Chapter Three
Roxy
T he break room where Aja and I usually take our lunch is full of chatter after our meeting with the boss, the topic drifting from possibly losing our biggest client to Mr. Price’s handsome son. I try not to eavesdrop on other people's conversations, but it's nearly impossible in this room where sound carries.
"He looked so good this morning, didn’t he?" one secretary says. "I’m all about that nerdy vibe.”
"Nerdy?” Her friend laughs. “More like bad boy billionaire. I bet he’s only this buttoned-up at work. I could see him getting wild on the weekends.”
"So what's your take?" Aja asks.
"Hm?” Is it too late to pretend I wasn’t eavesdropping? Her lips quirk into a knowing smile.
"On Price Junior. Do you think he's a buttoned-up nerd or a wild-on-the-weekends billionaire?"
My cheeks flame as I shrug. "I don't know enough about him to even speculate."
"It’s still fun to guess." Her eyebrows lift and lower suggestively.
I chuckle, then take a sip from my bottle of water. "Yeah, maybe. But whether he’s hot or not is really none of my business. My goal is to keep my head down and do a good job here." More like, keep my job. But Aja doesn't need to know how dire my circumstances have become. I take a bite of my apple, letting the sweetness of it ease my worries for the time being. There's no use in letting my anxious thoughts get the best of me, waiting for the next shoe to drop. Not when I've got Axel relying on me to make good, conscious decisions for us both.
"Well, I don't know what to believe," Aja says, picking at her salad. "But if I had to guess, I’d say he’s a mixture of both. Hot successful nerd slash bad boy."
I sputter a laugh and try not to choke on my apple. Shane’s grating laugh echoes from across the room, and I stifle a shudder.
"Well, I've gotta run." Aja stands, shoving her salad container back into her lunch tote. "Mr. Price has a ton of paperwork for me to file this afternoon." She jabs a finger into her mouth in a mock gag, then steps away from our table. "Wish me luck."
I smile back. "Luck."
She leaves while I finish my apple and move on to my granola bar. It's a meager lunch, but it's enough. If I have to make do with less so Axel can have more, so be it. At least until I become a permanent employee and hopefully get a raise. Before I know it, I'm alone. I turn and quickly scan the breakroom. Never mind. Not totally alone. Alone with Shane. I scoop up my trash and make for the waste basket as quickly as I can, but just as I turn for the door, Shane blocks my path.
"In a hurry?" His irritating grin begs me to punch him in the mouth.
"To get away from you? Yes." I go to sidestep him, but he halts my way forward again. There’s barely six inches of room between him and the wall. If I try to move past him, I'll brush up against him. I reluctantly meet his eyes. "What do you want, Shane?"
His heavy-lidded gaze sweeps over me, and I resist the urge to let him see me squirm. "Just a chance to get to know you," he says, moving further into my space. I attempt another quick sidestep, but he cuts me off and tuts, "Aw, come on, temp. Don't you want to be promoted?" When I freeze, Shane smiles. "That's right. Edmund is looking for a new secretary. I could put in a good word for you..." He trails his finger up my arm, and I jerk back. "Or not."
I swallow my disgust and raise my chin. "You're an intern," I say with more bravado than I feel. "Your word isn't worth much more than mine."
His calculating smile grows. "That's where you're wrong. My father is friends with Mr. Price, and he got me this internship." With another step into my personal space, he looms over me. Dread crawls up my spine as my backside bumps into the table behind me. "Pretty soon, I’ll be an executive. If you don’t want to work for Edmund, you could always work for me.” I swallow and lean away when he reaches out to me again. “All I ask is that you play nice and give me a chance to get to know you better outside of work.” He cocks his head back and forth. “Or inside. Doesn’t matter to me, as long as you’re quiet.”
A hard, masculine voice startles me. "That's enough." Shane spins around, giving me a clear view of Christian Price, who looks by all accounts as if he’s bordering on rage. "Move away from her now or I'll personally do the honors."
Shane makes a face as he holds up his hands and backs away. "I wasn't—"
"If I were you, I'd stop talking." Christian steps through the doorway, tall and imposing in the small breakroom. "I dare you to try to tell me you weren't just harassing one of our employees."
Shane's mouth snaps closed; his jaw works back and forth. "I wasn't," he lies. "I was only asking her out on a date."
"By refusing to let her leave?" Christian's dark chuckle sends goosebumps down my arms. "By touching her without her permission?” His gaze swings to mine. “She looks like a frightened animal ready to bolt."
"Come on, Chris," Shane says with that slimy smile of his. "We're friends, you and me. You know I don't have to corner females to—"
"We're not friends." Christian's anger rings loud and clear in his clipped tone. "And now, we're no longer co-workers. Get your stuff and go."
"But your dad—"
"Is handing over the company to me. And I don't want someone like you tainting this place's good name." With measured steps forward, he keeps his gaze trained on Shane. "So I'll say it once more before I call for security. Get your things and go."
Shane blinks a handful of times before stumbling toward the door in a rush. As soon as he leaves, I allow my lungs to relax with the first full breath they've had in minutes.
"Are you okay?"
My gaze snaps to Christian. Er, Mr. Price. Junior. "I'm fine."
"You sure?" He saunters forward but stops a few paces away from me.
"Yeah." I tuck one of the curls that snuck loose from my clip behind my ear. "It's not the first time he's propositioned me."
Christian's features cloud over with quiet, well-controlled fury. His brows dip low over his eyes, disappearing behind his glasses' rim. "Why haven't you reported him?"
I open my mouth to respond, then realize there isn't a good excuse other than that I didn't want to bring any negative attention to myself. "I...I need this job," is all I settle on.
He cocks his head. "He threatened you?"
I lower my gaze to my now fidgeting hands. “No, he just...wouldn’t leave me alone. You heard the worst of it.”
"What’s your name?"
I swallow, slowly letting my eyes meet his again. "Roxy. Roxy Dia."
His chin dips as he crosses his arms, never once letting his gaze stray from mine. "Roxy, what Shane said is true. Edmund does need a new secretary. I think you'd be perfect for the position."
My eyes widen as I work for a somewhat coherent response. "Um. O-okay."
The corner of his mouth tugs upward the least little bit. Just enough to know that he's silently laughing at me. "Take a day and think about it. Get back to me tomorrow." Without even giving me a second to process his offer, he slips away, leaving me to wonder if I just imagined that entire encounter.
“How was school today?” I ask Axel after he plops down into the passenger seat of my tiny beater, then tosses his bookbag in the back.
“It was school.” Pulling his hood over his head, he slumps even lower and crosses his arms. Like he hates being seen with me. Or in this run-down car.
A pang of guilt hits, and I frown. “I’m sorry. I know this car is ugly and probably not what a teenage boy wants to be seen riding in, but—”
“Your car’s fine, Rox.”
Biting back the rest of my apology, I sigh. “All right. Well, what sounds good for dinner?”
His gaze flicks to mine. “You cooking?”
I wince. “I… can cook, but I was thinking more along the lines of Chinese takeout. To celebrate.” I briefly debated telling Axel about the job offer in case it doesn’t pan out, but I figure the boss’s son makes good on his word. My only hesitation is whether or not I’m a good fit for the position. I suppose there’s no way to know for sure until I accept it.
Axel says nothing, only raises his pierced eyebrow at me.
“I got a promotion,” I say, letting my genuine excitement bubble over into my voice.
“Yeah?”
“Mmhm. Which means the judge will have one less strike against me.”
Axel scoffs. “I think we both know who the real problem is here, and it’s not you.”
More guilt slices through me. I want to reassure him, tell him that everything will work out. But I also want to ask him if he thinks that, why doesn’t he change his ways? If he knows his behavior is making it harder for us to stay together, why does he keep slipping up?
I know those questions won’t get me anywhere since I was a troubled teen once, too. Now just a troubled adult. But his latest stunt put us in some deep water. Tossing a desk at his teacher and destroying school property nearly put him in juvie. Thank God the teacher and the school decided not to press charges. But he’s pretty much in detention for life.
With a weary sigh, I take the turn toward our favorite local Chinese spot. “I just wish you’d try harder to stay out of trouble. Our lawyer said that if you keep—”
“I know what the lawyer said.” Axel’s jaw works back and forth. “I was there, remember?”
I work to keep my frustration in check. “Yeah. Yeah, you were. So you know that you’re making it harder for me to adopt you. The judge already thinks because I’m single and barely have my own life together that I can’t control you.”
“You can’t.”
I shake my head and flip on my blinker as I wait for cars to pass so we can turn into a parking spot. “Axel, I don’t want to control you. I just want to help you.”
He turns toward the passenger window, rain slowly trickling down its pane. “And if you can’t? What then?” The hurt in his voice makes my stomach sink.
I turn into the parking spot and put the car in park. I debate bringing this up because I know how it sets him off, but he needs to understand the gravity of our situation. “You know your uncle wants to adopt you, too. And he looks better on paper than I do. He has a stable home and money and—”
“He doesn’t want me,” Axel seethes, whipping toward me. “His wife just wants to add me to her list of accomplishments for her stupid political campaign. Adopt the little, delinquent relative so everyone will hail her a hero.”
“Axel—”
“No,” he barks. “I’m not living with them.”
I try to steady my breathing and remain calm. Even the thought that he’d be taken away from me to live with them makes panic seize my chest. But my lawyer explained that it’s a very real possibility between Axel’s and my issues.
For one, I’m single. At our last hearing, the judge with the most old-fashioned ideas I’ve ever heard of said in no uncertain terms that Axel’s behavioral issues signify his need for a strong, male role model. And I can’t give him that. Yes, I’m his closest blood relative, which has boded well for us so far, but I’ve also got a laundry list of red flags that I’m afraid will add up, my past incarceration and the lovely little DUI on my record being the most glaring ones. Oh, and let’s not forget the never-staying-in-one-place part. My address has changed more times than I care to count.
Objectively, I get it. Single people who don’t have their lives together probably shouldn’t adopt their nieces and nephews. But God knows I’m trying. With all that I have, I’m taking steps so the judge can’t rule me unfit to adopt Axel. But with my past indiscretions lurking over my shoulder and his constant need to buck the rules, there’s only so much I can do in such a short period of time.
Axel’s been through enough already. The last thing he needs is to be uprooted. Which is why we moved into a larger apartment, why I changed jobs. I may not be able to erase my past mistakes. Or his. But I can move forward and do better. For him. For us both.
My phone rings loud in the quiet car, startling me from my thoughts. “Can you get that for me?” I ask Axel and point to my purse.
He doesn’t say yes, but he does reach into my small bag and pull out my phone. As soon as he sees the caller ID, he curses.
“Hey,” I snap. "Language.”
“Sorry. But it’s her .”
I take a deep breath, biting back my own curse. There’s a short list of reasons for the lawyer to call, and none of them are good. “Answer it and put it on speaker, please.” After Axel obeys, I say, “Hi, Miss Hardlove.”
“Roxy. I have news.” Her abruptness never gets old. Not .
I glance at Axel. All he does is shake his head, jostling the dark curls that peek out of his hood. “And?”
“The hearing where the judge will make his ruling has been scheduled. You’ve got a month and a half to continue to exercise your competency as Axel's guardian. But if either of you slip up—” Hardlove pauses. “It could give Marcus the leg up that he needs.” I hold in a frustrated groan as she continues. “You two have to act as a united front. Don’t give anyone a reason to question where Axel should stay. Prove you're the best person to raise him.” I nod, purpose driving me. “Normally, the judge would take Axel’s wishes into account, but as you well know with Axel’s record, the judge already stated he will rule according to what he deems best in this situation.”
“Is there anything else I can do to help our case? Anything we haven’t thought of yet?”
Hardlove chuckles, a raspy, mocking sound that sets my nerves on edge. “I don’t suppose you’ve got a secret husband hiding around somewhere, do you? Because two-parent households are more appealing in cases like Axel’s where the child struggles with—”
“Nope,” I cut her off before she has a chance to blurt something Axel shouldn’t hear. “No secret husbands that I’m aware of.”
“Well, that’s a shame.” Hardlove sighs. “Anyway, be ready for the hearing on May 16th. I’ll forward all the info to you via email tonight.”
“Thanks, I appreciate your help.”
“You’re welcome, Roxy. I sure hope this all works out for you two.”
Emotion wells inside me so fast and fierce I struggle to tamp it down. “Same, Miss Hardlove. Same.”