Page 87 of Hooked
“Nah, you’re cool.” She nodded to a blank workspace. “Just move the computer there. Cash won’t be in until after lunch today, and he actually cleaned his shit up.”
“Perfect.” She moved her stuff from the back desk to the currently empty station. There was plenty of room to spread out. “Spider, how’s Daisy?”
“She’s good. Busy. She told me your second interview in that shithole city went well.”
“Yeah, it did. Can you stop calling San Francisco a shithole?”
“I will if you agree to stay in Metlin.”
“Fine. Keep calling it a shithole. I don’t care.”
“You leaving us after all?” Ginger sat down and pulled on her gloves. “Damn, Tayla. I’m gonna have to get another bookkeeper?”
“And I’m gonna have to find somebody else for trivia night,” Spider grumbled. “Ethan doesn’t know history for shit.”
“Nothing’s for sure,” Tayla said. “Yet. They haven’t offered the job to me.”
“But they invited her to a company barbecue,” Spider said. “So they’re going to.”
Ginger pursed her lips as she filled small plastic cups with ink. “That sucks. I mean for us. I’m sure Tayla’s thrilled to get out of here.”
“I’m notthrilled,” Tayla protested. “I like Metlin. I’m not dying to leave or anything.”
In fact, more and more she had to admit that Emmie and Ox had a point. She didn’t have many friends left in San Francisco. Most of her social life had moved away. Other than Tobin, and he hadn’t even returned her text when she was in the city the week before.
Asshole.
Why was she moving away from Metlin again?
“She likes Metlin a little.” Spider spoke from the chair as Ginger cleaned his arm and inspected the outline. “She likes Jeremy a lot.”
Ginger’s needle began to buzz. “Jeremy Allen is hot as shit. I was tempted to hit that, but he’s too damn sweet. I would ruin that man.”
Tayla felt an unexpected stab of jealousy. After she left, maybe Ginger would “hit that.” The flare of anger surprised her.
“Relax.” Ginger smiled. “I don’t poach men. Especially not from people I like.”
“Especially from people who could mess your financial shit up,” Spider said. “Tayla holds thepower.”
“Shut up, Spider.” She opened Ginger’s computer and started to examine the happy rows of numbers. “I would never be unprofessional with someone’s private financial information.”
Ginger cackled and put the needle to Spider’s skin.
Tayla liked numbers. They didn’t argue. There was no grey area. Numbers added up or they didn’t. Accounts were reconciled or they weren’t. Nothing was subjective.
“So if you like Jeremy so much, why are you leaving?” Ginger asked.
“This job isn’t just a job. It really is my dream job.”
“Doesn’t sound like your dream job,” Ginger muttered. “Not when you’re having to leave a place you like.”
“Good point,” Spider chimed in.
“Itismy dream job,” Tayla said. “Every opportunity means sacrifice.”
Ginger snorted. “Who told you that shit?”
Her father. She’d heard it so many times she didn’t even question it. “I just mean… the world isn’t going to lay everything out on a silver platter, is it? You have to take opportunities where you can find them. There’s never going to be a truly perfect job. You have to sacrifice to get what you want.”
