Devastated (Anger Management Book 1)

by R. L. Mathewson

  Once the bathroom door closed behind him, Ryan focused on the woman that was better off applying for a job at Wal-Mart. “Listen,” he began, pausing to glance down at her resume to find her name, “Casey, this job requires office experience and research skills.”

  “I have them,” she assured him with a nod and a hopeful look that bordered on desperation.

  “Not according to your resume. You also haven’t held a job in six years and before that you were a fulltime student. I’m not really sure that this is the best fit,” Ryan said, using the sympathetic smile that he’d perfected for potential clients that he didn’t want to work with.

  “For the past six years I’ve been raising my son, but I’ve also been working as an office manager for an insurance agency,” she rushed to explain.

  “Then why isn’t it listed on your resume?”

  There was a slight hesitation and then…

  “Because the company belongs to my ex-husband’s family,” she admitted, as her shoulders slumped in defeat.

  “What’s the name of the company?”

  “I’d rather not say,” Casey said, struggling to meet his gaze only to end up staring down at her hands.

  “I’m afraid that I’m going to need a reference,” Ryan said, as her son stepped out of the bathroom, eyes still glued to the floor.

  “I’m done, mommy,” Chance said, risking a glance up at him only stare back down at his feet.

  “Perfect timing,” Casey said with a warm smile for the little boy as she reluctantly got to her feet. “We’re all done here.”

  “Did you get the job?” the little boy asked, risking a glance up to send his mom a hopeful look as Ryan got to his feet.

  “No, I didn’t, but that’s okay. We’ll keep looking,” she reassured the little boy before she glanced back at him. “Thank you for your time.”

  “You’re welcome,” Ryan said, gesturing to the door, “Let me walk you out.”

  “Thank you,” Casey said, as she took the little boy’s hand and led him out of his office.

  Nodding absently, Ryan followed her out and nearly groaned when he saw the mess waiting for him. There were files covering the receptionist’s desk, the mail was piling up, and he hadn’t had a chance to return any calls or check his emails in over a week. He should have taken Kylie up on her offer to help him before she went on her honeymoon. He was going to have to call the temp agency and see if they had anyone that could fix this mess.

  If he was lucky, they’d be able to send someone over in the-

  “But I’m hungry, mommy,” the little boy whispered, drawing Ryan’s attention up to find a blush creep up Casey’s neck as she continued to lead the little boy towards the door.

  “It’s okay, sweetie,” she said, giving him a reassuring smile as Ryan ran his gaze over the little boy, noting the neatly combed hair, the clothes that were too big for him, worn, and faded in some places, clean, and-

  “Be here by eight,” Ryan said, returning his attention back to the mess that was going to have to wait until tomorrow for his new assistant.

  Well, that was Devastated. I hope you enjoyed it and that you were able to fall in love with Kylie and Hunter like I did. If you have a moment and would like to leave a review, I would truly appreciate it.

  Thank you for everything,

  R.L.

  A Look at Furious…

  The Next Anger Management Novel

  Chapter 1

  Emerald, Florida

  Sloane pulled the lollipop out of her mouth with a soft pop as she leaned forward and whispered to the woman who was a cross between Mary Poppins and the Pillsbury Dough Boy, “She seems really nervous about something, doesn’t she?”

  The Mary Poppins/Pillsbury Dough Boy straightened to her impressive height of five-foot-one and with a huff, put her nose up in the air as she pointedly ignored Sloane. Not that Sloane could blame the woman. With the insane amount of money that was being offered for this particular job she was willing to overlook the fact that their potential employer, a woman in her mid-thirties, wearing a rather tasteful suit, and who seemed unable to move from her spot in the doublewide driveway, had apologized a grand total of twenty-three times for a man that none of them had met yet.

  “Again, I’d like to apologize for how we’re doing this interview today,” Mrs. Harris said, bringing the number of apologies to a grand total of twenty-four.

  Two of the other four women applying for the position looked nervous while the other two looked absolutely terrified.

  That was good…very good.

  If Mrs. Harris was able to scare off two of them, Sloane was sure that she could help the other two come to a similar decision. She’d pretty much do whatever it took to get this job. Well, almost anything. She did have lines that she never crossed. She would never kiss anyone’s ass, put out for a job, or cut corners in patient care.

  Patients were a job, nothing more, and that’s how it had to stay if she wanted to continue working in this field. If she allowed herself to care she’d die a little inside every time she had to move on or lost a patient.

  Other than her three major rules, she would do anything to get this job, including scaring off the competition. It wasn’t because she was desperate to work with this patient. To be honest, she didn’t know much about him other than he was a thirty-two-year-old man, who’d broken most of the bones in his body and wasn’t adapting well to his new life. The other thing that she knew about him, which really didn’t matter to her except that it meant that her paycheck probably wouldn’t bounce, was that he came from a very wealthy family.

  No, her reasons for wanting this job were very simple. She was returning to her hometown after five years and she had nowhere else to live. Well, there was that offer from her parents and brother, but they would just end up driving her out of her Goddamn mind, so it was probably for the best if she didn’t take them up on their offers. She had more than enough money in the bank to find her own place, but she preferred to work as a live-in and save her money.

  So, here she was at one in the afternoon, standing in the driveway of a large one-level home, sweating, hungry, and determined to do whatever it took to get this job while her potential employer repeated herself between shooting nervous glances back at the house and throwing them apologetic smiles. Interesting. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one to notice either.

  Good, very good…

  The faster that she got rid of her competition, the faster that she could move in. She really wasn’t looking forward to sharing a bubblegum-pink bedroom with her eleven-year-old niece and her unnatural love of boy band posters, but that’s what would happen if she didn’t get this job. If she had to hear Emily cry one more time because some pop star that she was destined to marry was seen kissing another girl, Sloane was going to kick her brother’s ass for not sending the kid to a convent.

  “Are we going to interview with the patient one at a time?” a woman, who reminded Sloane of her old fourth-grade teacher, asked.

  Mrs. Harris shuffled her feet, trying not to look nervous, but by this point, it was really a lost cause. She cleared her throat and then did it again, trying to find the right words and failed. “No, I think it would be best if the five of you were to meet my brother all at once instead of stretching this out,” she announced with a bright smile that looked a little brittle and failed to comfort them.

  There was an awkward pause before she continued. “Once again, I’d like to apologize for my brother. Since the accident, he’s been...isolated. He’s a little rough around the edges, but once you get to know him, he’s a real sweetheart.”

  Several of the women shifted nervously while Sloane had to bite back a smile. It sounded like the patient was going to be a terror. That didn’t bother Sloane. She welcomed a challenge. She’d rather have a spirited patient than someone who just laid in bed, waiting to die. Judging by the looks of the other women, they didn’t share the same opinion.

  “If you’ll follow me,�
� Mrs. Harris said with a forced smile as she gestured towards the house, “I’ll introduce you to my brother.”

  As they followed her inside the house, Sloane couldn’t help but notice the anxious looks the other women were shooting each other as they entered the small foyer. She also couldn’t help but notice the stench of body odor, old food, and the thick layer of dust covering everything. The dirty clothes thrown everywhere with old pizza boxes and Chinese takeout boxes lining the walls was a nice touch and probably just made getting rid of the competition a hell of a lot easier.

  “As you ah, can see there will be some light cleaning involved with this position,” Mrs. Harris said with another one of those forced smiles that actually looked like it was actually starting to hurt.

  Sloane barely stifled a chuckle. Light cleaning? She was going to need a dumpster and a biohazard suit to clean this house. Ah, but that was no problem for Sloane. That just meant job security, which was a good thing in her book.

  “Chase?” Mrs. Harris said brightly, still trying to maintain that smile. “Chase, there are some people here that I’d like you to meet.”

  A man in a wheelchair rolled into the foyer and glared at Mrs. Harris while Sloane quickly looked him over. Dark hair, shaggy and unkempt, a month’s worth of whiskers hiding part of a thick scar that ran from the right side of his temple to his jaw, a wrinkled shirt that looked slept in and a pair of boxer briefs that definitely needed to find a new home, preferably in a dumpster somewhere far, far, far away.

  “Get. Out,” the man that she was assuming was Chase, bit out.

  When no one moved, he clarified his point in case there was some sort of misunderstanding.

  “GET THE FUCK OUT!” he roared, startling two of the women, who decided that it was in their best interest to make a fast retreat.

  Excellent.

  Two down and two to go.

  Sighing softly, Sloane leaned back against the wall, waiting for the patient to do the work for her. With the way things were going, it looked like she’d be sleeping in a boy band free room tonight.

  *-*-*-*

  Chase watched as two of the women scrambled for the door, tripping over their white orthopedic shoes in their rush for freedom and probably fresh air. Not that he cared. He was used to the smell by now, even that weird odor coming from the corner in the living room was starting to grow on him.

  He threw a glare at his sister as she glared right back at him. When the hell was she going to move on and forget that he existed like everyone else had? It was really starting to fucking annoy him. He’d accepted his new life and so should she. The sooner, the better. He wanted nothing more than to live in peace and quiet while the rest of the world went and fucked itself.

  He glanced at the two women trying to hold their ground in front of him. They looked like the nurses at the rehab they’d stuck him in with their starched white uniforms, bleached sneakers, and resting bitch faces. There was no way that he was having either one of them in his house, not that he planned on accepting any of them. He didn’t need anyone. He shook his head before glancing at the woman casually leaning against the wall, looking incredibly bored.

  Now she definitely didn’t look like any of the nurses that he’d seen in the past year. She had short spiky black hair, killer grey eyes, and wore a tight black blouse that ended just above her belly button, leaving a section of perfectly tanned skin bare above her waist hugging jeans. He gave her a dismissive look before returning his attention back to his sister.

  “Take the three bitches and get the hell out of here, now.”

  Melissa sighed heavily as she crossed her arms over her small chest. “No.”

  He narrowed his eyes on her as he considered her response. “What do you mean by ‘no’?” he demanded, daring her to say something that was going to get her thrown out on her ass.

  “Exactly what I said. You’re not taking care of yourself. You can’t get out of the house without help. This place, and you, reek. I’m done with this whole mess, Chase. You either accept the person I hire or you’re going into a nursing home,” she announced firmly, letting him know that she wasn’t playing around anymore.

  Everything in him stilled at the threat. She wouldn’t...

  “I already had Michael start up the paperwork. We’re ready to have you declared incompetent. You either accept this new situation or you’re going to be living in a nursing home by Friday.”

  He looked her in the eye, searching for any evidence that this was a bluff. It wasn’t.

  Shit.

  “You...fucking...BITCH!”

  She didn’t so much as flinch. “Just to let you know that whoever we hire will be under my employ so you won’t have the authority to fire her. If it doesn’t work out then you’ll be going into a nursing home. Do you understand?”

  He understood all right. She had him by the balls. Her husband was a mean son of a bitch when it came to the law and Chase wouldn’t be able to find anyone good enough to defend him before he found himself in the geriatric ward.

  Shit.

  There was no fucking way that he was going into one of those places again. The rehab center they’d forced him into after the accident had been a nightmare. It was only by sheer luck that Melissa hadn’t tried pulling this shit before now.

  His eyes went back to the two ice bitches that looked smug. Fuck. If they knew that he couldn’t fire them, then he was totally fucking screwed. He had no doubt that he’d be able to run either one of them off without a problem, but then he’d be back in the same situation in a day or two.

  No, he needed to find someone he could handle, control even. Someone that would be here for appearances, but would leave him the fuck alone so that his sister would hold off on this bullshit plan of hers. Someone like...

  His eyes darted to the woman leaning against the wall. She looked bored, very bored. She also looked really laid back, like the type of person who went with the flow and would be more than willing to collect her paycheck and keep her mouth shut. Yeah, this could work.

  “Fine. I’ll take the bitch by the wall. The two ice bitches can go,” he said, already pushing his wheelchair towards his sanctuary.

  “Well, I never!” one of the ice bitches exclaimed.

  “Uh-huh, just don’t let the door hit you on your fat ass on the way out,” he said absently because his attention was already focused back on the television. His favorite soap opera was starting and he really wanted to see if Jack was going to discover that Janet had been fucking his father and brother for the past year and that the baby he thought was his son might really be his brother or his nephew.

  Daytime drama fucking rocked.

  There was a small commotion in the foyer followed by muffled talking. He rolled his eyes as he raised the volume to drown out the bullshit. Melissa was probably filling his new “helper” in on bullshit like paychecks and duties, nothing he cared about.

  He tossed the remote on the couch he had very little use for these days except for a place to throw his trash and settled in to watch his show. His beer was lukewarm, but he wasn’t in the mood to roll into the kitchen to get a new one. Maybe his new little helper would come in handy after all. She could do beer runs, he thought with a chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?” Melissa asked, as she stepped in front of him, but was careful not to step in front of his television. She’d learned that little lesson a few months ago.

  His good humor instantly died. “Nothing. Get out.”

  “I’ll get out of your way in a moment. Your new nurse’s name is Sloane Maxwell.”

  “Couldn’t fucking care less.”

  “She’s been hired as a live-in caretaker. She’ll be sleeping in the room next to yours.”

  “Whatever,” he said absently, wondering how writers came up with this shit.

  Melissa mumbled something under her breath. “Try to be nice to her. She actually comes highly recommended.

  “I’m sure we’ll be the bestest of friends,” he said mo
ckingly.

  She rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. “Look, I know this isn’t the ideal situation. I’m sorry that I’ve had to resort to doing this, but you need help. You used to be one of the greatest guys I know, but now...” she shook her head sadly. “Now you’re angry all the time.”

  He snorted.

  Her hands dropped by her sides. “You’re alive, Chase. Isn’t that enough?”

  “Yeah, it’s just fucking awesome being stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. Really makes me appreciate all the little things and all that shit more,” he said dryly.

  “Chase-”

  “Don’t.”

  “I’m sorry about Michelle. I know that it hurt when she walked out, but you can’t let that bring you down.”

  He barely held back his anger. “I’m over that bitch.” And he was. It didn’t hurt that she’d gone and married his best friend and went on the honeymoon they’d planned two weeks after the doctor gave him the news that a wheelchair was going to be his new best friend for the rest of his life. Yeah, he was just fucking peachy about that.

  She looked down at her watch. “Look, Michael’s going to be home soon and I need to pick the kids up.”

  “Good. Don’t come back.”

  “Chase-” she said on a tired sigh.

  “Go.”

  “Fine, but be nice to Sloane. Don’t cause any problems or you’re going to Pine Oaks,” she threatened coolly.

  “Fucking bitch,” he grumbled.

  She looked like she was about to argue but didn’t. Well, she was smarter than he thought. He heard the front door close and sighed. It was time for more important things, like his soaps.

  Chapter 2

  “Thank freaking God,” Sloane mumbled to herself as she looked over the selection of cleaning supplies stacked on the shelf above the washing machine.

  She’d been half afraid that she wouldn’t find anything, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Her newest patient had everything from Comet to room freshener and all of it was brand new. No doubt his sister had something to do with that.