Page 55 of Necessary Roughness

The thought that it would be her fault if she told him no (and he told all her coworkers she was the reason why they were going to lose their jobs) flashed through her mind. “Yes. I’ll think about it,” she said.

“That’s a girl. One more thing before everyone else gets here. Don’t tell the other employees. You can consult with a lawyer or whoever, but I don’t want this getting around in case the staff decides to quit. The business won’t be worth as much without them.” He reached across the table and patted her hand. “I hope you’ll make the right decision. Have a great day.”

He was up off the chair and out the door in seconds. He moved surprisingly fast for a guy who was still recovering from a serious knee injury.

She slumped in her chair. Nothing like being handed an impossible situation to get her day off to an excellent start.

***

HER PARENTS LOVED her, she loved them, but she tried to solve her own problems. She hadn’t asked her dad for advice for a long time now. Her mom had told both her and her sisters that their dad wanted them to ask for help. Her sisters had been out of the house and married for years now, but they both bugged him so much she had resolved to ask only when she really needed help.

Right now was a good time to ask. She dialed her mom’s cell phone number.

“Mom, do you and Dad have plans later?”

“How come, sweetie?”

“I am wondering if I could get some advice from Dad. I need his help.”

“He’s been hoping you’d ask,” her mom said. “I’ll have dinner on the table at six thirty. We’ll see you then.”

The rest of her workday was uneventful. It was amazing how the knowledge that her broken heart was a small problem in comparison with the prospect of losing her job helped her focus. Her last client’s appointment was over at five thirty PM, and she went into the staff locker room to grab her things and go to her parents’ house.

Britt was sitting on the bench in front of her locker.

“Weren’t you out of here half an hour ago?” Jordan said.

“I was going to leave, but I wanted to wait for you,” Britt said. She glanced around. “Marco told me not to tell anyone. You’ve always been really nice to me, and I will miss you.”

“What happened?”

“I got another job offer about a week ago. I told Marco earlier that I was giving my two weeks’ notice, and he told me to leave today.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I wanted to say good-bye, though.” Britt reached out to hug Jordan. “I hope things go great for you.”

“I hope you’ll love your new job. Maybe we could have a drink soon.”

“That would be awesome,” Britt said.

They made their way to the employee parking lot. Jordan watched the taillights of Britt’s car as it drove away. She’d better move it; she didn’t want to be late for dinner. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to buy Marco’s clinic, but one thing she would love to offer the people she worked with if she could: the opportunity to work for someone they liked and trusted. It was worth a try.

***

WHEN JORDAN WAS growing up, family dinners were noisy and chaotic. In a good way, of course. The pea-throwing and general mayhem of dinnertime gave way to almost socially correct behavior when her sisters started bringing guys home to eat with the family. By the time Jordan moved out of the house, dinner with her parents was calm and quiet unless the grandkids were visiting.

Her parents had money now, but when she was a kid, they took their daughters camping and to the fair instead of expensive vacations. Her father had risen through the ranks at his job over the years. Now James Mueller II was a partner in an internationally prominent law firm whose main offices were in Seattle. Hopefully, he could point her toward someone who could give her some advice right away.

Jordan got up from her chair after she and her parents finished eating. “Mom, Dad, I’ll take these in the kitchen. Should I make some coffee for you?”

“I’ll get it. It’s already done. Plus, there’s a special surprise tonight,” her mom, Kerri, said. “I picked up an apple pie.”

Both parents beamed at her.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“It’ll give us a chance to visit a little before you have to go to bed.”

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