Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53807 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 269(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
“Oh, no. He doesn’t work here,” Aspen assured her as she took the offered writing surface with the now blank piece of paper.
Sitting down in a chair, Aspen filled out everything she knew. Having dealt with police reports about all the incidents, she had Eddie’s full name memorized along with the make of his car and even his license plate.
When she handed over the information to the woman, the receptionist looked pointedly at Aspen’s name badge and wrote Aspen Randolph, Maintenance at the top, before commenting, “It’s not a good idea to do this if you’re in a lover’s quarrel or have an axe to grind.”
Instantly upset and intimidated, Aspen did her best to control her expression. After all Eddie had put Rexy and her through, he was still being given more consideration. Aspen looked at the woman’s nameplate on her desk and memorized the name.
“The guard told me to report this. He had concerns about Eddie after a very short conversation. Eddie has a long history of prior encounters with the police. I’m going to work. You might google his name before you throw that in the trash, Janice.”
Without another word, Aspen turned and stalked out of the department. After that reaction, she suspected a letter would be placed in her file and that her job would be in jeopardy. Shaking her head, Aspen tried to shrug off the feeling she’d just put a huge target on her back. She headed into the maintenance area and stowed the lunch she’d found already made for her in the fridge that morning. After clocking in, she headed out to do the jobs her supervisor had assigned to her. It was going to be a long day.
By the end of the morning, she had heard nothing negative, so Aspen started to relax. Perhaps she’d misread the receptionist’s actions.
Her radio squawked at her waist and Aspen grabbed it and turned up the volume to listen.
“Aspen, can you hear me?”
“Yes, boss. I’m here. Just finishing the main entrance.”
“All hands on deck at the loading dock. There’s a spill that’s going to take everyone. Come join us.”
Abandoning the last trashcan she needed to empty, Aspen immediately headed for the end of the building that served as a storage and unloading area. When she arrived, she didn’t need to ask questions. Diving in, she started mopping the gooey substance that was spreading over the floor.
The others welcomed her help with nods. They all worked together to contain the spill and get it cleaned up. A few more mops and buckets would have sped up the process.
By the time the space was clean, the icky substance coated Aspen. She plucked the material away from her skin with a grimace.
“We all look like we rolled in this,” her boss groused. “Go change into coveralls, everyone, and dump your clothes in the washer. I’ll shepherd everything through the machines so you can take them home.”
In the women’s locker room, Aspen peeled her shirt over her head, trying to keep from smearing it into her ponytail. It was impossible. Grimacing, she finished undressing and tried to ignore that the gunk had saturated her bra and panties, too. She definitely wasn’t going braless and commando for the rest of the day. Or have her boss see her underwear. Pulling on the baggy coveralls, she breathed a sigh of relief. They weren’t flattering, but felt so much better than her clammy clothing.
Aspen followed her boss’s directions and tossed her shirt and jeans into the large industrial washer. Picking up where she’d left off on the job list she’d been given, Aspen headed back to the main entrance to empty that one trashcan. She found them all stuffed full and hauled all the garbage outside to the dumpster.
The sunlight made her skin prickle. Aspen scratched her arm and quickly hurried back into the building. That one scratch seemed to set off an avalanche of irritation. She must be allergic to whatever had been in that gunk. A shower will feel good tonight.
CHAPTER 17
Bleary-eyed, Aspen pushed herself up to sit on the side of the bed. She’d tossed and turned all night. The incessant itching had made sleep impossible. Even stretching out naked on the soft sheets had felt miserable.
Woof!
“I know. You need to go out,” Aspen told the dog waiting at the door. She grabbed her nightshirt from the spot on the floor where she’d tossed it in the middle of the night.
She couldn’t even walk right. The feel of her own skin rubbing anything was horrendous. Aspen finally made it to the back door. Opening it, she sent Rexy out on his own. “Go quick and come right back.”
Her shoulders twitched and Aspen balled her fingers into a fist, trying to resist the desire to scratch. The nightshirt was making the sensations so much worse. Seeing Rexy squatting to do his business, Aspen closed the door and ripped off the shirt.