Chapter 16
LILA
I’m glad I still had another week before returning to work because it’s been a ridiculously busy, but productive one.
All the utilities are switched into my name, a dumpster sits out back full to the brim already, and I arranged for two different women’s shelters to pick up the boxes of clothes left behind by the last owners.
Row and his contracting company have officially been hired and have been working the last few days.
There’s still a lot I want to get to this weekend, and my hours after work next week will be spent getting the attached apartment into a livable condition.
By Friday afternoon, my back is screaming at me to give it a rest so I leave Row and his crew to finish up.
My plan is to soak in a nice, hot bath then get back to work early tomorrow.
I’m surprised to find Mandy in my living room along with Amos when I get home. “Hi,” she exclaims, smiling at me. “Wow, you haven’t changed since senior year.”
Mandy and I were never friends. We ran in different social circles but shared quite a few classes so we knew each other. “Neither have you. How have you been?”
“Good,” Mandy says to me. “I’m dragging Amos out into the wilderness for a few days to go camping with my friends.”
Amos strides in with a sleeping bag under his arm and interrupts. “I think I have everything.”
Sutton flashes a grin at me from the kitchen.
Jerk. Standing there in his dirty work jeans and boots with his t-shirt stretched across his wide chest, outlining muscles my hands are now familiar with.
I know what he’s thinking. We haven’t spent much time together since that night.
I’m always getting in long after he’s asleep and not waking until he’s gone to work.
Now we’re going to be alone all weekend.
It doesn’t matter. He may want a repeat performance but I’m not going to let that happen.
“I’m not sure a campground at the lake counts as the wilderness,” Amos says to Mandy.
She beams at him. I know that look. She’s in deep. “Well, it’s as close to it as I’m going to get.”
My next remark dies on my tongue when I see a familiar polka dotted tumbler sitting on the counter. Sutton takes a sudden step back when I stalk over and pick it up. “Seriously? I swear I’m going to stuff this down your throat! How the hell…I put that in the neighbor’s trash can two streets over!”
“That’s our cue to go,” Amos announces with a laugh.
“No, wait.” I hand the cup to Mandy. “Do me a favor and throw this in the lake.”
“That’s littering,” Sutton says. “Shame on you.”
“Fine. Throw it in one of the park trash cans. Please.”
Mandy wears a curious grin, but accepts the cup. “Sure, but I want to hear the story behind this later.”
Amos shifts the backpack on his back and starts for the door. “Try not to kill each other before I get back on Sunday.”
“I promise nothing.”
Sutton smiles at me after they leave. “I don’t know why you’re looking at me. I’m as confused as you about the cup. I’ve just been playing Third Place. By the way, you married Stone. It was a beautiful ceremony.”
“I’ll take his house in the divorce.” My aching back takes precedence over sparring with Sutton, and I retreat to a hot, bubbly bath after taking an ibuprofen.
The combination works its magic, loosening my muscles.
I’m much more relaxed until my phone buzzes with a call from Row as I’m getting dressed.
He usually texts to let me know they’re done for the day.
“Hey, Lila,” he says when I answer. “I’ve got some bad news.
We got that wall down and were working on the ceiling but the wiring we found is a fire waiting to happen.
You need an electrician to look at it. I shut off the breaker to that section but you should probably cut the power until you can get an electrician in to inspect the rest of the building too. It may not be in much better shape.”
Damn it. “Okay, I don’t want to risk the place burning down. Will you go ahead and throw the main breaker? I’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
“Sure thing.”
“Do you have an electrician you’d recommend?”
He pauses for a moment. “My buddy Maurice, but last I heard he had a big project in Louisville. I can reach out and check, though.”
“Thanks, I’d really appreciate it.” If his friend isn’t available, I’ll call around to find someone.
Row lost his old contractor business when he went to prison and has been rebuilding it with some of the other men he was incarcerated with.
He met plenty of other guys who were roofers, electricians, carpenters, and HVAC techs.
It’s hard to get work as an ex-con no matter how skilled they are.
He’s pulling himself up as well as his friends.
After what Maren and Cooper have done for me, the least I can do is pay it forward by hiring men who need the work.
He promises to get in touch tomorrow. Thanking him, I hang up and lie back on my bed.
It’s not like I didn’t anticipate some unexpected expenses popping up.
I’m more annoyed because I was excited to use the weekend to get a lot done before returning to my day job.
Now, I’ll be limited without power. The building doesn’t get a lot of natural light.
Dusty runs up to me carrying his bowl when I return to the living room. “Don’t fall for it. I fed him,” Sutton says.
“Nice try, you little con artist.” Dusty trots behind me as I put the bowl back in its place in the corner of the kitchen.
“What do you have against resealable packaging?” Sutton asks.
His question catches me off guard. “What?”
“You always tear open everything like it personally offended you.” He holds up a package of cookies.
“I do not. The plastic was thin and it tore.”
He pulls a bag of tater tots and a box of frozen berries out of the freezer. “Uh-huh, and these?”
“The pull tab on the box didn’t work and—why am I explaining myself to you?”
The little smirk on his face is aggravating when he knows he’s right. So I have no patience and just tear the stuff open when it doesn’t cooperate.
“You maul everything like a rabid raccoon. So aggressive.”
I snatch the cookies out of his hand. “Sorry, I guess I’ll have to get a credit check.”
He gives a confused blink. “A credit check?”
“Yes, so I can apply for a loan to buy a fuck to give about your opinion.”
My retort doesn’t faze him. He’s too busy looking down at my breasts. This tee shirt has worn thinner than I realized and my nipples are clearly outlined. “I’m sorry, are my boobs staring at you?”
His eyes leap to mine and there’s not an ounce of contrition in that smile. “I don’t know. Lift your shirt and let’s see.”
“Fuck off. I want Marge’s Chicken for dinner. I buy, you fly?”
“Fine, but those are not the breasts I had in mind.”
I’m tempted to indulge in some quick stress relief with one of my toys while he’s gone to get our food, but the thought barely crosses my mind before Holly taps on my door.
“Hey, you look hot,” I announce as she walks into the living room. “Do you have a date?”
She beams at me. “I do. Remember that guy I met at the bar? He’s taking me out. I texted you his name and picture.”
I grab my phone to make sure. “Got it. Did you turn your tracking on?” My friends and I have an app that lets us share our location so we all stay safe.
“Yes, I’m all set. I just wanted to give you the heads up.” She glances out the window when a truck pulls into her driveway. “There he is.”
“Have fun. I want to hear about it tomorrow.”
Once she’s gone, I settle down to play Third Place while I wait for Sutton.
Sure enough, he’s managed to get my Small to marry his.
And of course there’s no way I can divorce him, thanks to his mods.
With a grin, I consider an alternative and quickly follow through.
I finish just in time, shutting the laptop as Sutton enters.
The chicken smells amazing and we both fill a plate. It’s quiet for a bit while we eat and I scroll videos on my phone. “What are you watching?” Sutton asks, staring at my screen.
“Nothing.”
“You’re watching water go down a storm drain.”
“Quit looking at my phone.” Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m watching.
“It’s street maintenance. They go around and unclog the drains during heavy rain.
” I’m not sure what’s so interesting about watching someone drain a street by raking debris out of the grating but it’s so satisfying.
Maren told me she likes rug cleaning videos for the same reason, but I haven’t tried them yet.
He gets up to put his dishes in the dishwasher then pauses in front of me. “I’m going to shower.”
“Okay.” I look up at him. “Do you want my permission or something?”
“No, but you can come with me.”
“Hard pass.”
“Are you sure? You can watch the water go down the drain. You don’t want to miss that.”
I’ll bet that smile has gotten him into and out of a lot of trouble. Too bad I’m completely unaffected by it. He dodges the pillow I throw at him and walks away laughing.
I slip a sweatshirt on and take Dusty for our nightly walk around the neighborhood then go back to my phone. An email notification pops up. Why is the manager of the daycare emailing me? If she thinks she’s going to change my hours or stick me with a different age group, she’s crazy.
The message isn’t long but I have to read it three times for it to sink in.
One line keeps drawing my eyes back. Your employment is terminated effective immediately.
Terminated. I’ve never been fired from a job in my life.
I’ve worked at Little Hearts Daycare for over six years.
I even stuck with it when the ownership changed hands and they replaced the management with that nightmare of a woman.
Fire me over email the Friday before I’m due to return? No. This bitch is going to hear my voice.
“Lila? Everything okay?” Sutton asks, coming down the hallway shirtless, his hair damp.
“I’m fine.” I am the opposite of fine. I’m not sure I’ve ever been this angry in my life. My fingers shake as I tap my screen to call Trunchbull. Despite it being after business hours on a Friday night, she answers right away. “Hello Lila. I expect you’ve received my email.”
The glee in her voice goes undisguised, and I wish I could reach through the phone to strangle her.
“Why am I terminated?” I manage to get the words out through gritted teeth.
“As I said before, you refuse to adhere to our policies. I was made aware that not only did you warn Colleen Morgan that child protection service was coming, you told her the call came from us when those reports are supposed to remain private. She has pulled her son from our care, and spread it around so that four other children have been withdrawn as well.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “What the hell do you expect when you put people’s families at risk?”
“I am protecting these children and I will continue to do so. If you have any belongings at the center, retrieve them before opening on Monday. You will not be allowed on the premises after that.”
Look, I’m a peaceful person. My self-control is something I pride myself on but everybody has a limit.