabetes.”
“Now you tell me.” Rory rose on his knees to press the emergency call button again. “Hey, Sonya, any ETA on that rescue? We’ve got a situation.”
Chapter Three
Rory
“What sort of situation?” Sonya remained unflappable as she answered my summons.