Mother's Promise by Anna Schmidt Page B

remind Paul that he should proceed more slowly here.
    â€œYes. Justin.” Rachel’s smile brightened in exactly the same way that practically every mother Darcy had ever met came alive at the mention of her child—every mother that was, except hers.
    â€œAnd you are a single parent?”
    The smile faltered. “
Ja
.”
    Darcy could feel Paul’s eyes on her. “We are sorry for your loss, Rachel,” he said. Then turning his full attention back to the business at hand, he indicated the folder he’d handed her. “I took the liberty of putting together some information I thought might be useful in helping you get up to speed. Well, actually, Eileen put the information together at my request,” he admitted with a disarming chuckle. “That woman is my right arm. You need anything and can’t find me? Ask Eileen.”
    Rachel opened the folder and removed the top item—a two-page stapled paper entitled “Role of a Spiritual Care Counselor at Gulf Coast Medical Center.”
    â€œPaul, I wonder if I might have a copy of that,” Darcy asked, indicating the paper Rachel was scanning.
    â€œSure.” He turned and shouted, “Eileen.”
    The door opened. “You have an intercom,” his assistant reminded him.
    â€œYou know me and technical stuff,” he said with a boyish grin. “Can you make Darcy a copy of that?”
    Rachel quickly scanned the paper before handing it to Eileen and turning her attention back to Paul. “It all looks fine,” she said. “I’m certain to have questions as we get started.”
    â€œWell, of course you will,” Paul agreed. “And either Eileen or I will be right here to answer them. Maybe for the first few days we should plan to have lunch together.”
    â€œI’d like that—I would really appreciate it. Clearly I have a lot to learn.”
    â€œYou’ll do fine.”
    Darcy glanced between them, wondering for a moment if they thought she’d left the room. She stood up. “I have another appointment. It was nice meeting you in person, Rachel. Welcome to Gulf Coast.”
    Rachel stood as well. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you both so much for giving me this opportunity.”
    â€œNow, Rachel, it’s you we should be thanking,” Paul said. “Isn’t that right, Darcy?” He walked her to the door.
    Darcy shot him a look of warning. Rachel was a new employee on probation. Statements like that could make it harder down the road if they needed to let her go. “We’ll talk later,” she said.
    But Paul just patted her shoulder in that paternal way he had. “She’s going to do fine,” he replied as he took the papers Eileen handed him. He gave the copy to Darcy and carried the original back inside his office to hand to Rachel.
    Darcy felt dismissed as the office door closed behind him, and yet she had been the one to end the meeting.
No, it wasn’t that I felt dismissed,
she thought as she hurried off to her next appointment.
Left out.
That was it. As if once more in her life she had done all the right things and still she did not feel part of the inner circle.
    Rachel and Paul had connected almost on sight. Darcy had never in her life known that kind of instant connection—not with school friends, not with her college roommates, not with co-workers, not even with her own family.

    Rachel’s first day on the job was flying by. After her meeting with Darcy and Paul, Eileen had guided her to the Human Resources department where Mark Boynton had taken her through the details of being an employee at Gulf Coast.
    â€œThere’s a dress code,” he had said at one point, and then he’d looked up at her and his cheeks had turned a fiery red. “You’ll be fine,” he amended before turning his attention back to the employee handbook that he had insisted on going over page by page.
    There