“Hi,” I said awkwardly.
“Hello.” Her voice was as cool as her porcelain skin looked. “Is Sebastian okay? I’ve been trying his phone since yesterday afternoon. He never turns it off. I was worried something had happened, so I stopped by on my way to work.”
“Uh, yeah, he’s okay. He’s... asleep.” I realized I was holding my panties and hastily stuffed them in my back pocket.
Janine saw the gesture and gave me a cool smile. “No need to be embarrassed, darling. You’re not the first girl I find creeping out of here, and I’m sure you won’t be the last. You have something on your face, by the way.”
I slapped a hand to my cheek, coming up with a black sequin from the raccoon on my T-shirt. At least, I hoped it was mine and didn’t belong to one of the many ‘girls’ Sebastian’s sister had just mentioned.
Janine went around me, her heels clicking on the floor, unlocked Sebastian’s door, and went inside. I swallowed and started down the stairs, my shoulders slumped, my heart heavy. Talk about a walk of shame. This was a new low for me. I had never been more humiliated.
I showered and got ready for work, trying to ignore the dread churning in my stomach. Janine’s words stung more than I wanted to admit. I already knew Sebastian’s past, but she made me doubt the future—which was stupid, since I’d just told myself not to plan one with him anyway.
At the store, I powered on the laptop and forced my brain to stay on work, not Sebastian. My mood perked up when I saw the ‘help wanted’ ad had several dozen views and four messages. I took a sip of the suspicious coffee and checked the messages.
If I docked points for bad grammar, I’d be left with one applicant—so I didn’t. I opened the resumés.
The first was a 68-year-old veteran obsessed with guns and the phrase ‘back in my day.’
The second was a 22-year-old student whose nails looked like weapons—not ideal for handling power tools.
The third had no photo, a résumé full of odd jobs, and a habit of quitting after two months.
I downed the last of my coffee wishing it was whiskey, as I opened the fourth applicant’s message. The girl looked barely old enough to work. A quick check confirmed she’d just graduated from Brooklyn Tech. My enthusiasm dimmed when I saw she was only looking for a summer job. I needed someone permanent, but for now, a temporary solution was better than nothing.
Sighing, I picked up my phone and dialed her number.
She answered after a few rings. “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Lucy Kellerman?”
“Yes, I’m Lucy.” Cheerful tone. Good sign.
“This is Jesse Nielsen fromMix’em & Fix’em. You messaged me about the part-time manager job.”
“Oh, yeah! It sounds like fun.”
I smiled. “It can be. But it’s also a big responsibility. You mentioned you were an assistant manager at another hardware store?”
“Yeah. My uncle owns it. I’ve worked there every summer since I turned sixteen. He hired someone full-time now, so I’m looking for a new place.”
“You said you’re only interested in a summer job?”
She hesitated. “I start college in the fall, so I’ll need part-time hours. But I definitely still want to work.”
I scratched my chin. Okay, not ideal, but not terrible either.
“Would you be available to come in for an interview today?”
“Sure.”
We scheduled it for 3 p.m. I gave her the address and ended the call. She was young, but she had experience—and right now, that was more than I could say for anyone else. I decided to hold off on the other messages until after I’d met her.
My phone vibrated with a text. My silly heart jumped like an excited puppy when I saw it was Sebastian.
Why did you sneak out on me, Princess?
I bit my lower lip as I typed,I didn’t sneak out. I had to go to work.
