How to Not Fall for My Boss ✔

16. A Visit from the Dead

The big day has arrived, and Cobie has three important meetings today. Two with the dementia facility homes, and one with the guy that she's been talking to online in the past three months. Finally, she will be able to put a face to the person called BreadPitt. And she honestly still doesn't know how to feel about it.

But it's too late to ponder about what she feels. Also, what happened in the past weeks taught her enough that her feelings are not what she should rely on. Especially when she has more important matters to handle: finding the best care for her mom.

The first nursing home is fine, but sadly, she has to untick it from her list due to the budget. If they told her about the extra charges for certain facilities beforehand, she wouldn't have bothered to drive 60 miles from home.

Luckily, the Sunshine residence isn't that bad. Compared to the other nursing homes she checked online, this one has the least extra facilities but it covers the basics, and it's close to home. Still, when Cobie strolls to each part of the building and imagines her mom sitting there alone with her sketchbook, living in her own bubble of memory, probably believing that she doesn't have daughters, a sharp jab hits her chest.

Will Mom even like it here? Will she hate her for bringing and leaving her here? Deep down she feels guilty about sending her mom away from home, but how will they manage once Rose starts her full-time job? They can't ask Aunt Martha to watch Mom from time to time, and the adult daycare has reminded them for a while now that Mom needs a nursing home that specifically handles patients with dementia.

"I will be back to you on Monday. Let me discuss this with my family," Cobie says at the end of the tour, mimicking the bright smile from the staff in front of her.

"That's perfectly fine, dear," the woman replies, panting from the long walk during the tour. She definitely spends too much time behind her desk or the pantry. "We look forward to hearing from you."

In the next ten minutes, Cobie is behind her steering wheels again, heading to the lunch cafe where she and BreadPitt agreed to meet up. She leans to check her reflection in the rear mirror when she stops at the traffic lights, weighing if she should touch up a bit.

She decides not to. She doesn't want to overdo it or give the wrong idea as if she's trying too hard to impress him.

Why did she agree to meet him again? And where is this meeting going to bring them? In all honesty, Cobie is happy with just the way they are now, close enough but not too close. Still, refusing to meet him while he's in town sounds cruel, and granted, the boy will stop talking to her altogether. They have agreed this is going to be all platonic after all. At least, she doesn't need to lie about her feelings to BreadPitt; she doesn't have to pretend she likes him. There should be zero drama with him.

When she finally pulls over, she starts to have second thoughts. It's not too late to bail. She still can hit the accelerator, speed home, and deactivate her dating site account. Yet, she turns off her engine, and after checking her last look, she grabs her bag and jumps out of her car. She just hasn't been meeting any guys for some time. It's normal to feel a bit anxious.

It's just a quick lunch. Nothing to worry about.

Cobie glances down at her yellow mustard sundress. Its twirly hem dances around her knees as she saunters on the sidewalk, heading to Ebirra's cafe. The June sun beams gleefully, bathing the street with its warmth. Cobie smiles when she sees a young girl pouting while her mom is trying to reason with her on the side of the street. If only the girl knows that she will treasure this moment one day when things work the other way around, she won't be this upset.

Once she enters the cafe, a waiter welcomes her and escorts her to the back garden where Mr. Pott is waiting for her. The back terrace is bigger, classier, and busier than she thought. The place seems to be popular among women in their late twenties, making Cobie wonder why they aren't at their workplace at the moment? Right, some people just don't have to do slavery office work as she does, yet money keeps flowing in. Those lucky breeds.