She straightened and moved toward the door. “’Bye, Mama. I’ll see you again soon.”
As she left the facility, she waved to the nurses she’d come to know so well during the past year. She was no longer sad when she left the nursing home; she’d long since come to terms with her mother’s condition. Her visits were brief, but she still found some peace in them. Maybe only because she felt some satisfaction at doing her duty toward her mother. Or maybe it was the connection, however tenuous, to family.
Her way of remembering who she was and where she had come from.
It was something she never really wanted to forget, no matter where her career path took her.
Chapter Fifteen
Because it was still early when Caitlin arrived back in Honesty, and she had nothing else to do on this Saturday afternoon, she drove straight to her office. She remembered to lock the front door behind her this time as she entered.
Everything had been left neat and organized for the weekend, thanks to Irene and the janitorial staff. It was an ideal time to get some work done.
As she wandered through the empty offices, she found herself looking around through critical eyes. Maybe it was time to update the decor a bit. The muted greens and beiges were peaceful but could be modernized. Maybe a brighter color scheme was in order, with some interesting artwork displayed here and there. The McCloud and Briley Law Firm was doing quite well, and they really should dress the part.
She’d bet Tom’s firm in L.A. was decorated in the latest, cutting-edge style.
There were a couple of extra offices at the back of the renovated old house. They were used now only for storage. She remembered Irene’s suggestion that they take in another lawyer to share the workload. McCloud, Briley and Associates. Nice ring to it, she had to admit. For a small-town firm, at least.
Usually she enjoyed the quiet on Saturday mornings. Today she missed hearing Mandy’s cheery chattering with the rest of the staff, Irene’s sergeant-at-arms bark of instructions and the sound of Nathan’s laughter. Especially that.
She wondered how much laughter rang out in Tom’s firm. Was foolishness discouraged there, even when no clients were around to hear? Were the partners and associates friends or did their cutthroat competitiveness preclude such bonds? Would anyone there willingly spend long extra hours covering for an associate who was dealing with pressing family matters or would they all take advantage of such an opportunity to advance their own positions?
Surely someone would be kind, she told herself with an impatient shake of her head. People were people, right? She was sure there were both nice guys and jerks in the big L.A. firm. It was just on a different scale there.
She wasn’t intimidated by the thought of a large, fiercely competitive organization, she assured herself. She could definitely hold her own when necessary. She had no doubt that she could vault right over Tom in the hierarchy there if she set her mind to it, despite his head start. All she would have to do was concentrate exclusively on work, sacrifice every hint of a social life, be willing to take immediate advantage of every opportunity for her and every sign of weakness from her rivals.
A partnership would eventually be hers, she had no doubt. Her father had certainly instilled confidence in her, in addition to the other gifts he’d passed on to her. And she would have the long-term security she had always hoped for, never having to worry about money or a place to live or lack of respect from her peers.
And yet—couldn’t she find those things here? When she’d joined Nathan’s firm, she’d worried that there would be little financial security in a small-town law office. Now she didn’t foresee any slowdown in business; just the opposite, in fact. She was making a very respectable living, particularly for this area, and handling some interesting cases.
Sure, she put in long hours, but no more than she was willing to work, and certainly not as much as she would in L.A. Here she had the freedom to pursue a personal life, if she so desired. Maybe even a family. She wouldn’t be derailing her career here if she decided to, oh, marry, for example. Have children, maybe.
Family had always been important to her. Had she somehow forgotten that in her single-minded quest for career success? Had she forgotten that she had always wanted a balance between work and family, something her father had never found? She had once wished he had an important and secure career, but she had never wanted him to sacrifice all his time with his family.
Would money or a fancy house have replaced all those hours she had spent playing board games with her dad? Watching their favorite television shows together? She remembered how he’d struggled to help her with her homework. His own lack of education had been a major stumbling block for him, and he had been determined the same wouldn’t be true for his “smart, beautiful daughter.”
She’d taken guidance from her father in so many ways—pursuing an education and a car
eer and taking care of herself physically as her parents had not done for themselves. She ate well, exercised, had regular medical checkups and generally made sure her life would be better than her parents’ lives in many ways. But they had always had one thing she hadn’t seriously considered until recently. They had been rich in love.
She was standing in her office, gazing out the window at the well-tended, but winter-browning lawn behind the building, accomplishing absolutely nothing, when Nathan spoke from behind her.
“If I come in, are you going to throw something at me?”
She wasn’t particularly surprised to hear his voice. She turned to find him leaning against the frame of her open doorway. It was the same position he’d been in after her phone call from Tom on Thursday, but he wasn’t scowling this time. His expression could best be described as wary.
“Where’s Isabelle?” she asked, deciding to ignore his question.
“Mrs. T. took her to a movie, and then they’re going shopping for some warmer school uniforms.”
“I’m sure Isabelle will enjoy the outing.”
He nodded toward her still-empty desk. “Did you just get here?”
“Yes. I visited my mother this morning.”
“How is she?”