Page 9 of Falling for My Best Friend's Dad
His lecherous gaze makes me uncomfortable. I regret coming here with him. I should leave. Now.
But I don’t move. It’s too late. I have to sit through and find out what he has in mind.
“So, why did Jenny quit?” I ask to break the awkward silence.
He pauses for a moment. “She didn’t. I fired her.”
My eyes widen although I’m not that surprised. “What? Why?”
He shrugs. “She’s a pain in the ass.”
That’s unexpected. What does it mean? I thought it was due to her lack of competence at work.
Seeing my puzzled look, Jason volunteers the information. “She can’t type an email without a typo. And she has the nerve to demand a raise.”
His contempt for Jenny surprises me again. “Why did you promo her?” Words fly out of my mouth before I realize how stupid I sound.
Jason’s eyes twinkle, and he smirks. “C’mon. You’re a smart gal. Don’t tell me you don’t know the reason.”
Oh, no. No. No. He’s just confirmed my suspicion. I knew Jason was a flirt, but I resisted the possibility that he made out with his employee in his office.
I feel sorry for Jenny. Did he get tired of her and simply cast her away like an old coat? I fight back the nauseous wave in my stomach.
My disgust must be clearly written on my face, because Jason says quickly. “Don’t get me wrong, Kayla. I don’t expect you to be my… to do what Jenny did. I give you a chance because you’re a smart girl, and you know what you’re doing. I’m not a dump ass. I can tell you do a better job than most of the women in the office.”
I’m slightly flattered and I let out of sigh of relief. “Thank you,” I say. Although I’m not sure how sincere he is and I’m not sure that’s true.
“Your pay will be double,” he announces, fixing his eyes on me. “So what do you say?”
I’m tempted to say yes, but something holds me back. This sounds too good to be true. “I…err, need to think about it.” I mumble.
He presses his lips together, looking pissed. “Sure, but don’t take too long because I do have a couple other candidates.”
“I know. Thanks for asking me first,” I say. “It’s just too sudden.”
“Do you have a better choice?” he asks. “You’re not thinking about changing jobs, are you?”
“No! I’m not,” I say quickly, too quickly, which makes me sound insincere.
Thankfully Jason’s sandwich arrives, distracting his attention from me. “Excuse me. I need to get ready to leave. I’m going to the restroom,” I say as I stand up.
As soon as I turn, my eyes find a pair of intense blue beams across the room.
Richard! He’s sitting a few tables away from me, with a redheaded woman next to him. Shit. My jaw falls as I recognize her. Penny with a new hair color and a lot of makeup.
My stomach plunges. This is clearly not a business meeting. Both are dressed formally. Penny is wrapped in an elegant cocktail dress, exposing her bare shoulders. Richard wears a navy blue dress shirt—no tie, but incredibly handsome!
He smiles at me the moment our eyes meet. He must’ve seen me coming in the bar, because he sits facing the entrance. Penny turns to look and frowns a little.
I stumble into the restroom, quickly fix my makeup, and come out. I avoid looking at Richard and Penny’s table.
Jason swallows a bite as he glances at his watch. “It’s five. You’ve got to go, right?”
“Yeah,” I say. I only drank about a quarter of my beer, but I don’t want another drop of it.
“Okay. I expect an answer tomorrow,” he says.
I pause for a second. “I’m gonna take the offer.”
