Page 83 of Our Sadie
I purse my lips and shake my head. “We’re not intimidating.”
“Not normally,” Jerome explains. “But we have to remember our places in this situation. At the end of the day, we’re her freelancing contractors, her employees. It’s one thing for an individual to go speak to their boss about a concern, but a group of them might feel more like we’re ganging up on her. Probably not in this case,” he backpedals a bit. “Sadie’s not some shrinking violet. But maybe we should figure out what we want to say and nominate someone.”
I shrug. “I could bring it up to her.”
But Dom is scrutinizing Jerome like he might a slide of pond water under a microscope.
“No offense, Zach, but I think it should be him.”
The thing is, I’m not offended. Of the three of us Jerome’s not only the most eloquent, he’s also the most Zen. Everything about the man’s attitude and energy gives off this air of tranquility, of being someone you can rely on no matter the crisis. Even when Sadie lost it that time, Jerome held it together. So, I back Dom up.
“It should be.”
Jerome blinks at us like an owl for a beat. Then, his features go slack with contemplation. “Okay. I’ll think it over, then put what I’ll say by you two first. Cool?”
“Cool,” Dom and I say in harmony.
––––––––
FORTY-EIGHT HOURS LATER, our spokesperson approaches us.
“So, I figure I’ll be straightforward. Mention the contract and the fact that we’re no longer pursuing that specific endgame. Then, I’ll ask her what her plans for us are. Easy-squeezy, yeah?”
“Sounds that way,” I encourage him.
“Yeah,” Dom’s right there with us.
Yet as he heads off in search of her, there’s this itch I have at the back of my brain. Why has Sadie allowed all this time to barrel by without talking to us about such a major decision? Is she hiding something, or has she simply assumed that the atmosphere and habits we’ve developed here will continue in Boston?
Even if that is her assumption, I have questions.
Does she expect us to move into that townhouse where she initially her interviews, or does she have other homes or properties in mind? Will she give us time to visit family first and make arrangements for the move? Or would she want us to remain in our separate residences and come see her according to a schedule?
There’s so much to hammer out.
I watch as Jerome leaves to track her down, feeling as nervous as I did when I first met Sadie. I’m sure I’m being ridiculous. That he’ll come back to us with some detailed plan she’s already swung into motion.
At least, that’s what I hope.