on the sofa, unopened mail, and cold coffee on the windowsill.
“I think I need to come back.”
She paused.
“Because you’re ready?”
“Yes.”
“Or because something happened?”
I glanced toward the stairs. Grant was already working.
“Both.”
Natalie didn’t pressure me for details.
Instead, she explained that two employees had left, a major client was restructuring, and the firm urgently needed an experienced forecasting specialist.
She proposed twenty-five mostly remote hours weekly during the first month, increasing to thirty, with flexible mornings and one office day every two weeks.
“If you want full-time later, we’ll talk later,” she said.
“I don’t need you to prove anything to me.”
My eyes watered.
I turned away from Ivy.
“What about compensation?”
She gave me a figure.
Even prorated, it substantially improved my financial projections.
I noted it and reopened my spreadsheet during the call.
Natalie heard the typing.
“Are you modeling
