Page 38 of Chasing Storm
I frown. “What is it?”
She shrugs. “How should I know?”
With a shaking hand, I open it, half expecting to see my P45 inside, which tells me I’m fired.
Instead of the earnings tax form, I see a cheque. Pulling it out, with Cheryl practically breathing down my neck, my frown deepens when I see it is issued from England’s premier bank, where only the elite can afford to keep their money. Dropping my gaze to the bottom, I see a fancy signature. Taking in the amount for twenty pounds, I turn it over and glare at the pink post-it note stuck to the back.
For your dry cleaning
JP
The initials are large, with a little heart in the P adorning a smiley face.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I growl.
“Oooh,” Cheryl says. “He’s paying for your dry cleaning.”
I throw the cheque down and shove it over to the back of the desk. “He can fuck off, the fucking wank…head!”
“Huh?” Cheryl asks. “Wank is a verb; I don’t…I don’t get it.”
“You don’t have to get it,Cheryl;it’s a fucking insult.” I am steaming mad. I’mconvincedthere is steam coming out of my ears. “Sorry,” I mutter. “I’m being a proper bitch today.”
“No apology necessary to me,” she says with another snort behind her hand. “JP has really gotten under your skin.”
“They all have, and not in a good way,” I complain. “I know I’m being awful, but they’re coming at me and turning my head all around. They’re supposed to be the bad guys. The ones I can turn away from and not look back. Why have they changed the rules?”
“Maybe they haven’t, hun. Maybe you have?”
She glides back over to her desk and gets to work, leaving me to contemplate what she said. I don’t think I have changed the rules, but something has definitely changed. I think I’m being so against them because there is no future with them. They will get what they want and then leave me. I can’t let them in when I know I want more in my future, and I want itnow. I’m ready to share my heart with my soulmate, but I know it can’t be them.Them.Since when did we start talking about multiple men? They are delusional and it’s not helping their case if they plan to pass me around as some kind of party favour.
With a heavy sigh, I get on with my work in the hopes that I still have a job once Angela finds out about my outburst.
24
STORM
As the end of the day rolls around, I lift my head up from my desk, not happy that Angela didn’t collar me about the incident yet. I worked all through lunch in case the guys were lurking, hoping it would give Angela the opportunity to call me out about my behaviour.
She didn’t, and now I’m left hanging on by a thread overnight to see what happens tomorrow. If I weren’t a nervous ball of anxiety, I would go and confront her, but that just isn’t me. I’d rather stew in my own unease than face down the inevitable sacking that is headed my way.
“Cheryl,” I murmur when we reach the door.
Thankfully, Sadie has already fucked off with her face like a bag of spanners after this morning.
“What’s up?”
“Will you check for me? Outside?”
“Check for what? To see if Sadie’s hubby is waiting for you?”
Her seriousness sends a bolt of panic racing through my blood. “Err,no!” I say, horrified. “But also,yes,now that you fucking mention it! I meant JP, Thatcher and Josh.”
She giggles. “Give me a sec.”
She disappears through the door, and I watch, wringing my hands. When she gives me the thumbs up, I breathe out in relief and head out myself, keeping a close eye out in case she was being a bitch and fooled me.
Luckily for both of us, she didn’t.
