It seemed so final. No coming back. He’d made a fateful decision that set a whole new path in motion. He stood in his office and looked at the envelope in his hands. He’d been so sure about his decision this morning when he’d explained everything to Meg. Now it felt like he’d done something wrong. Sliding the papers out, he read them again. Simple and to the point with a considerable check made out to Pepper. His heart jumped when a laugh echoed from the hall. Tank dropped the papers and check on the desk. He hadn’t heard that laugh in so long. Her laugh. It was magical and drew him out of the office. He halted when he saw her in the kitchen. Surrounded by a pile of carrots, Pepper bantered back and forth with the cooks. He watched her. She had them laughing, obviously telling them one of her bizarre stories or pieces of useless information. He smiled. She was the queen of useless information, and he teased her about it whenever the opportunity arose. It did constantly surprise him, the shit she knew.
