All That She Needs

Part 41 : Asha

"Dennis..." I said softly. "Please don't cry."

But his sobs only grew, and I didn't know what to do.

"We can still meet up," I offered gently. "We'll go out for lunch, do some shopping. Let's set a regular date, just for us. How about that?"

He grabbed another tissue, blowing his nose loudly. Still crying.

"Dennis..."

"Why don't you take me with you, Asha?" he whined, his lips trembling, his voice shaky. "I could be your personal assistant and help you with..." He paused, as if suddenly realizing that all I had at the moment was a dream of starting a plant nursery. "... planning," he finished. "I could help you buy the supplies you need."

"You've built your career in this office, Dennis," I reminded him gently. "Don't waste all those years of hard work. You still have a long way to go."

"Eh," he said, blowing his nose again and looking at me with a mix of disbelief and frustration. "What about you? You've been building your career even longer than I have."

"But where do I go from here, Dennis? My career's already at its peak—there's nowhere to go but down. I don't want to be a Regional or Global CEO. That would force me to move town or worse, move out of the country, and I can't do that to my kids." I paused, letting out a sigh. "Besides, I'm already bored out of my mind. I want to do something I really love, before I'm too old to make it happen."

"But why so soon, Asha?" he cried, grabbing one of the chocolates I'd brought for him, now scattered across his desk. With a mouthful, he cried again, "Why didn't you tell me before you left for your holiday?"

Yeah. The morning before I left, I emailed my resignation to my boss and the head of HR. I told no one else, just my kids and my brothers, wanting the holiday to be free from the panic of my team and especially from Dennis's worrying.

"For the next month, I'm still going to come to the office to transition things to my replacement. I'll still see you."

Dennis scrunched his face. "George Blythe. I really don't like him."

I laughed. "You did say you liked him, Dennis. You called him the hottest silver fox you've ever met."

"I don't know if he's smart," he scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"George is smart. His region's seen the biggest growth since he took over. And he's a good guy, Dennis. You'll love working with him."

He mumbled something incoherent, probably still cursing the situation, and grabbed another chocolate, popping it into his mouth.

"I'm going to see Liam now," I said, standing up from my seat. "I hope he's in the office."

"I haven't seen Liam in weeks. I usually run into him while waiting for the elevator." Dennis said, and then he paused. "Have you talked to him since you've been back?" he asked, still chewing another chocolate. He seemed unable to stop eating them.

"No," I shook my head.

"But you've talked to him on the phone or something, right?" he asked. I shook my head again.

"Not since I left." I sighed. "I know I told him to give me time and space and not contact me. But I miss him, Dennis. I miss him so much."

"So why didn't you call him instead?" Dennis looked confused.

"Because that would be the same as if I were here with him. I wouldn't be able to think clearly and clear my head. I wouldn't know if what I felt for him was real or just a result of needing a rebound."