Before stepping into the studio, Bonnie glanced back. Lawrence's car was still there, but the moment she looked, the engine roared to life and he drove off.
She shook her head with a sigh and went inside.
As soon as she walked in, she saw Dale. Her heart leaped, completely erasing the tense car ride from her mind. "Mr. Dale! You're back from the hospital!"
Dale had been hospitalized for a few days, but he had refused to let his students visit or even tell them which hospital he was in. Whenever they asked Mrs. Dale, she just brushed it off as a minor issue and told them not to fuss.
Now that he was back, Bonnie finally felt grounded. She had been making the executive decisions lately, and her lack of experience left her constantly second-guessing herself.
She hadn't wanted to call him and disturb his rest, which had made the workflow a bit bumpy.
"I didn't know you were coming in today! Have you had breakfast? Should I go grab you a coffee?" she asked.
Dale looked a bit haggard, but he offered a warm smile. "I'm fine, I already ate. Tell me where we're at with the projects. You kids must have been panicking without me."
Bonnie laughed, admitting her struggles. She laid out the structural roadblocks on the Locust Grove Project that had her stumped.
Dale walked her through the solutions with painstaking detail. As she listened, a sense of dread crept in. Dale looked exhausted, and he was explaining every tiny detail—something he never usually did.
He was a big-picture guy, not someone who micromanaged every minor issue. Bonnie's anxiety spiked.
The unsettling feeling that he was much sicker than he let on settled in her stomach.
She didn't dare press him further. She got him a glass of water and told him to rest.

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