Jenna’s smile faded.
“What?”
They reached the car and got inside. Jenna turned to face Danielle without starting the engine.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about that,” she said.
“Okay,” Danielle said. Jenna seemed full of nervous energy. She looked anxious, like she was afraid of what she might say. “What is it, baby?” Danielle asked. “Are you worried about the transfer? I told you, you don’t have to if you don’t want. I’ll find another job. Really.”
“No,” Jenna said. “No, please don’t. Actually, I’ve been thinking I’m the one who needs a new job.”
“Really?”
“I know this is going to sound crazy,” Jenna said. “I talked so much about how I loved my job and everything, but I don’t think I do. Not really.”
“Is it about what happened? I’m sure they’ll give you more time off if you need it.”
“It isn’t that,” Jenna said. “Everything that happened with Deon and Raylon, the way I wanted to keep them together so bad, the way I went as far as not reporting things sometimes…”
“You never put them in danger,” Danielle said. She’d seen Jenna go through many phases of guilt, and it her hurt to witness it when she knew how much good Jenna had really done for them.
“I know,” Jenna said. “But I hate breaking up families. I really hate it. Even when I know it’s the best thing, it just rips me apart. And I’ve been thinking a lot about Ladona.”
“Ladona?”
“Yeah,” Jenna said. “And my mom. When Ladona was about to kill herself, I wanted to help so bad. After it was over I realized I wouldn’t have even known how to help, not really. I wouldn’t have known what to say. I would have just gotten myself shot. Even with my own mom I didn’t really know what to say. Tina’s been talking to me about how I should deal with Mom’s delusions. I was doing it all wrong. So much of what happened with her was because I didn’t know how to help her better.”
“You can’t blame yourself for that, Jenna. You spent your whole life taking care of her. You did the best you could. And you did everything possible to make what happened right again. You practically bankrupted yourself paying that man’s medical bills, and he’s okay now. And your mom will be transferred to a facility soon. She’ll get the help she needs. You’re an amazing daughter.”
“I know,” Jenna said. “It’s not about blame. I think I want to be a mental health counselor. Like Tina. I always admired what she did so much, but it never occurred to me that I could do it too. I want to know what to say next time. All the times I’ve worked with mentally ill parents I saw my mom in them. I saw the love for their kids underneath the rest of it. I want to help them. And I want to be able to take care of my mom properly at home someday.” Jenna finally looked up at her. “If that’s okay with you, of course,” she said and smiled.
Danielle leaned across the car and kissed her. Jenna met her lips with a certainty and warmth that made a tingle ripple through her skin. Danielle hooked her hand behind Jenna’s neck and pulled her deeper into the kiss. Jenna’s mouth opened to her, and she moved closer, leaning across the center console until their bodies were touching and a gentle moan sounded from Jenna’s throat. Danielle shivered with longing.
“Home?” Jenna said, their lips barely parting.
“Yes.”
Jenna kissed her one more time before she pulled away and started the car.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Danielle said when the swirling in her head settled. “All of it.”
A huge smile spread across Jenna’s face. “No more secret dating at work?”
“No more secrets at all.”
About the Author
Nicole is a lifelong storyteller with a passion for exploring the hidden corners of life. She lives in Denver, Colorado, where she is a collector of jobs that inspire her writing. She has worked as a 911 operator, police dispatcher, EMS dispatcher, and martial arts instructor. Most recently, she and her wife started a music video production company and love working together as producer and director.
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Secrets On the Clock Page 27