She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at me as she led me through the swinging door. “Nervous?”
“I’ve had a pretty shit night,” I confessed. “If you’re about to fire me, just tell me now.”
Eliza didn’t usually hang out this late. And poking my head into the office, I saw Will was there too. He wore sweatpants and a thin, worn-out T-shirt, so clearly, he wasn’t working. But now that two of the three English siblings had assembled with the express purpose of talking to me, I wanted to puke.
I sat down at my desk and waited for the guillotine to drop.
But then Charlie walked in too, and I stopped being sarcastic and seriously braced for my walking papers. I tried to catch Charlie’s eye in hopes I could read what this was all about because his expression was usually open, but he kept his gaze fixed on Will.
On purpose.
I could tell by the smile he was desperately trying to hide.
So maybe not the sack?
Charlie reached over and shut the door, but it was Will who talked first. “We want to talk to you about the raise you asked for,” he said seriously.
“Okay...”
“Why do you look sick?” Eliza asked, noticing my pale coloring for the first time.
There were a lot of reasons, but I picked the most obvious. “All three of you in one room? To talk to me about a raise? And the door is closed? Honestly, I’m not expecting good news.”
Eliza snickered, but Will looked more solemn than ever.
“We want to give you a raise, Ada,” Will said somberly. I relaxed for a full two seconds. “But we think we can offer you something better.”
Anxiety splashed around my ankles and moved up my body like a flash flood. “What is better than a raise?”
“Jelly of the Month Club,” Charlie said with a straight face.
“What?”
Will scowled at his younger brother. “No. Not Jelly of the Month Club. How about the loft?”
Now none of the words were making sense at all. Were they even speaking English? “I don’t understand.”
“Lola and I are moving this weekend. We bought a little house. We closed yesterday, and we’re moving over the next week—”
“We’removing you next week.” Charlie cut in, pointing his finger at the three siblings. “Lola’s too pregnant to do shit.”
Will sighed. “That’s true. We’ve kept it on the down-low because, honestly, we have so much going on with the second location and the baby. And her family’s business is opening like three new grocery stores. I think both of us are surprised it’s even happening.”
“Oh my gosh, congratulations!” I gushed. “But seriously, how did I not know?”
Will shrugged. “It happened really fast. We put an offer in on the first house we saw in person. We did look around at others online, but Lola knew exactly what she wanted. The homeowners accepted our generous offer, and we worked through an expedited process because they had already moved out of state. Anyway, so many things are happening all at once that this has felt more stressful than fun.”
“I’m really excited for you,” I told him sincerely. “You’ll love the space with the baby.”
“That’s the goal,” he said, but he sounded tired. “Also, Lola said she’s tired of people using our bed as a couch when we have parties. Apparently, she’s not into studio living.”
Eliza and I shared a knowing look. Obviously, a pregnant business mogul might like her privacy. Me, on the other hand? I’d only been drooling over the loft since the first time I saw it.
Yes, I loved my apartment. Yes, it was beautiful and bright and lovely. But honestly, it was too big for one person. It had been perfect for Adleigh and me. But I hadn’t even put anything in her bedroom yet. And I didn’t need to.
The loft, on the other hand... was so cool. Exposed brick walls, insanely tall ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows. Modern, sleek, cool girl vibes all over the place.
And I wouldn’t have to move out of the neighborhood.
