“It wasn’t an easy time to start with, but once help arrived it made all the difference,” she said, downplaying how hard it had been the first twenty-four hours. How she’d had a breakdown. No one needed to know that, not even her mom.
“Well, it was good to meet you. You heading out for some lunch?” Kyle asked.
“Yes, we are,” her mom replied.
“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off, Yolanda. Spend it with your daughter.” Kyle smiled over at her.
“Oh I appreciate the offer, Kyle, but Stan’s picking me up, and we’re going to some friends for dinner. Marie only rang an hour ago to ask if I was free,” her mom graciously explained.
Marie was glad her parents had plans, she loved them, but she was still adjusting to being back in the big city and enjoyed her quiet time on her own. Once she started her job, her life would be chaotic. “Mom’s right, I happened to be in the city and phoned her on a whim.”
“Fair enough. But the offer is alwaysthere.” With a smile he turned on his heel and disappeared into the bowels of the office.
“He seems nice,” she said as they made their way toward the elevators.
“He’s an exceptional boss. Actually, everyone who works here is great. It’s nice to be part of a team that all like and respect each other.”
“What type of security do they provide?” Marie asked when they exited the building and headed for the café across the road.
Once they were seated and confirmed that they’d preordered their food with their server, her mom finally answered her question. “They do all sorts. Private security. Event security. And other things as well.”
Marie’s interest radar was piqued at the last comment. There was something more to it. “What do you mean other things?”
Their food arrived, once again providing her mom with an excuse not to elaborate, which only caused Marie to worry more. “Mom, you still haven’t answered me.”
She tried to keep her tone even, but she hadn’t been able to stop the bite of concern from coming out.
Her mom leaned forward, encouraging Marie to do the same. “There are things they do that can’t be talked about. But it’s for the greater good.”
The greater good?
That made it sound even worse. “Does Dad know about these things?”
One thing she knew about her father was, he wouldn’t let Mom work in a place that was dangerous for her. Or run by people who were less than above board. If he knew about what they did and was okay with it, then she would be. If he didn’t know about it, then Marie wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep it from him. The last thing she wanted was for her mom to be hurt by the people she trusted—no matter how nice they all seemed to be.
“Of course, your father knows. I don’t keep secrets from him. Trust me when I say that everyone who works for Alliez Security has military or other types of backgrounds. I’m proud to be associated with them.”
There was no doubting the belief in her mother’s voice. Who was she to distrust what her parent had to say? If her dad knew and was okay with her working there then that was all that mattered. Besides, she didn’t have any reason to tell her mother what she could and couldn’t do.
“That’s good,” she said, tucking into her salad while steering the conversation to safer subjects—like her younger sister who lived in Idaho with her husband and two kids. She should try and make an effort to go see Anne and her nieces. It hadbeen too long. They didn’t have a close relationship, but maybe Marie should change that, because she’d seen how life could be taken away in a shake of the earth.
“What are your plans for the rest of the day,” Mom asked as they stood out the front of her building.
“More unpacking,” Marie grimaced at the thought.
Mom laughed. “I did offer to help you.”
“I know. Honestly, though, I could probably get rid of half of my stuff. I learned to get by with the bare minimum in San Carlion.”
“True, but sometimes it’s good to have a little luxury around us.” Her mom laid a hand on her arm, and Marie soaked up her mother’s love in that small gesture. “Don’t be too hasty in getting rid of everything.”
“I won’t. Now, my ride should be arriving shortly.”
Her mom shook her head. “I don’t like the idea of this driverless car you’re talking about. There is something to be said for having a human behind the wheel in case anything happens.”
“I admit I was worried too, but I used it to bring me here, and there weren't any issues. It was kind of fun to see the wheel moving and everything. I’ll be fine.”
“If you say so. I can wait if you want.”
