Goddesses Don't Get Sick (10 page)

TWENTY-SEVEN.

“YOU WANTED TO SEE ME, MR. BARTON?”
Angela stood uncertainly in the doorway to her manager’s office.

“Ah, yes, Angela. Please come in and sit down,” he looked up from the folder he was reading and smiled as she closed the office door behind her and sat in the offered chair.

Tucking her legs under the chair, Angela folded her hands in her lap and tried to look more confident than she felt.

“Now, Angela,” Mr. Barton held up the file again—Angela’s employment file by the looks of it—and frowned slightly as he read it. “You’ve been with us for…five months so far? Under our graduate internship, is that correct?”

“Yes, Sir,” Angela nodded, stomach twisting slightly with nerves. The internship was only good for half a year. Was this it? Had she done
that
badly?

“Well, I believe we need to review your situation. I know it’s no secret that after six months the interns are either retained or let go, and I know I’m a month early in bringing this up, but I do have to say, Angela I am very impressed with you. You’ve worked well with your team, you’re liked around the office, and you’ve contributed a lot to this organization within such a short time.”

Mr. Barton put Angela’s folder aside and folded his hands on the table. “We have two positions opening up next month: a team leadership role, and a more permanent role with the marketing team. Now, you understand that the role in the marketing team is a standard transition for our successful interns?”

Angela nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Mr. Barton watched her for a moment, before he coughed slightly.

“Call me crazy, Angela, but to be honest I think you’ve outgrown the role. In fact, the management have all agreed with me. We’d like to offer you the team leadership position.”

For a moment, Angela could only stare at him in shock.

“Sir, I— I don’t know what to say,” Angela stuttered. Mr. Barton chuckled good-naturedly.

“We don’t want to lose such a capable worker, my dear, and it would not surprise me to see you headhunted.” Smiling, he reached across the table and held out his hand. “Can I assume you accept? Pending a review of your contract, of course.”

Angela laughed suddenly and accepted his hand, shaking it with a firmness that made Mr. Barton beam in approval at his management decision.

“Welcome to the team, Angela.”

“Jason?” Angela let herself into his apartment and kicked the door shut behind her.

“In here,” came the muffled reply from Jason’s bedroom. He got up from his desk and turned to greet Angela as she ran into the room, barely reacting in time to catch her as she hurled herself into his arms and kissed him exuberantly.

“Wow,” Jason broke the kiss in surprise. Angela was never this forward. “Whatever I did, tell me and I’ll do it again.”

“Team leader,” Angela grinned at him. Jason blinked and frowned in confusion.

“Who is? You?”

Grinning wider, she nodded.

“I get the contract tomorrow. Last month of my internship is training and orientation.”

Laughing happily, Jason swung Angela around in his arms before placing her back on the ground and hugging her tightly.

“This calls for a celebration,” he grinned, disappearing to the kitchen and returning moments later with a bottle of champagne. Angela raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not like you to have bubbly ready,” she commented.

“Well, I knew the internship was ending soon, I figured it’d pay to have something to celebrate with when they realized how much they needed you.” Jason twisted the tie and removed the cork with practiced ease, before winking at Angela. “Had I known they were going to cotton on to just how good you are so quickly, I would have gotten a better brand.”

Angela blushed and smiled as he poured the champagne into a glass and handed it to her, before filling his own and holding it up in a toast.

“To you, to your employers for the smartest business venture they’ve made this year, and to us,” Jason smiled and chimed his glass against Angela’s.

She smiled at him—for once the smile reaching her eyes momentarily—as she drank from the glass.

“I’ll be able to afford my own place on the salary,” Angela finished the glass and carried it through to the kitchen. “I’m going to get an apartment in town, I think.”

Her back was turned to Jason, and she missed the nervous expression on his face, but there was a hint of a tremor in his voice as he asked his next question.

“I don’t suppose you’d, uh…want a roommate?”

Angela paused in her actions, back still turned to Jason as she thought. Six months did seem a little early, but they were practically living together anyway, alternating nights at each other’s shared apartments. It was logical to move in together, wasn’t it?
Jason really is a sweetheart to me,
Angela thought.
He’s a really—and rarely—wonderful guy.

The quiet voice in her head muttered unintelligibly. Angela shushed it with a kind of ease she’d grown used to of late as she turned back to smile at Jason.

“Sounds like a plan,” she said. Jason’s face broke into a wide and happy smile, and he moved forward to gather Angela in his arms.

“I love you, Angela,” he said into her ear as he hugged her tightly—too tightly.

“Yeah,” Angela patted Jason on the back as she tried her hardest not to cringe away from the embrace. “Love you, too,” she murmured softly.

Suddenly, what seemed so logical a minute ago seemed in Angela’s mind to be a major mistake. But how could moving in with a guy like Jason be a mistake? He was handsome, charming, supportive. If Angela had made a list of her ideal man’s qualities, she would have been describing Jason.

Never mind that her thoughts were occasionally distracted by the memory of a solemn figure, with dark hair and a smile that made her heart melt. Never mind that Angela would wake up some nights crying and not know why.

Of course she was nervous. She’d never been in a serious relationship with someone so clearly devoted to her before. She’d never even considered moving in with someone else before.

(Liar)

This was all so new to her. But all her life she’d wanted stability. And now, finally, Angela was starting to get what she wanted.

So why did she feel so trapped?

TWENTY-EIGHT.

“SO,” SHARON SAID,
the two of them sitting at a café and waiting for their order. “Spill. I mean,
damn
Angela, it’s been nearly a year since we’ve seen each other! If it weren’t for your occasional emails—which, I might add are infuriatingly short—I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone told me you’d been kidnapped, or killed, or something!”

“I know, I know,” Angela shrugged ruefully. “I guess things just got too hectic, at first, that I didn’t have the time to take a break from it all. And when things did begin to calm down…well…”

“A year had passed, and here we are,” Sharon finished with a nod and a small smile. “I suppose I can’t really accuse you too much, when I’ve been just as bad at staying in touch myself.”

“Too right,” Angela chuckled. “Well, where do you want me to start?”

“The beginning? You got the internship, and the next thing I’m hearing you’re practically running the show there.”

“I’m not running the show, just the department.” Angela blushed. “I think the only reason they made me an associate was because I lucked out at this one big deal they wanted. Pure luck, I swear.”

“Luck my ass, Ange,” Sharon snorted derisively, getting a funny look from the waitress as their drinks were delivered. “Sure, maybe there was a
little
bit of luck entailed, but you have to face it—you’re good. You’re less than a year out of your degree, and you’re already earning more than double my salary.”

“Speaking of salary, what
are
you doing these days?” Angela asked curiously.

“Personal assistant,” Sharon rolled her eyes good-naturedly and grinned. “It’s not so bad. My boss is cool to work for, and it’s an easy paycheck.”

“If I’m ever granted a secretary…” Angela made the hesitant offer, only to have Sharon laugh and shake her head.

“Ange, you know I don’t mix business with pleasure. I’m perfectly happy where I am, and I’d rather miss you and not see enough of you, than hate you whenever your reports were due.”

Angela nodded, slightly relieved. She felt the same, but wanted to at least offer.

“So, what else is new?” Angela asked. “Found a man yet? Or rather, one you’ve kept for more than a month or two?”

Sharon laughed. “Noooo, of course not! You know me, the fun’s in the chase. They’re boring once they’re caught! You and Jason really hit it off though, didn’t you? What’s it been now, a year?”

Angela blushed and looked down at her coffee.

“About that, yeah.”

Actually, it had been exactly a year a week ago; Jason had taken Angela back to the restaurant they’d visited on their first date. He’d given her a pair of pearl earrings, and she’d presented him with a signed first edition of one of his favorite novels. They’d danced, gotten drunk, stumbled home to have sex on the floor, and woken up still half in their clothes, a heavy feeling in Angela’s heart that she blamed all too readily on the excess alcohol.

“And already wowing the parents and living together,” Sharon smirked. “I told you he was a good match for you, Angela. Everything you wanted in a guy, right?”

Angela hesitated before answering, something crossing over her face that made Sharon remember the one that had come before Jason; who had left Angela hurt and mute in her anger.

As Sharon began to have her own doubts about her friend’s perceived happiness, Angela broke the silence with a smile.

“Yeah, Jason’s great.”

“You sure?” Suddenly Sharon felt a need to hear Angela’s reassurance.

“Yeah, Shar. It’s all happening a bit fast, I think, but it’s good. I’m happy. Really.”

Angela smiled again, this one closer to a truly happy expression. Not
quite
there, but close enough. Accepting the answer from her friend, Sharon allowed her own smile to return.

“You’ve got the job, the house, the guy, and all in less than twelve months. Talk about a success story, Ange. Got any good luck charms you’d care to share with me?”

Angela laughed at her friend.

“And ruin my winning streak? Sorry Shar, find your own gu-good luck charm.”

Sharon snickered softly, before getting up and excusing herself to the bathroom.

Angela watched her go, the smile fading as she exhaled with relief, turning her thoughts internally.

She’d
meant
to say good luck charm, just as she had ended up saying to Sharon. But only after a hesitation. Why had her first compulsion been to say guardian angel?

You’re over-thinking
, Angela told herself.
You know what had happened the last time you saw Sharon. It’s just old memories.

Barely comforted at this thought, Angela would have continued to brood on the matter, except that Sharon was returning from the bathroom already.

So for once Angela granted herself amnesty, and forgot the matter before she could pick her thoughts to depression. Even though the concept was one that a part of her wished so desperately to investigate further.

TWENTY-NINE.

IF SUCH A THING EXISTS
as a marked territory for the influence of one’s good luck, then Angela certainly learned what it meant to move beyond the border the following year.

As a surprise for her birthday, Jason revealed that he’d booked and planned a two week holiday for them in a Hawaiian resort, even going so far as to securing the time off with her boss without her knowing. It really had been a sweet gesture, and Angela had been unbelievably touched by the thought Jason had put into it.

All the plans and arrangements were sorted, and on the day of their flight they set off for the airport, were checked in, and boarded the plane without a problem.

It wasn’t until they were on international waters that things turned sour.

Angela’s entertainment system didn’t work, leaving her with only one book to read that turned out to be mind-numbingly boring. Jason had offered for her to watch his screen, but their inability to share the headphones quickly nixed that idea, especially as Angela refused to put him out at her expense. Less than an hour into her flight, and all she wanted was to land, avidly counting down the time, only to have the plane hit a storm that delayed their arrival.

“Could things get any worse?” Angela muttered to Jason as the plane circled over the island. He laughed kindly.

“I’ve had similar things happen to me on flights before, Babe. Never all at once, but it’s just one of those things, really.”

It seemed, however, that more than just ‘one of those things’ had decided to befall Angela and Jason on their trip. It was raining when they finally landed. So heavily that the reports seemed to indicate the island’s rain season had arrived an unbelievable two months early. Not even wanting to think about what that might mean for their holiday, Angela quickly reached the point where she wanted nothing more than to just get to their hotel room and lie down.

The hotel room, which—despite their being delayed three hours—still wasn’t ready.

At that point, Jason sent Angela to the bar to get herself a drink, before turning his wrath on the concierge. Half an hour later, he joined Angela at the bar, looking worn, angry, and slightly worried.

“They say it’ll be ready in another half hour, and we’re getting some of the money back,” he told Angela, gently hugging her. “I’m so sorry, Babe.”

“S’ok,” Angela mumbled, slightly drunk on the house wine.

Jason bit his lip, forehead creasing a little further. They hadn’t even been here a full day, and enough things had gone wrong to make the trip feel cursed. All he’d wanted to do was give her a memorable birthday gift, a break from her work and everyday stresses, as well as something no one else had given her yet. He was pretty sure Angela wasn’t blaming him in any way, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t (at least partially) blaming himself.

Sighing softly, Angela finished her current glass of wine and leaned against Jason. “Guess my luck’s no good here,” she smiled weakly up at him. He returned the smile nervously.

“I wish I had enough luck for the both of us,” he confessed.

Shortly afterwards, the room was finally made available to Jason and Angela, who wasted no time in checking in. Jason offered to take Angela out to anywhere she wanted for dinner, but at that point she was beyond caring.

“Just order some room service,” she’d sighed as she rummaged through her bag, before pausing. “No seafood or chicken though. Knowing my luck today I’d get food poisoning from it. I’m going to have a shower.”

If there’s any hot water
, Angela grumbled to herself.

There was, but Angela was so paranoid by this point that she washed quickly, instead of enjoying the heat as she’d so desperately wished. She exited the bathroom to find Jason had ordered a pizza and was raiding the mini bar to prepare drinks for the both of them.

“I figure pizza’s almost impossible to screw up, even if it tastes like cheese coated cardboard,” Jason explained ruefully. Angela smiled tiredly at him before opening the box and hesitantly tasting a slice.

After deciding she wasn’t about to die from it (although she
had
had better), Angela curled up on the bed and turned on the television. Just as the storm outside knocked out the power.

The language that Jason spouted was perhaps the most colorful Angela had ever heard from him; a fact that induced her into helpless, overtired, and slightly drunken giggles.

“It could be worse?” She attempted. “We could be…um…actually, I’m not going to tempt fate and suggest anything.”

“Good idea,” Jason admitted, stumbling his way to the bed and curling up next to Angela as he took his own sample of the pizza. They ate in silence for a while, before Jason heaved a sigh.

“I really have made a mess of all this, haven’t I?” He asked dejectedly.

Angela couldn’t help but grin wanly. There were times when she wished so badly she could voice blame in his direction, but for once this was not one of them.

“It’s not your fault, Jase. Not unless you’re in charge of the weather.” Angela heard his weak chuckle and continued. “It doesn’t help that we’re both tired,” she tried to make her voice sound more upbeat than she felt. “We’re here for two more weeks; things have got to improve before we leave. Right?”

“You’re right, Babe,” Jason admitted. “Things can’t stay that bad. I suppose we should just get some sleep and see how things turn out in the morning.”

Within a week of the trip, both Jason and Angela were regretting their upbeat words at the start of their holiday.

The rain had failed to cease, canceling more than half of their planned excursions and leaving them confined to their room or the hotel living room, except for meager excursions to what equated for “the town.”

After seven days had passed, they grudgingly admitted defeat and began to work on changing their flights to go home ahead of schedule. Enough luck was with them to get earlier flights, and once they were home they found themselves at the very least able to laugh about it, albeit weakly.

At least it was something you
could
laugh about
, Angela told herself.
Every couple needs a bad holiday; it’s like an unwritten rule. A test of lasting, or something
.

In truth, despite the lousy holiday, Angela and Jason hadn’t really fought themselves. They were perhaps one of the only couples they knew who didn’t have semi-regular spats, even if only brought on by mood or tiredness.

Jason took this as a sign that they were perfect for each other.

Angela just didn’t see the point in driving away someone who actually wanted to stay with her.

If she’d ever been asked to explain this, she would have claimed fear at losing Jason. It was almost the truth, except it wasn’t fear at
losing
him. It was fear that she wouldn’t try to get him back if she did. And Angela did not want to be alone with her dark thoughts and heavy heart.

Surely a man who loved you enough for the both of you was better than a life alone, even if you didn’t love him more than a friend? Even Angela hated her rationalization a little.

But even more, she hated the alternative.