Page 2 of Cursed Fox

Wes chuckled. "Probably very, but I'll smooth the way for you. Nancy won't stay mad for long. She's a single mother of two kids and she would do anything for them. As soon as I remind her of that, she's going to be fine with this."

I would take his word for it. Women were a foreign species to me. Other than sex, I didn't know a damn thing about them, and I preferred it that way. Anything more than sex meant talking and getting to know someone. I didn't want anyone to know me. I didn't want them to learn how fucked up I was. It was better if I just kept to the physical shit.

"I'll be there in twenty. It better be enough time."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure of it."

Neither of us said goodbye. Greetings were a waste of time, and we both knew that.

Grabbing the keys to my Jeep off the small table, I headed out of Easton's apartment without a single glance back. Thisplace wasn't mine. It was just somewhere to lay my head at night. It certainly wasn't home. No place ever felt like home, and I wouldn't miss it when I was gone.

CHAPTER TWO

Nancy

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I was mad enough that there was a real chance I could kill my boss right here in my office. "I told you I didn't want anyone's help but yours. I especially don't want anyone fromyou know where."

I couldn't bring myself to say the name. Which was ridiculous considering it was just a town name, but to me it was like Beetlejuice. Say it three times and voila, it was back in my life. In my case though, I didn't even have to say anything—Wes already did the summoning.

"Lex isn't from Willow Creek and he's barely been there for a few months. He also doesn't talk much, so it's not like he's going to annoy you. To be honest, the man is perfect for this situation. He'll get the job done with minimal contribution on your part."

I scoffed at his explanation. "I'm not worried about being annoyed with the man. I work for you after all. If I haven't killed you yet, there's hope for the rest of mankind."

And there were some days I asked myself how I managed to come in day after day and not kill the man in front of me.He infuriated me like no other. But then I remembered my kids wouldn't have all they did if it weren't for Wes and the opportunity he gave me.

When I moved to Divot, I was a single mother with no job and a huge gap in my résumé. Most employers took one look at the thing and wrote me off, but not Wes. He gave me the chance to prove I could make something of my life and provide my kids with a stable home.

"I want you to know I take that as a compliment." Wes's words pulled me out of my musings.

I smiled, because of course he did. That was the kind of relationship we had. Wes wasn't just my employer, he was my friend, and some days I felt more like his boss than he did mine. While unconventional, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"Besides, you know if I didn't have everything going on with Jennie, I would gladly help you. But I can't commit that kind of time. Not right now."

I thought about my boss's wife and instantly felt guilty. She was going through so much. Battling stage two breast cancer wasn't easy, and Jennie deserved to have her husband by her side at all times.

I deflated. "I'm sorry. I never should've brought it up."

I didn't know what to do, though. Jimmy wasn't taking the threats seriously even though his manager advised him he should. It didn't matter how old my son got, he would always be my baby and I wanted to protect him. Even if he was being stubborn about his own safety.

"Yes, you should've, and I'm glad you did. Now, I respected your wish not to tell my teams, but I couldn't do the same for Mav’s guys. You need help and this is the best solution."

I hated when he was the practical one of the conversation. It rarely happened. No one would ever consider Westley James a rational man, so this was a “hell freezing over” kind of situation.

Mentally, I sighed. "And you're sure this Lex guy is the right one for the job? You're not just saying that to schmooze me over? Because if so, I will have Missy deny him access. I don't have time to add another pain in my ass to my life. The several I deal with here are enough for two lifetimes."

Wes barked out a laugh and it made me smile. No one in the office had heard that sound in quite some time. I’d almost forgotten how serious he was before he met Jennie.

"And we both know Missy would listen to you over me. How anyone thinks I run this place is beyond me. We all know who the real boss is here."

It was my turn to smile. This was the reason I stayed, despite the headaches I got more often than not when I had to fix mistakes my boss made. Wes valued me as an asset and treated me as such. Not many places did that.

"Stop trying to butter me up." I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to take Lex's help. No need to keep laying on the charm."

My response was more for him than it was for me. As crazy as Wes drove me, I missed having him around. The last few months he’d spent more time with his wife and daughter than he did in the office. Something the old version of him would never have done. Work used to come first before anything else. I was glad to see that had changed.

"Good, because he’ll be here soon."

I looked up to the ceiling and willed myself some patience. Only Wes could go from having me happy to making me want to strangle him within the same breath.

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