Chapter 6 #2
“Right...” she agrees, but she definitely doesn’t agree with me. “I don’t know when I’ll see you, but I’ve got to go. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye is pretty damn final.” I pause and watch her turn to walk away. Her fine ass sways as her thin legs double-time it to the front doors. Just for good measure, I call, “Bye.”
She says nothing, but she does shake her head and gives me a wave with her free hand.
I don’t move and watch her walk until she disappears inside. Then I turn to inspect her shit ride even closer, bend far enough to swipe the tips of my fingers over her smooth tires, and think about the cold front we’re expecting next week.
I look around.
I’ll know soon enough if she’s really a stalker.
I try to open her driver’s door, but it’s locked.
I rattle it a few times before I pull out my pocketknife.
It’s barely long enough, but it only takes me a few swipes to jimmy the decades-old lock.
I open her door and slide the seat all the way back to make room for my legs.
This thing is in just as bad of shape on the inside as it is on the out.
But thank goodness for old models. I feel my gut pinch when I lean forward to yank the wires from the steering column.
It takes me thirty seconds, but the old car sputters and coughs before it finally agrees and comes to life.
Not willingly, but when I give it a bit of gas, she doesn’t complain.
Not that there’s much gas to give. She’s almost on empty.
Lennon Shaw can’t seem to catch up with life.
I put the car in gear, make my way down the long windy drive to exit the manor, and head straight to town. I have no idea how busy the local garage is, but I’ve got a trust fund that just might be able to push her to the top of their list. While they’re working on it, I’ll visit Panther and Smoke.
Lennon
“Ithink that’s it. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you this week. It should be business as usual.”
It took me a few weeks to win them over.
They didn’t accept me easily, but I think my team finally believes in me.
I did it by digging in the trenches and helping out when they needed it.
I’ve cleaned rooms, folded laundry, and wiped tears when one of our housekeeping staff dealt with a broken heart.
She needed a shoulder to cry on when her boyfriend broke up with her.
I even filled in for the kitchen staff when they were swamped with events and delivered room service for a week.
I like to think of us as a team.
Today is our weekly meeting, and it was short and sweet. There are no events booked this week. We even have a few open rooms, which hasn’t happened since I started. It’s business as usual, and no one is on vacation.
My team leads from housekeeping, laundry, and customer service say their goodbyes and leave the conference room. I pick up my laptop and cell when Mr. Donnelly pops his head in. “Do you have a second?”
I set my things back down. “Of course. Is everything okay? I don’t hear any alarms.”
“Don’t jinx us.” He steps into the conference room and shuts the door. I start to sit back down but he stops me. “No need to make this formal. It won’t take long.”
My insides tighten, and my lunch instantly sours. “Oh, okay.”
“I’ve never hired anyone on a probationary basis before. When I offered you the job, I had no other viable candidates. To be blunt, it was you or Blake’s grandmother, and she only wanted the job because it would be easy to get her steps in every day.”
Oh no.
This doesn’t sound good, but I do my best to lighten the moment. “I met Blake’s grandma once. She’s a go-getter.”
Mr. Donnelly slides his hands into his perfectly pressed trousers. The man hardly has a hair out of place, let alone a wrinkle. “True. Still, she’s not a viable general manager for my manor.”
My palms start to sweat, and it’s all I can do to keep the tremble out of my voice. “Mr. Donnelly, do I need to be worried?”
He gives me a lazy bow of his head. “My apologies. I’m shit with words. Harlow will attest to that. And, for the last time, call me Devon. What I’m trying to say is there’s no need to wait—”
I fall to the chair so I don’t fall over. “You’re letting me go?”
He instantly frowns. “Hell no. I want to move things forward and make your employment official.”
My eyes fall shut with relief, and I slump into my chair.
“Sorry about that. I should’ve made Harlow deliver the news. She would’ve presented it with pomp and circumstance ... maybe glitter,” he mutters.
“I’m fine. Sorry. I have...” I don’t finish that thought. The last thing I need to tell my boss is that I have self-confidence issues. I pull in a deep breath and stand. “Thank you. You gave me a chance to prove myself. It was more than I deserved.”
“Everyone deserves a chance. I still feel like shit for not creating a part time spot for Blake’s grandma. I’ve got your official offer written up. Full benefits, a new salary, and vacation. All the bells and whistles.”
I should fall at his feet in gratitude, instead I tell him the truth. “I’ve been waiting for you to fire me. I’m so relieved.”
“Blake told me. That’s why I came to talk to you now. Probably should’ve done it weeks ago. You took the job and ran with it. Most importantly, you took it off my plate, which was my number one goal. Good job, Lennon.”
It’s all I can do to fight back my tears. That’s the first time anyone has ever said that to me. “Thank you.”
He lifts his chin and gives me a half smile, which feels like a win when it comes to Devon Donnelly. “The paperwork is on your desk. Sign it and return it to accounting so we can get your new salary in place. I made it retroactive for this pay period.”
“Thank you so much. I feel like I won the biggest prize on earth.”
“Nope. You earned it.” Devon turns for the door but keeps talking. “I hope you can find a place to live. I heard the library basement is bloody horrid.”
“It’s not so bad. I never have to look far for my next read, right?”
I follow Devon out the door but turn the opposite way straight to my office. Once I shut the door behind me, I can’t control my excitement any longer. I dump my things and reach across the desk for my offer letter.
I skim the page to the bottom until I see my new salary.
I stare at it as if the number will disintegrate into thin air if I blink. Thank goodness I’m alone and Devon didn’t give me a hint as to what my new salary is. I can’t stop my tears.
It’s over three times what I was making on my trial period.
I’ve never had a salary. Not a probationary one or a real one or even one that was dangled over my head and threatened to be taken away.
Heck, I’ve never even had a bank account in years.
It was all I could do to make it look like I knew what I was doing at the Winslet State Bank when I had to open an account. Thank goodness for the internet.
Money.
My own money.
And now even more of it. I don’t know what to do with benefits and vacation. Hell, living in the basement of the library feels like a vacation that I never want to end.
I never dreamed I could live a life like this.
I move around my desk to grab a pen and scribble my name at the bottom of the offer. I’m about to run straight to accounting, when a text comes across my cell.
The only thing that shows up on the screen is Unknown Number.
I frown as I unlock the cell to read the message.
It’s like my fingers stop working. My cell falls to the desk, and I fall to my chair.
No.
No. No, no, no.
It happens so fast, I barely keep up with my own body. I grab my trash can and throw up all the contents of my stomach. I retch and gag until I can barely catch my breath.
I pull out a drawer and grab a handful of tissues. I do my best to clean myself up and calm my racing heart.
It can’t be.
There’s no way.
I’ve been so careful. More than careful. I’ve been meticulous.
I turn to my cell that sits on my upgraded job offer. Something so good, and something downright scary right next to each other.
And they don’t come close to balancing each other out. That damn text tipped the scales. Nothing can be good enough to outweigh it.
I forget about the offer and focus on the message staring up at me with innocent little letters.
But there’s nothing innocent about it.
Unknown Number – Hello, my pet.