They have both had enough of the women in their lives letting them down.
And it was that thought.
That single thought alone had me stopping and growling, “Unlike her, I’m not afraid to show up for mine.”
I tilted my head at the bitch and walked away.
All the while, I could feel proverbial ice daggers landing in my back.
***
I had just walked through the front door of my cottage when my alarm blared on my phone.
Perfect timing.
I walked to my kitchen, took my weekly organizer of pills, opened the one that said Thursday PM on it, shook them out, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and took them.
Then I went to my room, changed into an oversized shirt, crawled underneath the covers, and fell asleep.
***
At work the next day, I had just signed off on another contract that my team and I had completed when my boss, Caleb, knocked on my door.
I worked for SB Marketing.
I was the youngest person in the company's history to lead my own team.
And I had earned that through nothing but hard work.
I smiled at Caleb and said, “Fortum’s is done.”
He winked, “Perfect.”
Then he set a file folder on my desk and said, “Tell me what you think.”
I nodded as I opened the folder and scanned the contents.
The company,Mason Hardware, was in bad shape.
They were so far in the red that it was a wonder the banks hadn’t taken everything they had from them.
That was when I took in the last page in the folder.
The one that was personal.... I realized why they were so far in the red.
I looked up at Caleb, “Give my team and me till the middle of next week. I’ll come up with a plan.”
He winked, “If anyone could do it. It’s you.”
I nodded.
After he left my office, I read even more on that page.
The reason the company was so far in the red was that the owner, Luke Mason, had a daughter and a wife who were both battling cancer.
Holy. Fuck.
I couldn’t imagine being in that position.
