with them. Yet, they did and as a result I haven’t been without a vehicle. Thank goodness. I may have changed a lot in the last few years but I’m still not a fan of public transportation.
Another downside to living in a rural part of the state is the distance between towns. Driving thirty miles each way isn’t ideal, but this is one of the first jobs the placement agency has had for me that could actually put my certificate to use. I allow myself to enjoy the time and flip the station from the one the kids like to my own.
It isn’t long before I’m belting out the tunes like I’m a concert headliner. Thankfully, I’m alone because there isn’t a person on this planet who would say I have a good singing voice. That much was evident in elementary school. No, others were good, and some were even great. I was neither. But, in this car I’m the best. And today, that’s perfect.
The sign welcoming me to Burlington has me grinning like a loon and nerves flutter in my belly. I want this job. I need this job. It may be listed as a receptionist position, but I did my research. This is a popular and well-respected practice. If I can offer more than just answering the phones, maybe it’ll be a win-win for everyone.
Chapter 6
Felicity
“What did I ever do without you, Lis?” Brian asks while adding files to the stack I’m already balancing in my arms.
“Apparently not filing or processing insurance claims.”
He laughs, and I sigh in relief that he didn’t take that comment as snark. It was meant to be funny and laced with a bit of sass. Sometimes there’s a fine line between sassiness and being a jerk and it isn’t received well. Or, perhaps, that’s only in Lexington where I’m Felicity Remington-Thorne and not the newly hired receptionist promoted to billing administrator and office manager by day five, Lis Thorne.
Growing up, I was Felicity to everyone in my life except my parents. They were the only ones to ever call me Lis. In elementary school, the teachers called us by our given names unless a student asked to be called something different. I never asked.
Eventually, the Stephens became Steves and the Melissas were sometimes Missy. I was only ever Felicity. I never minded it. Nobody had my name and I was okay with that. An only child, I was used to being told I was special and treated like a princess. By the time I was twelve years old and looking at boys as something other than annoying, it started to change. An unreciprocated crush on an older boy who ran with the popular kids devastated me. That boy, Bentley Sullivan, never saw me. I wasn’t a blip on his radar. Nevertheless, I was crushed. Then I began to look at things differently. The girls I was friends with weren’t cool enough. They didn’t want to impress the older boys. They weren’t interested in shopping and makeup. Instead of accepting those differences, I lashed out. By the time we started high school, I wasn’t just a mean girl, I had been updated to “bitch.”
Now, I prefer the moniker of “mom.” Each name is a part of who I am. The many faces of Felicity. But here, working for Brian, I can be the me not many people have ever known. A person I’m proud of. Being forced into situations beyond my control was humbling. Losing everything except clothing and mementos was humiliating but I’m stronger for it. As much as we’ve struggled, I love the people my children and I have become.
With this job, I’m able to build relationships organically. There’s no judgment or assumption of the person I am. The persona I’ve taken on over my thirty-one years.
“I know I should feel bad for the amount of work you’re faced with, but truthfully, I’m too grateful you’re here to even feel an ounce of sympathy.”
Feigning offense, I gasp, my hand flying to my chest dramatically before I turn my back to him with a huge smile on my face. He barks out a laugh and I realize this is the first real friendship I’ve had with anyone since I was a kid. Even in high school, I had a group of people I called friends, but they weren’t. They were a bunch of assholes like I was, only interested in popularity.
The five days since I walked into my scheduled interview have been some