“Sure.” Her smile was small and decidedly unsure, but she gave it and I walked away.
In my office, I pulled up and checked my email, scanning through things I could ignore until I returned and responded to the few urgent matters. Next, I picked up the phone and dialed my boss’s office number.
“This is Tina.”
“Tina, hey, it’s Ainsley Greenburg.”
“Ainsley, hey.” She paused. “Are you already back from vacation? I thought I still had Mackenzie covering your branch…”
“I’m still out for the next week. Actually, that’s why I’m calling. I wanted to see about taking a few extra days off.” She was quiet for a moment, the silence dragging out, so I added, “I have the time. And I’ll work out whatever schedule the branch needs with the staff. I’m sure Kenzie or Becca wouldn’t mind covering.”
“What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
I nodded, though she couldn’t see me. “Yeah, it’s just a family thing. With my kids.”
“Well, how long are you asking for?”
“Maybe an extra week, I’m not really sure. I’d like to put in for all of the week after next, and then we can check in that Friday to see where I’m at.” Guilt weighed on me. “I know this isn’t convenient. Trust me, I do. But you know me. You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. My family needs me right now. I haven’t ever asked for time off like this, not even when I had the kids. I come to work no matter what I’m dealing with at home. But this is important.”
She sighed heavily, and I could hear her typing something. “Yeah, okay. I know. It’s fine. We’ll manage. I’ll call Mackenzie to see if she can still cover for you for a few more days, and then maybe some of the other managers can cover a day or two. But keep me in the loop, okay? I’m counting on you to be back the week after that unless I hear from you.”
“Of course.”
“And make sure to put in the request officially, so I can approve it.”
“I’m doing that right now.”
“Thanks, Ainsley,” she said, though she didn’t sound thankful at all.
“Thank you so much.”
“Hey—” She stopped me just before I was able to hang up.
“Yeah?”
“I just wanted to say I hope everything’s okay with the family.” Her tone was softer then, almost apologetic. “Keep us posted, okay? Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
So, I wasn’t too deep in hot water after all. “I will. Thanks, Tina.”
A knock on my door startled me as I ended the call and, when I looked up, Tara was standing in the doorway with an envelope in her hand. “Here you go.” She passed it to me.
“Oh, you didn’t have to bring this out here. I would’ve come and gotten it.”
“I know. We’ve been slow, and I’ve been wanting to talk to you anyway.”
I froze, my breathing hitching. “Yeah?” I knew what she was going to say before she’d said it. Before she’d ever spoken a word. I recognized that nervous look in her eye; it was one I’d seen before, and it never brought good news.
She sank into the chair in front of my desk as I tucked the money away. “I, um, I hate to do this right now, because I know you’re not officially here, but…I need to put in my notice.”
“You’re quitting?”
She gave a guilty chuckle, rubbing her stomach again as if to remind me of it. “I’m sorry. It’s just…we’ve always planned for me to stay home once we have kids. I thought I’d still work through my pregnancy, but at my last appointment, my blood pressure was a little high. They’re talking about putting me on bed rest if I can’t get it down and, well, Joel is really worried about my stress levels. It took us so long to actually get pregnant. I just don’t want to mess this up.” She had tears in her eyes as she said the last sentence, making the guilt I was already feeling swell to double its size.
“Of course.” I put a hand out across the desk, patting the wood thoughtfully. “I understand.” Though it was the worst possible timing in the world, I did understand. I cared about Tara. I’d known her for years, and at one time, I’d considered her a close friend.
“I’m going to miss this place.” She glanced around the room sadly, sniffling.
“Well, would you rather use FMLA leave for a few weeks to see how you feel? I can help you put in that request.”