by Davis, Alexa
Still, Katherine was great despite Alex’s warnings about her, and she seemed to connect with me. As I walked in to meet her, anxiety had coursed through my body. I thought she was going to take an instant dislike to me, but that didn’t happen at all. She was warm and caring, and she understood my situation well. I had a feeling that being her maid would actually be a lot of fun. Certainly much better than working at that horrible motel. I certainly preferred the idea of spending time with Katherine to Frank… Urgh, never again!
A smile spread across my lips as I thought about how lucky I was to have landed back on my feet. If Delaney was proud of me yesterday that I got a job interview, she was going to be over the moon that I actually got the position. It would prove to her that I was a kick-ass Mom, after all. I didn’t think she doubted it, but I did. How could I not doubt myself when I feared for how I might provide for my child?
I called Terran, and when she picked up, I could hear Delaney in the background playing and screaming gleeful. I smiled to myself, happy for the wonderful news that I’d have for them. “Hey, Elle, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” I bit down on my bottom lip excitedly. I wanted to wait until I got home to share the news so I could see Terran’s face, but I couldn’t keep it inside. “I got the job! Can you believe it? He offered it to me on the spot.”
“You did? That’s great news.” She sounded so genuinely pleased for me that it made me grin like a lunatic, despite the fact that I was alone in public. People didn’t tend to stomp down the streets of New York City with a smile on their face… But then, it wasn’t every day people got offered the best job in the world. “Thank goodness, hey?”
“I know, right.” I glanced from side to side, waiting for a gap in the traffic to cross the road. “Anyway, I’m about to get the subway, so I won’t be long. Maybe we should go out for dinner tonight to celebrate, what do you think?”
Terran paused for just a second before she spoke out cautiously. “Can you afford it? We don’t have to; I can just cook…”
I wanted to laugh at that. I was about to be paid the best wage of my life. Even if it was only temporary, I could afford to take my friend out for once. “Yes, I can. It’ll be awesome. Plus, you spend all day in the kitchen. I don’t want you to do it in the evening, as well! I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Alright, see you in a bit.” Terran’s tone warmed up at my insistence. For all that she did for me, she truly deserved this treat. “I’ll make sure Delaney is dressed and ready to go.”
“Great, see you in a bit.”
Ah, she was a wonderful person! I loved Terran. I honestly didn’t know what I would do without her.
When I met Terran as she first started working for Mark a few years back, there was something about her that instantly drew me in. With her flame red hair and her spunky personality, never mind her terribly dirty jokes, I wanted to be in her life. I hadn’t made any friends by that point; when I moved to the city to live with my husband, I left everyone in my life back in Portland. I needed someone to call a friend, and Terran was the first person I actually wanted to connect with.
We quickly became firm friends, using a few boozy nights out to solidify that bond, and it spiraled from there. I confided in her with everything that was going on in my life, and she did the same with me. Her friendship made New York a place I really wanted to live…at last. Once Delaney was born, we couldn’t go out as much anymore, but still Terran wanted to be around me. She was the only person in the world who I would trust to look after my child, and luckily, they loved each other a lot.
Even though it was difficult for her, Terran stuck by me through all the times I tried to leave Mark. It put her in an awkward position because she still had to work for him, but sometimes she even put me up for a while. I didn’t like to do that. I wanted to keep her out of it as much as possible because I didn’t want to mess up her life with mine, but she remained a close friend of mine all the same.
I loved her; she was my rock.
Sometimes our relationship was still a little complex. I didn’t want to talk about Mark – or even think about him. Now that he wasn’t in my life anymore, I didn’t need to know. While he didn't have anything to do with Delaney, I didn’t have even to consider him. But when Terran was around, she was a constant reminder of what I’d left behind.
I didn’t ever want to go back and was glad that the toxic cycle had been broken, but having her there, knowing that she still saw him every single day, reminded me that he still existed in the world.
Luckily, she didn’t ever speak about him. We hadn’t ever discussed it; she just seemed to sense that I didn’t want to know a damn thing that was going on in his life.
The perfect friend – she deserved the treat.
***
“This is nice, isn’t it?” I smiled across the table to Delaney. The candlelight flickered between us, and the wonderful aroma of nice food filled my nose. It was a luxury to be out somewhere as nice as this. “We don’t get out enough. We need to try and do things like this more often.”
“That’s because you’re always working at night time, Mommy,” Delaney commented idly. She knew more than she ever let on, which I always needed to be aware of.
“Not anymore!” That felt good to say. I didn’t like missing out on too much of Delaney’s life. “My job should only be in the daytime now. That will be a nice change, won’t it?” Having such a connection with Katherine, I felt certain she would be much more forgiving when it came to hours. Frank never cared if I had an emergency, but I knew that things were about to be different from here on out. “I’ll be there to put you to bed more often.”
“Yay! That’s cool!”
As Delaney buried her head in the menu, Terran jumped in with all the questions floating through her mind. “So, tell me more about this job. What’s your new boss like?”
“Well, I’m going to be working with Katherine, this kick-ass rich woman who doesn’t like anyone doing things for her…so that should be interesting! But the boss is Mr. Trainor.” I cocked my head to one side as I thought about him. “He seems nice, actually. He’s funny, seems sweet, but he’s very professional. I imagine he owns some business somewhere. He’s definitely very wealthy.”
“What does he look like?” Terran wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at me. “Is he attractive?”
“Oh very.” There was no denying that Alex was extremely handsome. Not that I was thinking too much about that…really. “He’s got light hair, nice green eyes, super high cheekbones. He’s tall too, over six foot. Broad, muscular…” I shivered accidently as I imagined his arms tightly around my body. I wasn’t sure where that had come from.
In my defense, it had been a long time.
“Ooh, nice. You might have to introduce me…unless you’re planning to dip your pen in company ink, of course.”
“Are you crazy?” I chuckled and shook my head, trying to rid my brain of any inappropriate thoughts. It was fun to think about, but not in reality. “Of course not. You know all of this is just to give me and Delaney the best life possible. I’m not interested in dating at all. Especially not my boss.”
That was only half a lie.
I’d made an active decision to keep away from men after the divorce because I felt too fragile to even think about guys. I just wanted to focus on Delaney and me; I didn’t need to add in any complications, but as I spoke about it after getting a new job, I wondered if that was something I wanted to stick with. It had made sense at the time, but now I wasn’t so sure. Maybe it was time to start making some real changes in my life.
It had been a while, so maybe thinking about meeting someone wasn’t so strange…
“So, how are things going with your love life anyway?” I needed to change the subject rapidly before I talked myself into something I wasn’t totally sure that I was ready for just yet. “How did your date go the other night? The guy with the motorbike, wasn’t it?”
“Urgh, he was horribl
e,” Terran declared loudly. “So self-obsessed. I mean, I want to learn something about the men I’m going out, with but if they don’t want to learn about me, too, then what’s the point? I actually do have something to offer, you know?”
Oh yeah, that was why I avoided dating! In my moment of remembering what romance felt like, I forgot what a meat market it was out there. I’d been living vicariously through Terran for a while now, and all the stories she told me were horrible. Awful, arrogant men, terrible sexual expectations, embarrassing situations…
I shuddered, reconsidering my decision once more.
“His bike was nice, though, so it was a shame! He was gorgeous, too.”
I burst into laughter, and so did Terran. Luckily, she didn’t mind too much about the craziness of the dating scene. As she told me the wild and wacky stories of things that happened to her, I got the impression that actually she wasn’t ready to settle down. Maybe seeing me and Mark fall apart in such an epic fashion had put her off.
“Anyway, enough about me,” Terran shook her head amusedly. “Let’s get something nice to eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“Yes, let’s do it!” I exclaimed happily. “Sounds good.”
“Mommy, I want sausages.” Ever the adventurous one when it came to food, Delaney wanted something that she usually had at home. “And beans.”
“Of course, you do,” I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “Let me take a look. See what they do here, the waiter will be over here in a minute.”
I was hungry, but I wasn’t sure how much I was going to be able to eat. My stomach was churning with nervous excitement. Tomorrow would be the first day of what I hoped would become a permanent job – I needed to kick ass at it.
Chapter Seven
Alexander
Thursday
“Mom, are you ready?” I felt anxious as I readjusted my suit jacket. My tie didn’t feel right, nor did my shirt. Nerves made me feel weird all over. “Are you going to be alright today?”
I wasn’t sure why, but I felt utterly terrified about Elle starting work. She truly did seem like a nice person, and although Mom was nice to her yesterday, I feared that she’d change today. She was a little grouchy, and I couldn’t help but wonder that it was because she didn’t like letting go of control.
“I’ll be fine,” Mom shot back. “What are you talking about?”
“Elle. The cleaner is starting today…”
“I know.” She gave me a look like I’d gone insane. “Do you think I’ve lost my mind? I only broke my leg; I haven’t gone stupid.”
“I know, I just don’t want…” I shrugged awkwardly. “I don’t want it to be an issue.”
“Is that why you insisted on staying over last night? I wondered why you didn’t go home.” I didn’t bother to tell her I stayed to help out. “I will be fine. I like the girl. I think it’ll be nice to have some fresh female company. Elle and I will be just fine thank you very much.”
“Right,” I drawled slowly. “Okay, I suppose I better get to work then.”
“Wait.” She turned her head, and she shot me a fiery glare. “You aren’t going to wait to see Elle in for her first day? That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”
“Oh right.” Of course, I wanted to hang around, but I was trying to be cool about it. “Yes, sure. I’ll wait.” I felt awkward, and I didn’t know where to put myself. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt really strange about being here waiting obviously. “Do you need me to do anything while I’m here?”
“No, it’s fine.” Mom smiled at me. “I just need you here so you can let her in. My leg is, erm, playing up today.”
“Oh…right.” It took a lot for Mom to admit that I just knew it. I wasn’t quite sure why there was such a smile on her face as she said it, but I didn’t get time to figure out how to ask her because a knock came at the door. “Right, that must be Elle. I’ll go and let her in.”
I swung the door open and felt my heart skip a beat as I saw Elle smiling back at me. She looked adorable with her hair pinned back, her face free of makeup, and her casual cleaning clothes on. “Hi, Mr. Trainor. It’s good to see you again.”
I stepped aside to let her in. “Erm yeah, sure. Mom is upstairs so…yeah.” There was a pregnant pause clinging to the air, which I instantly felt the need to get away from. I was much more used to being cool and smooth, especially with beautiful women, but there was something about Elle that had me a bit speechless. “Okay, unless you have any questions, I better get to work. I have a lot to do today.”
“I don’t think so.” She smiled brightly, instantly filling the room with a sunshine of warmth. “I’m sure Katherine will be able to help me if there’s anything I get stuck with. Thank you, though, I appreciate your hospitality.”
“Right. Okay, sure.”
I paused for a moment to watch her walk up the stairs; then it hit me that I was a bit of a creeper. With everything that she’d been through with her last job, I really didn’t want Elle to assume that I was anything like that. Even a wrong look could easily be misinterpreted. I wasn’t like that at all; I always kept work and pleasure separate; I prided myself upon that. Especially when I had women throwing themselves at me. I wasn’t about to break that now.
Get it together, Alexander, I told myself as I moved out the front door. Get to damn work and leave Mom and Elle alone. They will be just fine.
***
I felt all eyes upon me as I did a final walk-through of the new resort. Annie, the manager of this particular building, came with me so we could discuss everything properly. I wanted to keep my mind on the business since I had a mental checklist that needed to be completed, but it was becoming increasingly obvious with every passing second that Annie had another agenda in mind.
“So, what do you think?” she giggled and batted her eyelashes. “The pool is nice, right?” Her hand lingered on my arm for a moment too long. “Fun for skinny dipping, I’m sure.”
Of course, my brain instantly pictured her, naked in the pool. Annie was tall, with really long legs and massively round, pert breasts. There was no way they hadn’t been doctored at some point in her life. Then there was the white platinum blonde hair and layers of fake eyelashes. She had a real Barbie doll look about her, which was overtly sexy, but not for me.
“Well, I don’t think any of the guests will be doing that.” I wanted to shut Annie down, but politely, so I gave her a friendly smile as I answered her. “But I’m sure you’re capable of keeping them under control if that occurs.”
“Oh yes, of course.” I could see the confusion in her expression. Apparently, Annie wasn’t used to being turned down. “Right well, erm… Are there any other rooms you want to see?”
“Rooms, no, but I do want to check out the reception desk. I want to make sure that the computers are all updated with the right software.” That was something that needed doing. In the early days, the computer system had failed, and I lost days of money. “Can you take me there?”
“Of course, I will.”
“Hey, Mr. Trainor!” Jack, the maintenance man, yelled to me as I walked past. “Excited for the launch?”
“I sure am. How are things with you?” I gave him my full attention, just like he deserved. I’d been to rival resorts where the owners seemed to rank their employees in order of importance and treated them accordingly, but that would never be me. Everyone deserved equal respect. Plus, pissing off employees only led to bitterness under the surface. “Everything all good? Anything you need me to do?”
“Nah, it’s all good. All the guys know what they’re doing, and everything’s running smoothly.”
“Well, you know where I am if you need me.” I tugged out my cell phone and wiggled it at him. “I’m always reachable, and I’ll get things done as quickly as I can.”
Jack nodded and returned to work, leaving Annie and me to continue our journey to the reception desk. This time as I met Annie’s eyes I could see something different there.
“They all really like you, you know?” she commented quietly, sounding a little awestruck. “All the staff think you’re great.”
“Oh… Well, thank you.” I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. “That means a lot.”
I reintroduced myself quickly to the new receptionists as I brought the computers to life. All of them had met me at their job interviews, but I didn’t want to be so arrogant to assume that they’d still remember me.
“Would you like a coffee?” one of the younger girls asked me with a tremble in her voice. I could tell by the eager look in her eyes that she wanted to impress. That spelled hunger. I needed to keep my eye on her because it seemed to me that she probably had a lot more to offer than she was given credit for.
I liked to offer the best to everyone that I could.
“Milk with two sugars, please,” I smiled. “Thank you…”
“Tegan,” she reminded me. “Coming right up, boss.”
I buried my head deep in the software of the computers for a while. Not everything was running as smoothly as I’d like, which wasn’t good enough. My perfectionist nature came out, and I had to get everything right. I got so involved in it that I even forgot to worry about how Mom and Elle were getting on.
When the ringing of my phone broke through my haze, I yanked it out of my pocket and pressed it to my ear. I was expecting an emergency from one of the staff, something that needed to be sorted out before the opening. “Hello?” I answered a little gruffly with that in mind. “Alexander Trainor speaking.”
“Yo, it’s Ryan,” my best friend chuckled. “You in work mode?”
“Urgh, fully.” I rubbed my forehead, noticing a headache starting to form. I’d been staring at the computer screen for far too long. “You know how it is. Anyway, what’s going on with you?”
