Page 25 of Rejected Bullied Mate

"I can't go home early," I said, shaking my head. "It'll make Samson think he won."

"He doesn't even know that you left Crescent Moon?”

"He doesn't know because I didn't tell him.”

Gwen sighed. "You're both idiots."

"I'm not an idiot," I grumbled, wiping down the counter angrily.

"Yeah, Kiera, you kind of are." She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me around to the back side of the counter. "Listen, I get why you're angry with Samson, I do. And I'm not saying that what he did was right. But you're acting like an idiot about this."

"What else am I supposed to do?" I asked her, exasperated. "If I go home early, then he wins, and I don't want him to think he has that sort of control over me.”

Gwen sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "Okay, I get it. This argument is going nowhere. Look, I know one of the pack kids got an internship out of state, and she just quit Emerald Blooms right down the street, which means there's an opening."

I paused, interested. "The garden shop?"

"Yes, the garden shop. They're hiring right now."

"How do you know about this?”

“I have my sources,” Gwen lowered her voice conspiratorily, “But Kiera—"

Just then, the door above the shop door rang, and I could immediately sense that it was Scott. I ducked behind the counter, not wanting to talk with him, especially if Gwen could tell my heat was on the horizon. "I'm leaving out the back door," I hissed up at her, "Distract him, please."

Gwen looked like she'd been thrown through a loop. "I will, but Kiera, about the garden shop—"

"Thanks. I owe you one." I didn't wait for her to finish, scurrying through the back door and into the kitchen. I felt bad for leaving Gwen to deal with Scott, but he would force me to speak to him if he caught me leaving.

I made my way out of the shop's back door and onto the street, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. There wasn't much foot traffic this time of day, so it was easy to get around without being noticed, especially with the way my mind was spinning.

I just wanted to go home and curl up in bed until my heat went away. But Samson would want to talk to me, and I wasn't ready for that either. He'd ask me why I'd quit, and I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of telling him he was right.

Even if he had been.

I sighed in relief once I was out of sight of the coffee shop, taking off my apron and folding it under my arm. I still had a few days until my heat was in full swing, and now that I was away from the stress of Crescent Moon, I felt a lot more in control.

Emerald Blooms, huh? I had figured I'd have to hunt for another part-time job that would work around Kit's school schedule, but if there was only one opening there, I'd better strike while the iron was hot. It was only one street over, less than a ten-minute walk, so I decided to try my luck.

A little bell rang over the door when I walked into the shop. An older woman at the counter looked up and smiled. "Welcome to Emerald Blooms! Can I help you find something?"

"Oh, no, thank you," I said, trying to be polite, "I actually heard from someone at the coffee shop down the street that you were hiring, and I wanted to see if I could apply."

The shop was adorable. It smelled of freshly tilled soil and humidity, and it felt like a miniature green oasis right in the middle of downtown Crystal Creek. Plants and flowers lined the shelves and counters, and the walls were painted a warm, inviting turquoise. The woman behind the counter wore a long dress and loosely braided hair, giving off hippie vibes.

"Oh, that's great," she said, "My name is Debbie, and I'm the manager of the shop. I'm sure I could use the help.”

"Kiera Langley," I said, holding out my hand. She took it and shook it, her grip warm and firm. "Thank you for being so kind. Is there a form I need to fill out?"

She laughed. "No, not unless you're looking for a permanent position. We'll just get to know each other for a bit, and then I can see about getting you a part-time schedule, if that works for you."

"That would be perfect," I said, "I have a son, so I don't have a lot of spare time."

"That's alright. We aren't open late anyway. Say, why don't you come in tomorrow when the owner is here after you fill out that application, and if he's satisfied with it, you can start right then?"

"Wow, really? That sounds amazing." I was overjoyed. Maybe quitting my job at Crescent Moon wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Just so you know, Mr. Longwood is a bit of a flirt, but he's harmless," she said slyly.

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