Chapter 24 – Mindy
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I really need this job
Mindy
Mr. Hale’s sons and their wives are in the hallway outside his hospital room when I arrive with a vase of flowers. After greeting me warmly, they send me inside.
I enter and see two blonde women hovering around the hospital bed, cooing at the occupant. I’ve come to adore Haywood Hale the past two weeks. He’s the best boss I’ve ever had, kind and patient, even though the workload is demanding.
He looks up at me from the bed. His salt-and-pepper hair is plastered against his head from the woman slicking it back with her small hand. His wife, Rebecca.
But Mr. Hale’s smile is wide and even, not showing a hint of the droop I saw in his office earlier. I hadn’t realized I was scrunching my shoulders in worry until they relaxed.
“There she is!” he crows with absolutely no slurring of the words. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he looked out of place in that hospital bed. His color appears good, and his blue eyes are twinkling. “The lady who saved the day. Come on in, Mindy.”
Before I get two steps into the room, I’m engulfed by thin arms and a mass of blonde hair. “Oh my god, thank you so much, Mindy. The doctors said you saved my dad’s life.”
I pat Perri’s back awkwardly as my cheeks warm. “I didn’t really do anything. I was just in the right place at the right time.”
“Bull hockey,” the man in the bed says, and I laugh as I disentangle myself from Perri Hale’s exuberant embrace. She loops her arm in mine and guides me closer to the bed.
“I really didn’t, sir. I just called emergency services like anyone would do.”
Rebecca Hale smiles from the other side of the bed. “Haywood said you gave him three aspirin to chew. The neurologist said that probably made all the difference in the world.” Her eyes fill with tears. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
“Well, I need to keep him around. Job security and all that,” I joke, and everyone laughs.
God, it feels good to see Mr. Hale smile like that. I’ve been freaking out since it happened, though Phoenix was kind enough to send me text updates throughout the day.
“I’m just curious. Why did you have aspirin in your purse?” Perri asks, pushing me down into the padded chair she had occupied. She takes the vase from me and sets it on the narrow hospital tray. “I mean, most people carry ibuprofen or Tylenol.”
“Oh, well, my father died of a stroke when I was a teenager.” My heart lurches at the thought of my sweet, handsome dad, but I continue.
“The doctors said maybe if he’d had a couple aspirin nearby, the outcome could have been different.
So I went out that day and bought a bottle to keep in my purse.
” I let out a humorless laugh. “I replace them when they expire, but I always end up throwing away a full bottle because I’ve never had to use them before. ”
Mr. Hale reaches over and pats my arm, the gesture a fatherly one. “I’m so sorry about your dad, Mindy. I’m sure today was very upsetting for you.”
“It’s definitely not something I’d like to experience again.” I give him a playfully stern look. “So you’d better get well soon, Mr. Hale, and do exactly what the doctors tell you.”
“Oh, he will or he’ll have me to answer to,” Perri says forcefully. She’s quite adorable with her tiny frame, though the narrowing of her eyes and the hands on her hips let her father know she’s not going to be putting up with any arguments from him.
“And me,” her mother chimes in.
Mr. Hale turns pleading eyes on me. “Good lord, save me from these women, Mindy. They’re going to pester me to death.”
“You’ll get no help from me,” I inform him smugly. “I can pester with the best of them. I’m sure Mrs. Hale would be more than happy to share whatever diet your doctors prescribe so I can make sure you’re eating properly while at work.”
Rebecca smiles appreciatively at me and then looks down at her husband for a long moment, giving him a nod before rising. I don’t know what that was about, probably some weird-ass married couple silent communication thing.
“Perri and I will go get a cup of coffee and let you two chat,” she says, smoothing down her husband’s hair once again.
“Oh. Right,” Perri says, wrapping an arm around her mother’s waist as they head to the door. She glances over her shoulder and blows her dad a kiss before they depart.
My attention goes to my boss, who immediately musses his thick hair as soon as the women are gone.
“I love my family, but those two could earn a black belt in nagging. I swear, it’s like being pecked to death by two very pretty chickens.”
I laugh at his description. “They just love you and want you around for a very long time,” I assure him. “How are you really feeling, Mr. Hale?”
“I feel fine physically. The doctors here are very good, and they got me out of the danger zone pretty quickly. I’ll be on blood thinners from now on, but other than that, I should be just dandy.”
“And mentally?” I press. Maybe it’s not my place to ask that. I’m just his employee after all.
But he offers me a wan smile. “It scared the shit out of me, if I’m being honest.” His gaze drifts to the corner of the room, and I remain quiet as he stares, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Then he looks back at me and surprises me with a question. “Do you like your job, Mindy?”
“I love my job.” It’s a simple answer, but it’s the truth.
“And you’d like to stay in your current position for a while?”
“For forever, if you’ll keep me around. No way am I giving up Ambrosia’s excellent coffee and pastries,” I reply, trying to keep it lighthearted, though I’m feeling anything but.
And forever doesn’t seem like an exaggeration when I think how long I’ll have to work to make up the money Roger stole from me.
Unless the divorce judge orders him to give it back to me, which is feeling less and less likely since I don’t have a lawyer and can’t afford one right now.
Mr. Hale’s no-nonsense blue eyes are intently on my face. “Even if I’m no longer the CEO?”
That question throws me for a loop. I guess it shouldn’t. After all, the man almost died today.
“I love the company and enjoy the work, so yes. I’d like to stay in my current position.” I quirk an eyebrow. “Are the pecking chickens trying to persuade you to retire?”
He chuckles. “Yes, though when I was in that ambulance, I thought about my life. About what I want going forward.” His smile deepens the dimples on his cheeks, which are dusted with a five-o-clock shadow. “Did you know I’ll be getting my second grandchild soon?”
My eyebrows lift in surprise. “I didn’t know that. Congratulations. Who’s expecting?”
His smile turns sly. “I can’t tell you. I’ve already said too much.” He shakes his head. “I just wasn’t sure if the office gossip mill had already gotten wind of it.”
“I haven’t heard a word, and I promise I won’t say a thing.”
“I’ve been in this position since I was in my twenties. I’m not getting any younger, and today's events…” He pauses, and I can see the emotion dancing behind his blue irises. “Today made me re-evaluate my entire life. I think it’s time for me to retire and let the next generation take over.”
“I think that’s a good decision. Family is important, Mr. Hale. I’ve lost both my parents, and I wish I could have just one more day with them.”
His smile is sad, and he pats my hand in a fatherly gesture. “I’m so sorry you lost them both so young, Mindy.”
“Thank you, but I have good friends and my aunt who are an amazing support system.”
“Good. I’m glad you have them.” He pats my hand again. “Now, I want to assure you, your job is safe. I’ll make sure of it. You’re bright, personable, and smart as a whip. Hale Cosmetics is lucky to have you.”
My throat clogs at his kind words. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. Will Phoenix be taking over for you?”
“No, Phoenix is too important where he is in marketing. My other son will be taking over.”
A sense of unease tracks a slow trail down my spine. “Helix?” I ask hopefully because Haywood Hale only has three sons, and the other option is absolutely not an option I can consider.
But the man in the hospital bed bursts my bubble with one simple sentence.
“No, my son Remi will be taking over, effective next week.”
He says something else, something about having all his children back in Houston, but my mind tunes him out.
Because Remington Hale is going to be my new boss.
And I am completely and utterly fucked.
“You’re fucked,” Caroline says when I call her that evening to tell her about my dilemma.
“I knoooow,” I wail, flopping back on my bed, which is covered with a cheerful pink-and-purple paisley comforter, a housewarming gift Caroline and Brayden had delivered to me while they were on vacation. A strand of jewel-toned round bulbs hangs over the top. Those were a gift from Aubrey.
“Maybe he won’t remember you,” she says hopefully. “Not to insult your bedroom skills or anything, girl, because I know you rocked his world, but that would be for the best, right?”
My spirits brighten slightly. “You know, I bet you’re right. I’m sure I overestimated what happened because I’ve never had sex that good before. Or since. But Remington Hale probably gets laid like that every night, so it wasn’t special to him at all.”
“I’m still trying to figure out the whole ‘Darling Fiancée’ thing you saw on his phone because I researched him thoroughly once you found out who he was. There’s nothing online about him ever being engaged.”
“I haven’t even looked,” I say, pressing a hand to my stomach. “It makes me sick that I slept with someone who may have been engaged at the time.”
Caroline makes a noise of disgust. “He’s definitely close with that Serena chick.
There are tons of pictures of them together, but nothing about an engagement.
The gossip blogs go on and on about them being the perfect match, but they’re definitely not married.
The wedding of someone like Remington Hale would be covered extensively. ”
“All I know is what I saw on his phone. I have no idea what’s really going on unless they’re secretly engaged and want to keep it out of the media.”
“In which case, she’s an idiot. A seven year engagement and he still hasn’t put a ring on it? Girl, move the hell on.”
“Agreed. At least I have a week until Remington takes over. Hopefully, I will feel better about all this then because right now I’m a basket case.”
Caroline’s voice turns soft. “Babe, maybe you should just quit and work your bakery job part-time until you can find another position somewhere else.”
“I would but…” I squish my eyes closed. “I have to tell you something, and don’t be mad at me. I didn’t want to tell you while you were on vacation.”
“What?” she asks shortly.
“Roger emptied our bank accounts, including my savings.”
There’s a moment of calm before the storm that is my best friend explodes. “He what?”
“He emptied our accounts,” I admit quietly. “I don’t have any money right now except what I make at the bakery, which works out to fifty dollars a day, and I’m saving that up for October’s rent.”
“Mindy Espinoza, I’m so mad at you right now. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I wasn’t going to worry you while you were with your husband. Y’all are trying to have a baby. You didn’t need my burdens.”
She literally growls in my ear. “That’s what friends are for, you damn fool.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but there was absolutely nothing you could do. So you see why I need this job at Hale? It pays really well and has benefits. Plus, I’m thriving there.”
“You could move back to Galveston and stay with us,” she offers, her voice a soothing balm.
“That’s sweet,” I say, “but I’m actually enjoying my independence. I promise I’m fine. I just wanted you to understand why this job is important to me. They pay their employees really well, and I need the money.”
I don’t mention that I refuse to be a third wheel in someone else’s home because I remember how that felt when it was done to me.
Caroline is silent for so long I pull the phone away from my ear and stare at the screen. Nope. Not disconnected.
“Mindy,” she finally says, “I get where you’re coming from. I do. But I want you to know the offer still stands. Anytime it gets to be too much, you can move in here with us. Or I’m sure your aunt would welcome you back.”
“I appreciate it,” I say, my heart so full of love for my friend.
“I can withstand a couple months of lean times, and I’m determined to make this work.
I’ll save up enough money to pay my lawyer, and then she’ll handle all the shit for me.
Hopefully, she can talk the judge into forcing Roger to give my money back. ”
I can sense her displeasure through the phone. “Fine, but I don’t want to ever hear you talk about your mom’s stubbornness because you’re just as bad, miss ma’am. And I’m sending you some groceries tomorrow.” That last sentence sounds more like a threat than an offer.
“Caroline, you don’t have to—”
“Can’t… hear… line… breaking up. Kshhhhh.” She makes a loud staticky noise before hanging up on me.
Lying back on my bed, I stare up at the pretty bulbs emitting soft, colorful light over my head, and I’ve never been more grateful for my friend. She’s truly one in a million.
But I meant what I said. I’ve been in people-pleasing mode for so long with Roger, I feel like I’ve lost a part of myself. I need to get that back. And the only way to do that is to prove I can stand on my own two feet.
I only hope Caroline is right and Remington Hale doesn’t remember me from that night seven years ago. Because I desperately need this job.
At least I have a week to come to terms with this new development.