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stubborn stain on the floor with the Swiffer a couple of times. “You’ll get back to normal once you’re not sleep deprived. Just go with the flow. This is normal for now. Don’t waste what energy you do have fighting it.”
    â€œI can’t just hang around the house forever. I’m going to have to go to work again.”
    â€œBut not yet. Take whatever time you need. We’ll work around you.”
    Edie’s expression sharpened. “What do you mean?”
    Her reaction surprised me. “Just what I said. Take whatever time you need.”
    â€œYou don’t want me back?”
    I stopped scrubbing the floor and searched her face for some indication that she was joking. I didn’t find one. “Of course we want you back. But I want you happy when you come back, and you won’t be happy if you’re still—” I realized that I might be going the wrong way with that thought and shifted directions. “If you’re not ready. That’s all I mean.”
    â€œI should have known this would happen,” Edie said. “Out of sight, out of mind.”
    Dumbfounded, I leaned the mop against the counter and sat down beside her. I’d been trying to shield her from the reality of life at Zydeco minus Edie, but maybe I’d been wrong. “That’s absolutely
not
true,” I said. “We’re desperate to get you back. We need you. We can’t do what we do without you. But I am not going to rush you. I want you back when the time is right.”
    â€œI guess this temp person is doing all right then?”
    â€œHardly.” I told her about Danielle quitting and Estelle’s idea for a replacement, and then because I’d already told hereverything else, I even told her about Ox’s concerns. “So I don’t know,” I said as I wound up. “Zoey might work out and she might not, but we’ll keep muddling through until you come back.”
    Edie sighed deeply, but I thought she seemed a little less worried since I’d been honest with her. “What if Zoey turns out to be amazing?”
    I laughed. “I suppose that’s possible, but what are the odds? I’m batting oh-for-three in the receptionist arena right now. If she turns out to be amazing, I’ll give her a great recommendation when she leaves but she’s not taking your job. I promise.”
    Edie seemed to accept that, so while she made tea, I got up and finished the floor. I left thirty minutes later, utterly exhausted. My arms and legs ached, and my eyes felt gritty with fatigue. It had been a long day, and I hadn’t done a single useful thing at work.
Give me physical labor over people problems any day of the week
, I thought as I aimed the Range Rover toward home.

Four

    I picked up a burger and fries on my way home from Edie’s, ate quickly, and crawled into bed a little after eleven. Even though I was almost dead on my feet, I had so many things on my mind I thought I’d lie awake worrying, but I must have fallen asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow because the next thing I knew my alarm was going off.
    The snooze button tempted me, but with payroll figures to pull together before five, a company blog post to write for the Zydeco website, and lunch with Simone—in addition to a few thousand fondant beads to create—I had a busy day ahead. I crawled out of bed reluctantly, put on a pot of coffee, and stepped into the shower while it brewed. I gulped down one cup while I dressed and nursed another as I drove to work.
    I’d wanted to get a jump on the day, so it was only a little after seven when I pulled into the parking lot. To my surprise, the employee lot was full; I realized that I was the last to arrive. The staff’s dedication to the job is just one of thethings I appreciate about them. They’ve become like family to me since I moved to New Orleans. My evening with Edie and the baby had left