Professional Distance (Thorne and Dash 1)

“Clients who don’t want to work with a fucking fairy.” So much for holding back on name-calling.

Jack grabbed his briefcase and stormed out.

Sandra stood as if ready to go after him, but Thorne held up his hand.

“Let him go. He’ll either come to terms with who I am, or I’ll give him a reference for another job. I’m not looking for approval. I’m giving information and expecting the same job from you that you were doing yesterday.”

Dan nodded. “Not a problem for me.”

“Me either,” Bob said.

Thorne took a slow breath and tried to adjust to what had happened. He’d never have guessed Jack would be the one to reject him. He’d been far more concerned about Bob or Dan. Bob had predictably been crude, but he didn’t seem truly bothered. Dan was unfazed, supportive even. Maybe he didn’t know his partners as well as he thought he did.

“One more announcement.” He could feel the tension in the room. “I’m also going to be taking two weeks off—”

“Wait, what?” Now Lisa was shocked. “You? Time off?”

“Yes. Me. Time off.”

“Well, this is a day of revelation.” Bob rolled his chair over to the window and gazed out. “Hmm, no signs of the apocalypse yet.”

Thorne gave a halfhearted laugh. “So far.”

“You’re truly not coming into the office for two entire weeks?” Sandra asked.

“Or e-mailing us about work?” Bob added.

“Or working at one a.m. on a Sunday?” Dan apparently needed to get in on this too.

“That’s right. I will not be working for the next two weeks.”

“Is this like a midlife crisis or something?” Bob asked.

“No. I’ve always been gay.”

Bob rolled his eyes. “I meant the time off thing.”

“Oh.” Once again he’d misjudged, expecting to be challenged. “Possibly. It’s time I made some changes.”

Dan nodded. “I’m assuming you have assignments for us while you’re gone.”

Now that was normal. Dan wanting him to get to the point. “I do.”

He explained how they could handle the clients he’d been working with while he was gone. Fortunately, there weren’t any projects needing a final briefing during the next two weeks. “Ask Lauren if you need anything. She knows how to get in touch with me if there’s an emergency.”

“Wait—” Lisa held up a hand. “Tell me you’re not going to be out in the wilderness with no cell phone or internet. Because if you are, I’m going to stage an intervention.” She looked truly horrified.

“Nothing quite that uncivilized, but I won’t be taking my work phone.” He tapped the phone he’d laid on the table.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Sandra asked.

“Very sure. More all right than I’ve been in a long time.”

Bob frowned. “You don’t look it.” Ah yes, blunt as ever.

“Maybe I will in two weeks.”

Dan, Bob, and Lisa packed up their things and left the room, but Sandra lingered. “What you just did was very brave. I’m assuming you’re not making announcements to anyone else.”

Thorne nodded. “That’s right, but word will get around. I felt like I owed my top people this courtesy in case it does change things with clients.”

“It sucks that there’s even a chance of that.”

It did. “I’ve got to be realistic.”

She nodded. “Call me if you need anything or just someone to talk to.”

Thorne shouldn’t have been surprised by her concern, but he wasn’t used to people wanting to take care of him. “Thank you. That means a lot. I don’t show how much I appreciate you and the other partners nearly enough.”

“If you started getting too complimentary, we’d be sure something was wrong.”

He smiled. “I could do better, though.”

“Maybe, but you’re a good man. I think most of us know that.” Thorne hadn’t realized how much her approval mattered until she said that.

“Thank you.” He barely got the words out with a steady voice.

Sandra smiled. “See you in two weeks.”

He waved to her as she exited the room.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

A week. A whole week had passed since Riley had walked out on Thorne, and he’d felt like he’d been asleep for most of it. Leaves were turning and beginning to fall off the trees. But instead of enjoying the brilliant colors like he usually did, Riley thought about how he felt as brittle and dead as the mass of brown leaves piling up on the ground.

He’d quit working for Sheila. How could he work for another client when all he thought about was Thorne? He couldn’t imagine ever wanting anyone else, and he resented that. Resented that he couldn’t stop loving Thorne when he wanted to hate him. But his earnings in the months he worked for Thorne had added so much to his bank account that he could start school in January if he was careful about money until then. He’d cook with Susan, and that would be enough.

He was much more worried about his emotional state than his financial one. He’d heal eventually, wouldn’t he?