Page 83 of Dark Endures

The drive with Canyon was quick and friendly. We talked about nothing, which was the mental break I needed after Adonis. My afternoon with the snakes will give me even more time to decompress.

There’s a man inside cleaning the cages when I arrive.

Have I been replaced? Is that why Maddox didn’t want me working yesterday? Pull the bandage off. “Hello.”

“Oh, hey.” He pulls out some ear pods. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. I’m Pit. Your new boss.”

Excuse me. What did he just say?

“Let me give you my number. If there’s anything at all that you need, feel free to reach out anytime at all. All work-related issues you will contact me for, including vacation, sick time, days off, etc.”

Is this Maddox’s way to avoid me because I attacked him yesterday?

“You’re entitled to eight weeks of vacation per year, and unlimited paid sick time. I’m also cutting your hours to a max of twenty.

Twenty hours. “Was there something wrong with my work?”

Pit shakes his head. ‘Nothing at all. With that comes a raise so that you won’t be losing any money.”

What?

“We also offer benefits including 401k matching, medical, dental, and vision—It’s some of the best coverage you’ll find anywhere—Have you been informed that we have a housing allowance as well? If you rent an apartment on Willow Street, your rent is a quarter of the list price.”

A quarter?

“I can have an agent meet with you today if you want to get right on that. And because you’re an employee, you don’t need to worry about first, last, and security. You can move right in today.”

No security deposit?

My head can’t process everything Pit is saying.

But he requires a response since he’s now staring at me silently.

What am I supposed to say?

“I’ll let you think about it. If you need anything, feel free to contact me. Or I’m usually down at the pet store.” He steps away from the cage. “Hot Dog is soaking in that bucket. I’ll leave you to it.”

To what? Work for an exorbitant amount of money, plus all these perks.

Why the sudden change?

Because of yesterday? Maddox saw where I lived.

This is all pity!

He pities me.

This rich, gorgeous man thinks my life is pathetic, and he needs to fix it.

I don’t know whether to cry or rage at him for being a jerk.

Peters women never shed a tear over a man’s actions.

At least not a man they aren’t married to.

They drink away their pain…I can’t do that. So, there’s only one stupid option.

First, I need to take care of Hot Dog in case Maddox fires me. There’s no way he should be forgotten in a soaking tub because I told an infuriating man off.

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