Chapter 9
9
LEV
W hy am I so disappointed that Eros agreed to the friends thing that allowed distance from me? That is, after all, what I wanted. If I am going to work here, we need to keep it professional. Being friends is the only way. I’m still kind of reeling from the fact that he’s my boss. Caleb did say he’d reached out to a friend about getting me a job.
“Cool, isn’t it?” Kate asks. She’d taken me up to the next floor. There is another set of glass offices up here, but when you step out, you look down into the bullpen below.
“It’s a really nice setup,” I admit. This place seems to have a relaxed vibe. People doing their own things or working together. “But I don’t even know what you all do here.” Kate lets out a laugh.
“Right, sorry.” She shakes her head. “Eros created ClickIT.”
“The website app thing?” That has been around for at least ten years, I’d guess.
“That’s the one.”
“Wow.” ClickIT is a website where you can compare prices from various vendors to find the best deal on items. It’s a highly used tool when shopping by consumers.
Product prices often fluctuate due to factors such as your location and unscrupulous companies. ClickIt bounced IPs or something. I'm not sure how exactly that works. Computers have never been my thing. I have used the site before. It also provides reliable coupon codes, eliminating the need for you to search for random ones online.
“There are some people here that work on ClickIt full time while others work on newer projects. Ideas they come up with on their own or ones that have been pitched or sold to us. We frequently sell some of our own ideas, and occasionally a company will have an idea that they wish to retain, but they want Eros to oversee it and provide feedback on how it could be improved. He is the best in the business. Some would even call him a genius.”
“So you make some and just sell them?”
“I think Eros's mind is always going. I swear random things catch his attention. It might be something he’s not interested in but thinks would be useful to someone else, and he’ll just go from there. When he’s done, he kind of loses interest and doesn't want to keep it up, so he’ll sell it off.”
“Just like that?” I snap my fingers. “He loses interest.” Yeah, out of all Kate has told me, that’s what caught my attention.
“I mean, he’s toyed with the idea of selling ClickIt, but I think this place gives him roots.” I simply nod, unsure of what more I can add.
“And what am I going to be doing here?”
“Eros and I haven’t gotten too deep into it.” Kate starts walking, so I follow alongside her. “There are some other small projects he plays with.” She pauses. “Okay, small as in effort but not cost,” she corrects. “Investment of other random things. Like I said, whatever catches his eye—and he has a good eye. If Eros locks in on anything, it’s going to be gold.”
My lucky color.
“New girl,” a guy calls from the bullpen.
“It’s Lev,” Kate shouts back.
“I’m Jack.” A few other people turn from the table they’ve all been standing around that has tablets and large stacks of papers on it. There is even a giant board they rolled out with a bunch of things tacked to it.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I shake his hand, and everyone else introduces themselves.
"You called boss man an asshole and told him ‘fuck you’?" Jack asks eagerly, while everyone else is grinning.
“A small misunderstanding.”
“Damn, girl, I don’t want to see you when there's a big misunderstanding.” They all laugh.
"Eros may be laid back, but I could never." Emily shakes her head.
"Right," Jack agrees. "But if pushed, we all know Eros would lay down the law." They all nod in agreement.
"Well, maybe someone else did push." Max comes over, sitting down with his laptop. "He's in a mood right now." We all turn and look toward his office, but the blinds are still closed, as is his door.
"I'll go check on him," Kate says. "Be right back." I nod.
"If anyone can handle him, it's Kate," Jack informs me. "Are you going to tell us how you know Eros?"
Shit, I'm not sure I want to do that.
"Leave her alone," a redhead says, pushing Jack to the side. "I'm Julie."
"Nice to meet you."
“It’s wonderful to meet you too. Sorry about that.” She’d been with Max in the doorway when I called Eros an asshole.
“No worries.” Her eyes roam me up and down. “I like your style.”
“Oh.” I glance down at myself. I feel a bit plain today, but maybe it’s not for others. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure what to wear.”
“Everyone does their own thing here.” I noticed. I've seen everything from people in full suits to a girl in yoga pants.
“Want to take a peek at what I’m working on?”
“Sure,” I agree. “Not sure how much I can help.”
“Just tell me if you do or don’t like something, and if you’ve got a suggestion, pop that in too.”
“Sounds easy,” I agree.
“Brutally honest, okay? That’s how we make shit happen.” That’s one thing I definitely can be.
“All right.” I laugh.
“Let's grab the table.” I follow Julie over to one of the empty tables in the bullpen and sit down. She shows me an app that she’s been working on. You plug all your clothing into the app, which not only helps you remember what you have, but also allows you to sort items by color and even makes suggestions.
“I really like how it shows you how one top can work with four different outfits.”
“The more money you save on clothes, the more you can spend on shoes.” I couldn’t agree more, but my vice is makeup, which can be pricey.
“Can there be a quick grab button? Let's say you're shopping online and you find something you like. You can pull it to your closet and see how many things it pairs with. This could assist you in determining whether the purchase is worthwhile.”
“Yes!” Julie slaps her hand down on the table, making me jump. “Sorry, I do that when I get excited.” I laugh and notice that no one bothered to glance this way when she did it, so it must be common. I immediately relax, realizing I may actually be good at this job.
A few times I see Eros come out of his office, but he doesn’t glance my way. I try to ignore it and not let it bother me, but it’s useless. I’m only lying to myself.
"Would you like to join me for happy hour?" Julie asks at the end of the day. Everyone is packing up. “There is a place right around the corner. They have small plates.”
“I don’t know.” I glance at my phone that is going off again. I ignore it. My mom has called five times. I’m not falling for it this time. I’m tired of being on this hamster wheel with her.
“If you come, we can comp it because we’ll be talking about work.” My ears perk up with that bit of information.
“Really?” I laugh. I had a pretty big lunch and am still full. Trays of sandwiches, fruits, and soups had been brought in and laid out in the bullpen. Most things take place right here. It's actually really cool how people can come and go to help each other. I’ve never worked in an environment like this. It’s not at all what I was expecting. It’s no wonder Eros has a successful business.
“Yes.”
“All right,” I agree. I glance towards Eros's office, wanting to say goodbye. Okay, I want him to come say goodbye, but he’s giving me what I asked for.
Julie and I ended up hanging out for a few hours before we call it a night. I think I had one too many glasses of wine, but she’d gotten a bottle. When I step outside, Royce is there leaning up against the SUV. The same as he had been this morning.
“You don’t work for Caleb, do you?”
“Nope.” He opens the back passenger door for me.
“I’ll catch the bus.” Eros isn’t getting any of his other employees private rides, let alone their own driver. Julie got an Uber.
“Lev,” he calls after me when I start walking down the sidewalk. It’s dark out now. I stop. “It’s my job. Will you let me do it?” I turn back around, not wanting him to get in trouble.
“Fine, but I’m sitting in the front.”
Royce smiles. “Got yourself a deal.” He opens the passenger door for me.
“Thanks.” I slip in. I check my phone again, clearing two more calls from my mom. What I'm really looking for is a text from Eros, but there's nothing there. I can’t help but be disappointed when I know I shouldn’t be.
“How was the first day?” Royce asks, pulling away from the curb.
We go back and forth as we make our way toward my place. I find out he’s worked for Eros for five years. He’s been married for almost thirty years, and his first grandchild is due anytime now.
“Thanks for the ride,” I tell him when we pull up to the front of my building.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Seriously?”
“Those are my orders.”
“All right,” I agree. There is no point fighting with Royce, as he said he’s only doing his job. “Tomorrow.” I give him a wave before entering my building.
I could call Eros and bitch about it, but I know I’d only be calling because I want to talk to him. I take the stairs up to my place and grit my teeth when I put my key in the door and realize it’s already unlocked.
“The fuck?” I whisper when I push the door open and see the place is a mess. My mom comes flying out of her bedroom.
“Where have you been? Your father was arrested.”
“What?”
“He’s been arrested!” she screeches.
“For what?” Public drunkenness? That’s my first guess.
“I’m not sure, but I have to go bail him out.”
“Mom, don’t?—”
“Mitch is on his way already to post his bail.” Mom cuts me off. “I’m going to go meet them.”
“Mitch is paying his bond?” My mom pauses. “Mom.” I groan. “Don’t waste your money. It won’t hurt to let him sit there for a few days. Might sober him up.” I don’t know how many more times she has to go through this kind of stuff with my father until she learns he’s never going to change.
“He is your father,” she hisses at me. This is why I hate them together. My mother is so dramatic when it comes to him.
“You don’t have the money,” I remind her.
“That’s why I called you.”
“I’m not bailing him out.” I put my hands up and step back.
“I didn’t have a choice, Levy.” She steps toward me. My heart sinks. I turn, heading toward my bedroom; Mom follows after me. I freeze when I make it to my open bedroom door. My room has been ransacked. The box I keep hidden in the back of my closet is dumped out on my bed. Not a single dollar is left. I walk over and pick up the checkbook I’ve never used for my account and can see one has been ripped out. I turn around.
“He’s your father.”
“And you’re supposed to be my mother.” Tears burn at the back of my eyes, but I hold them in. I don’t cry. Ever. Not since I was a little girl.
“Levy.”
“No, Mom!” I shout. “This is bullshit. You stole from me.” There are so many more hurtful things I want to say. I hold back, knowing that once I open the floodgate, there will be no going back. To be honest, I don’t even know how I’ll ever recover from this betrayal by her.
“You will not speak to me that way in my house.” I pay half of the rent, but I'm not on the lease.
“That’s rich with the things your husband shouts around here when the two of you are fighting.”
Her expression shifts to one of fury. “And you know what I do when he does that shit? I toss him out.” Pretty sure he storms out on his own, but whatever. “I’m going to meet your father. I think it would be best if you weren't here when we got back.”
I stand there in shock as she turns and leaves. Did she honestly just kick me out after stealing every penny I have? A few seconds later, I hear the front door slam closed. I drop down onto my bed, taking a deep breath.
“I won’t cry,” I tell myself. I have no fucking clue what I’m going to do now without a dollar to my name, no place to go, and a best friend halfway around the world.