Free An Ever Fixéd Mark by Jessie Olson Page B

something else about the chair in Harriet’s room. All the
words blended together, but she managed to force a smile and keep
her eyes dry enough to not make the wretchedness she felt more
obvious.
    “He was impressed with you, Lizzie,”
Richard’s words were clear as he came over to her desk, landing a
small piece of paper in front of her.
    Lizzie looked down at the check for fifty
thousand dollars. She managed to place herself back to the hospital
for a few seconds and met Richard’s eyes. “That was generous of
him.”
    “And it’s just the first installment,”
Richard winked. “Make sure you follow up about that chair business
if you can. Mt. Elm will appreciate it.”
    “Yeah,” Lizzie said mechanically.
    “If you want to type up the thank you
letter, you can leave early this afternoon,” Richard offered.
    “Thanks,” Lizzie smiled and made herself
close the Internet browser and go back into Word.
    “A success,” Dr. Chiang took Richard’s hand
before he returned to his office and shut the door. Lizzie looked
away from her computer to Dr. Chiang lingering by the desk. “Do you
like working at the Fulton House?”
    Lizzie was startled by the sudden question
and didn’t know how to quiet her thoughts to register an honest
answer. Just a polite, simple, “Yes.”
    “ Maybe I’ll take a tour
someday. I’ve heard so much about it.”
    Lizzie resisted the disbelief from
registering on her face. Lizzie knew she had reason to flatter
Gerard Fulton about his family’s history… but why offer Lizzie the
insincere comment about hearing so much about a museum people only
discovered by accident or through tourist guides? Lizzie took in a
deep breath, annoyed with her peevish lack of patience. She
shouldn’t jeopardize her professional relationships because she was
insulted by Ben Cottingham. “I’d be happy to give you a tour
sometime.”
    “Enjoy your afternoon off,” Dr. Chiang left
the office.
    Lizzie watched the door close and reached
for her phone. She found Eric’s number and pressed send.
     
    *****
     
    Lizzie gazed through the large windows at
the view of the Charles. She always thought the image of Boston
from across the river was breathtaking, even at three in the
morning when her breath had already been vigorously spent. She
wondered if they should have closed the blinds… not that anyone was
looking across the river to see what was happening on the fifteenth
floor.
    She wanted to leave, even though she felt
badly that Eric splurged on a hotel room when they could have
easily gone back to either apartment. It was a nice variation to
their routine, but not enough to quiet her mind enough to allow
sleep. Not enough comfort to make her want to stay beside him.
    He was sleeping. The room was silent except
for the faded echo of a car horn. The view was… the evening was
worth it to have that view of the city in the darkness of pre-dawn.
She couldn’t feel the stiffness of her ankle anymore. It wasn’t a
bad evening. It wasn’t an awkward morning. It just wasn’t… it
wasn’t… it wasn’t what she wanted. It wasn’t Ben.
    She stared at the silver waters reflecting
the street lamps and lights of the boats along the river. She
watched the boats, some in shadow. Some were lit by a lantern. She
saw the ferry move across the river. Then she saw him, standing at
the edge of the water. His feet were in the marshes. She walked
towards him, knowing she would get her feet wet. She saw the russet
hair and waited for him to turn around and look at her with the
green eyes. She reached out to touch his shoulder and when he
turned around he laughed. Nobody laughed at her jokes. Not even
Jack. Jack leaned forward over his lunch tray and rolled his eyes
at her lame punch line. Sara smiled politely, but she could tell
she wanted to roll her eyes at Ben. Lizzie was annoyed. Annoyed
that Sara could determine what was funny at their table. Then why
was Ben laughing at her joke? He was always nice to her.