26. Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Ripping open the envelope while I was still on the front porch, I squealed when I read the words on the typed sheet of creamy white paper. My feet carried me inside on a cloud and straight into the workout room.
My grin widened when I found Hawk on his back, bench-pressing what looked like half a ton while Coconut rested on his stomach, fast asleep. She’d been with us for almost a week, and I was pretty sure Hawk was softening toward the kitten. While we were engrossed in a movie, I often caught him reaching over to stroke the soft fur between her ears. Then she’d pad across the couch and curl up in his lap.
Sure, he’d make a little grunt of what I assumed was supposed to be disapproval, but a few seconds later, his hand would rest gently on her warm back.
And one time, I’d returned from the store to find the big man sitting on the floor, moving the light of a laser pointer around while Coconut chased it .
But this? Oh my goodness, this was too much. Temporarily forgetting about my good news, I pulled out my phone and snapped a few photos of the adorable sight.
“What are you doing, Bee?”
“Putting this on your Insta,” I said, signing into his account, which he’d given me access to, and posting a couple pics with a fun caption.
He racked the weights on the holder above his head and sat up, holding Coconut in one hand. “Why?”
“Abs and a cute kitten? Total thirst trap,” I informed him.
“You trying to turn me into Bode?”
I laughed at that. One day at work, Cam showed me Bode’s semi-secret Instagram account, The Muffin Man , where he cooked desserts shirtless. He kept his face mostly hidden, but the women—and some men—went wild for him, especially when he spanked a big mound of dough or ran his fingers through freshly whipped cream.
“No, but you’ve gained so many new followers who are on their own fitness journeys and enjoy watching your workouts.” And your hot as sin body , I neglected to mention. Seriously, some of the comments were just…
The kitten woke up just then with a stretch and a yawn, and Hawk set her gently on the floor and patted her bottom. “Go play with your ball, Nut.”
“Stop calling her Nut!” I complained. “Her name is Coconut.”
He flashed me a mischievous wink as the cat bounded across the room and tackled her ball, rolling over onto her back to play with it. I could watch her all day long. She was so joyful.
“What’s that?” Hawk asked, interrupting my cat-watching.
I held up the letter in my hand. “I got an interview for the foundation!” I sang, drawing out the last word as I wiggled in place.
He strolled to me and gave me a high five. “Good job, Bee. When is it?”
“Crap, I was so excited, I didn’t even notice.” I re-read the letter and felt panic rise in my throat. “It’s Monday! What the hell? Why didn’t they give me more notice?”
He took the letter and scanned it. “It’s dated two weeks ago. Probably got lost in the mail for a while.”
I paced back and forth, my mind going a million miles an hour as I drummed my fingers against my mouth. “I need something to wear.”
“Like a suit? We could go to the mall.”
While I was touched that he was offering to go shopping with me, I was concerned about the expense. “Yeah, maybe.”
Hawk’s sharp eyes tracked my pacing, and then he seemed to read my mind. “That could be expensive though. Why don’t you borrow something from Charli? You’re about the same size.”
My head snapped around as my feet stopped moving. “Do you think she’d mind?”
“No. Not even a little bit. I’ll give her a call.”
An hour later, I was trying on the third suit Charli had brought over. “Ooooh,” she squealed, “I think this is the one. Let’s go show the fashion critic. ”
The first one had been a red pantsuit that Hawk declared was too bright. The second was forest green, and he’d said it was fine. This final one was navy with a tiny bit of cream trim. And it was gorgeous.
“Is this a Bouvier?” I asked, staring down at one of the signature buttons on the cuff. “I can’t wear this! It’s way too expensive.”
Charli waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. It was free—a gift from Auburn Bouvier himself. He’s Beau’s cousin.”
My jaw almost hit the floor. “Shark and Blaire are related to Auburn Bouvier?” The man owned one of the largest and most well-respected fashion companies in the world.
“Yep, we went up to New York for a visit, and he and his wife, Gianna, loaded the private plane we flew on with clothes as a thank you for coming to see them. How classy is that?”
“Pretty damn classy,” I murmured, still a little stunned that my boss was related to one of the richest men in America. Shark was definitely more blue-collar than the enigmatic billionaire, but they were both very intense men, so I guessed it wasn’t all that unbelievable.
“Put on these shoes, and let’s go show Hawk.”
“I’m so lucky we wear the same sizes in shoes and clothes,” I said, stepping into the elegant navy heels.
“And what is the interview for again? Some kind of grant?”
“Yes, a wealthy benefactor left behind a lot of money when he died as an endowment for doctorate-level students. They only give away three of them each year.”
“That’s so awesome. Grad programs are expensive as hell.”
I nodded and twisted the skirt a little to center the seams. “My dad said he has the money, but… I don’t know, Char. I don’t want to take his money. I want to handle this on my own. Take charge of my own life. This grant would really help so I won’t have to take out huge student loans.”
She squeezed my hand. “You’ve got this, babe. You’re gonna knock their damn drawers off.”
That made me smile. “Thanks, Charli.”
“Okay, Hawky!” she yelled from the hallway. “Here comes the final selection in the Mallori fashion extravaganza.”
I rolled my eyes at her silliness and walked into the living room. My roommate lifted his head, and his lips parted as he took me in. His voice was gravelly and low when he said, “That’s the one.”
“You think? Better than the green one?” I turned in a circle, and he shook his head.
“That one.”
“Told ya,” Charli said smugly as Hawk’s eyes lifted to mine and held there. My feet seemed to be glued to the floor by the force of his stare until Char tugged on my elbow, breaking the spell. “Let’s go hang this one up, and then I want to play with that adorable kitten of yours.”
I was rocking this interview. The Bouvier suit I was wearing was tasteful and classic, and I felt my confidence soar simply from wearing it.
And I hadn’t busted my ass in these high heels when I entered, so that was also a plus.
There were three interviewers on one side of a conference table, and I sat alone on the other side. All of them were middle-aged, two women and one man. The woman in the center with wavy red hair streaked with a healthy dose of gray did most of the talking. The man had only asked one question so far.
I answered each question with a clear voice, making sure to hold eye contact with each of them as I was speaking. The lady with the short brunette bob smiled a lot at me, while the other two were more stoic.
The gentleman nodded approvingly when I told them how inspired I was after accompanying Taz to her prosthetic adjustment at the veterans’ hospital this past weekend. I’d met with the prosthetist, physical and occupational therapists, and some folks from the orthopedics department. Everyone was so kind and encouraging, and that visit had lit a fire in me that I hadn’t known existed. I spoke passionately about my desire to work with injured service men and women, and the male interviewer actually cracked a smile at my enthusiasm.
Then he dropped the bomb on me.
“I see here that you started the fall semester of your senior year and then dropped out suddenly.”
Shit.
“Yes, sir.”
He tapped the end of his pen against the desk and raised one brown eyebrow. “Why?”
“There was… an unavoidable situation that required me to complete my senior year online.”
He leaned forward with his forearms on the smooth wooden table, his eyes serious behind wire-rimmed glasses. “Ms. Fitz, this endowment is for a lot of money, and we don’t grant it lightly. We have to know that the recipient will follow through and complete their entire course of study. We’d like to know why you dropped out of school.”
Dammit, I didn’t want them to think I was some flighty person who would quit school at the drop of a hat. Sucking in a deep breath, I lifted my chin and spoke.
“I got kicked out.” The man’s pen clattered to the table as his face registered shock. The brunette woman’s hand lifted and literally clutched the pearls at her neck.
Clearing my throat around the golf ball that seemed to be wedged there, I continued, attempting to sound as professional as possible with this fucked up subject matter. “I was sexually harassed by one of my professors. When he made unwelcome advances, I punched him in the nose.”
The redhead’s lips tilted up into a slight smile, which bolstered my sinking confidence just a bit. “The professor got to the dean before I did and told his story first, which the dean believed because this professor was an esteemed, tenured member of the faculty, and I was just… me.”
Everyone was silent for a few long, tortuous moments before the brunette leaned forward on her forearms. “Ms. Fitz… Mallori… I’m so sorry that happened to you.” Her lips pressed together for a second before she added. “It was very brave of you to share your story with us, and I apologize that we pressed you for an answer to something so private. We didn’t realize.”
I returned her smile with a tentative one of my own. “It’s okay. You were just asking your questions. There’s no way you could have known what happened. ”
The man gave me a small nod and smoothed a hand down his green-striped tie. “Thank you for coming in today, Ms. Fitz. We’ll let you know our decision.”
And with that… I was dismissed.