More Than Fine. (Complete)

47- MTF Space

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     During most of the ride to Lawrence Gia cried into Evie's shoulder. At some point she turned on her phone to check the time and found a number of texts from Nick. He'd discovered the she left engagement ring behind and begged her to take it back even if she didn't wear it right now. She put her phone back down without responding. Right now she was in no condition to argue with him. All she knew was she needed to be away from him and the ring. They were harsh reminders of what he did to her parents. Instinctively her hand went to her necklace with the stones from her mother's engagement ring.

     Once in Lawrence Gia texted Nick that they arrived, then shut down her phone. Barb was the closest thing she'd had to her mother in eleven years, and at times like this she couldn't be more thankful for Evie and her family. Even Evie's brother had taken off work to be there for her.

     While Barb showered her with hugs and hot tea, Brent was the practical one. "Evie, I know there's a lot going on in your mind right now, but you need to seriously think about your options before going back to work on Monday."

     At that thought Gia's heart sank. She couldn't imagine accidentally seeing Nick at work.

     "First you need to decide if you feel that you can still work at Morgan Stanley knowing you will bump into one another regularly. Keep in mind that if you choose not to stay there, you still have the option to stay in New York, as I'm sure you will receive glowing references and any similar company would be foolish not to snatch you up after being trained by the competition. If you decide to leave New York, you'll need to decide where to, and the most obvious options are Lawrence and Charleston. So I'd say start with the first decision: stay at Morgan Stanley or leave and that will determine what next."

     Gia fidgeted with her fingers. She knew the answer, but saying it out loud was hard. "I need to leave New York altogether." The more she thought about it, even if she didn't work at the same office as Nick, there were too many places in that city that bore his mark and his memory.

     Evie and her mom were sitting on either side of Gia and simultaneously wrapped her in hugs.

     "I'd like to make a suggestion for a possible job," Evan spoke up. "There's a Morgan Stanley office in Charleston. Maybe they'd be amenable to transferring you there?"

     A small smile appeared on Gia's face as she contemplated his suggestion. Charleston would be a great option. A chance for a new start and new memories.

     "I'd even share my room with you. I doubt Lucy would mind and I'm sure another twin bed would fit, since the room is a good bit larger than ours were in New York."

     At Evie's last point, Gia broke into a full smile. "Isn't that the truth. Honestly I think that sounds perfect. And thanks Evan for the idea." She turned her head towards Evan and was reminded of what Evie had told her about his feelings. It seemed like that conversation happened ages ago. At this point her mind had very little room to process anything but what was urgent, so thoughts about Evan's feelings would have to wait.

     "Well, now that that's settled, you should probably contact HR and see what they say. If their Charleston office doesn't have a position for you we can look into what else is available," Brent concluded.

~~~

     Jennifer Ivanov called Gia on Friday to discuss how her meeting with Mr. Finn and Mr. Stein had gone. Mr. Finn decided they would make a position available for Gia at the Charleston office, but she would need to keep working in New York for another month. He said that he loved her work ethic and the skills and intuition that she brought to the table would be an asset at the Charleston location. He also liked the idea that she had been trained at their headquarters which would bring some continuity to Charleston.