Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Portia swallowed and nodded vigorously, as if to better absorb what I’d just passed on.
“And Nico – Mr. Ulrich, I mean – values professionalism above everything else.”
“He’s just so mean to me, like, all the time,” Portia said, sniffling again and I saw her eyes fill with tears. “It’s like, nothing I ever do is good enough for him.”
“To be blunt, it probably isn’t,” I said. “But that’s not a reflection of you. Mr. Ulrich has very high standards. Some might even call them impossible. But that’s how he is, and I’m sure that’s what you were told before you took the position.”
Portia pressed her lips together.
“So, why did you do it? Because he was mean to you?”
Portia’s chin wobbled.
“Because that’s not very professional,” I said. “And furthermore, it’s untrue.”
Portia blinked at me and I cursed myself for the white lie. Technically, it wasn’t true – I’d quit seconds before having sex with Nico for the first time.
But that didn’t exactly make it right.
Still, if I was going to fix things, I knew that I’d have to play a little dirty.
“I see,” Portia said.
“Allegations like that, well, that’s the kind of thing that could seriously ruin Mr. Ulrich’s career, and his life,” I said. “Is that the kind of thing you want, Portia?”
She shook her head.
“And what are you going to do?”
Portia looked at me with big, scared eyes.
“You’re going to go to him and sit with him – and with HR, you don’t want to be alone while having this conversation, you want everything to be documented by professionals – and tell him that you’re sorry that you lied.”
Twin circles of scarlet appeared on Portia’s cheeks and she gasped in protest.
“I know, it’s humiliating,” I told her. “But Mr. Ulrich will be grateful. And I bet that you’ll get your job back.”
Portia swallowed hard.
“And he might even be ... a little nicer to you in the future,” I added, hoping to sweeten the bargain. Even though you certainly don’t deserve it, I thought silently.
Portia didn’t say anything, and I reached out to touch her hand with my own.
“And furthermore, you’re never to do anything like this, not ever again. Do you understand?”
Portia nodded. “I do,” she said. “Trust me, I think I’ve learned my lesson.”
Just as I was about to instruct her to go straight to the HR department of Ulrich Sports, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Frowning, I pulled it out. When I saw that Dawning City was calling, my heart sank.
Immediately, Portia was the furthest thing from my mind. I pulled out a wad of cash to cover our coffees, then swiped open the call and strode away from the sidewalk café.
“This is Harper,” I barked. “What is it?”
“Harper, it’s Stephanie,” the voice replied. “I’m so sorry to call in the middle of the day because I know how busy you are, but—”
“Just tell me!” I nearly shrieked.
“Ada’s not feeling well,” Stephanie said. “I thought she was just tired, so I let her go take a nap in the director’s office but I just checked on her and I think she has a fever.”
I hung up the phone and stuffed it into my purse as quickly as I could, then darted down the block and across the street, nearly getting hit by three cars in the process. My mind was racing and my heart was pounding in my chest. I couldn’t believe that there was something wrong with my precious baby girl – how long had she been sick? I racked my brain, trying to think over the morning and how she’d acted. She’d complained about being tired, but that was typical Ada.
God, how I wish that I’d listened!
I ran into Dawning City and opted for the stairs over the elevator, barely even noticing the pain shooting up my legs from my spike heels. As soon as I ran into the daycare, I saw Stephanie standing there with Ada in her arms. The sight of her sick nearly made me gasp – she was both pale and flushed, with blotchy red marks highlighting her sallow-looking white skin and her eyes were closed. She looked limp in Stephanie’s arms as the worker rocked her back and forth.
“Oh my god,” I breathed. “How long has she been like this?”
I stepped forward and took Ada from Stephanie’s arms, hoping that the touch of her mother would revive her, but it made little difference.
“Sweetie, Mommy’s here now,” I cooed, rocking my little girl back and forth. She didn’t open her eyes and I could feel that her breathing was rapid and shallow. She didn’t smell like herself, like a sweet and clean little girl – her breath was bad and she was sweating fiercely through her romper.
“If you don’t have a pediatrician in the city yet, I can always recommend Dr. Parks,” Stephanie said hesitantly. “He’s the best.”