Page 20 of Bling

Uncle Henry startled awake when she opened the driver’s side door of her small Toyota.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

The old man rubbed sleep out of his eyes. “No worries, Izzy.”

“What did Mr. Oliver want to offer you?” he asked as she pulled out of the parking lot.

“I’m going to be his executive regional assistant.”

Her uncle scowled and lifted his eyes heavenward. “So, his secretary. I’m sure fetching Mr. Oliver’s coffee is such an improvement for you.”

She didn’t blame him for being skeptical. Squeezing his shoulder, she said, “It’s not like that, Uncle Henry. I’m going to be his voice when he isn’t there. He want’s someone who’s worked there for a while and can speak up for the other employees instead of just making blind decisions.”

Was she really defending him right now? She shook her head. “I know you don’t trust him or anyone else with his money, but he’s paying us well and our family needs it right now.”

Henry grunted. “He wants me to continue my role as floor supervisor but expand my duties a bit. Gave me a nice raise too.”

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. How was Garrett able to give her and her uncle so much more money than they were previously making if the layoffs were due to financial trouble? It was a question worth asking tomorrow when she arrived.

Tonight, though, she had her first shift at the hotel. As excited as she was to work with Garrett, she was equally excited to spend time at a job that was directly related to what she wanted to do for a living.