Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
“Personal assistant for a lawyer.”
She bit her lip. “Asta, you know I don’t have any experience as a personal assistant. And for a lawyer? Wouldn’t they want someone who knew something about the law?”
All she knew was how not to break it. Faith would never do that.
She was a good girl.
“That’s the great thing. He’s desperate.”
“Well. That’s awesome.” She felt so great about herself now.
“Isn’t it?” Asta gushed. “He’s gone through three assistants in the last two months.”
What the hell? How was that even possible?
“Who is this man?” she asked. Suddenly, cleaning toilets wasn’t looking so bad.
“His name is Reuben Jones. I’ll be honest; he’s kind of intimidating and scary. Not that I’ve met him, but I’ve heard stories. Anyway, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that he’s gone through everyone we had who was available . . . and willing. So that leaves you! Isn’t that great?”
Yeah, wasn’t it fantastic that things her life had become so terrible she had to take a job no one else wanted. With someone who sounded like a possible tyrant.
“It’s a trial to see if you are a good fit. But the job pays twenty-eight an hour. If you last three months, it goes up to thirty. Health benefits kick in at six months. And after a year, you get thirty-five an hour.”
Holy. Crap.
That sort of money would be a dream. She could send three times as much home to her family than she was able to now.
“Listen, so the guy is kind of cold and a perfectionist. That doesn’t mean you can’t do the job and bring in the money, honey.”
Asta was nothing if not supportive. And energetic. It was just wrong for someone to have that much energy.
Faith certainly didn’t. She felt worn down and slapped around by life. As though it just kept kicking her time and again.
Maybe this is just what you need to move forward. To get out of this pit of despair and self-loathing.
“Can I think about it?”
Asta sighed. “Sure. You’ve got until Friday morning. Then he’ll likely go to another agency. So don’t wait too long.”
“I won’t. Thanks, Asta.”
“No problem.”
Faith ended the call. Then she glanced down at the toilet brush lying in the toilet. She groaned.
Anything had to be better than this, surely?
3
Three hours later, Faith stepped off the bus, and started the ten-minute walk home.
Well, not to her home.
Cammie and Eric’s place. She moved quickly. She hated having to walk around on her own so late at night. Faith wasn’t an idiot. She watched the news. That’s why she carried Mace in her pocket.
Mace won’t save you from a bullet.
This was a safe neighborhood. The crime rate was low.
Doesn’t mean that a criminal won’t be waiting around the next corner, ready to strike!
As something streaked past her, she let out a scream.
Holy crap!
Faith stood there for a few minutes, trying to calm her breathing. It was a cat.
Just a cat.
She rubbed her lucky charm. It was a silver hair clip with a pale blue, sparkly butterfly perched on it. Her grandma had given it to her when she was young, and Faith had worn it every day since. Gathering her courage, she rushed to Eric and Cammie’s place.
Camden and Faith had been best friends since kindergarten. Cammie had met Eric in high school. He’d been a football player, while Cammie had been a cheerleader.
A match made in heaven.
As Faith approached the house, she heard yelling. She cringed as she heard her name.
Shit.
Eric had agreed to let her stay, but he still didn’t seem to like it. Even though she was paying three hundred a week to sleep in a damp, dark basement on a sofa bed that had seen better days, it was cheaper than she’d find anywhere else.
At least in a neighborhood she felt moderately safe in.
She really didn’t want to go in the house right now.
Big girl panties, Faith.
“Corn and camellias. Corn and camellias,” she whispered to herself.
They were her happy words. And she could use some happy vibes right now.
She knew Eric liked her to use the basement entrance, so he didn’t have to be affected by her presence in his house.
But she didn’t want to walk away and leave Cammie facing him on her own. Not that she ever said anything bad about Eric.
Faith opened the front door and walked in. “Evening, guys.”
Immediate silence descended on the house as she walked into the living room to find Eric in his favorite recliner, beer in hand, his face red.
She’d love to say that he’d lost his youthful good looks as he’d grown older and meaner. But the truth was, he was aging well. He worked out a lot, so he was thick with muscle.
He was also mean as a rattlesnake. Selfish and lazy. He never did anything around the house. Cammie worked full, long days and then came home and did everything. Well, she used to. Now Faith did the cleaning as part of her rental agreement.