Page 23 of Surprise! I'm Engaged To My Boss
"Oh, sweetheart, ashamed of what? The one who should be ashamed is that bastard who did this to you."
“It's just that... you were so proud of me...”
“And I remain just as proud, nothing will ever be able to change that, my dear. So, is that why you resigned?”
It was part of the reason, wasn't it? So, it wouldn't be a lie after all.
“Yes, grandma. Mr. Turner still tried to calm down the situation, but... I ended up arguing with him. I couldn't stay there any longer.”
Especially after I had flipped him off and told him to go fuck himself. It was the kind of thing I didn't usually do; I'd always been too proper for that. But I had gotten so angry.
“Did you argue with the owner of the company? I thought he was unapproachable.”
“He is, a little. But... the important thing is that now I need a new job.”
“You'll manage, my dear. And don't worry, we have our own bookstore, so for better or worse it'll cover the household bills.”
For worse, if we were being honest. The place was on the verge of bankruptcy.
A little over a year ago, my grandmother had an accident and broke her leg. And I, after moving out of her house to go to college, had to come back to take care of her. It was during this return — which was supposed to be temporary — that I realized just how difficult her situation had become, especially because the bookstore’s sales were dropping more and more each day.
And that's why I ended up staying for good, since it was my salary that kept the household bills up to date.
But I wasn't going to get into that. The idea of closing the bookstore was completely inconceivable to my grandmother.
She said goodbye and left. I then decided it was time to get up. I really couldn't stay there and mope for the rest of my life.
I brushed my teeth, took a shower and went back to my room, sitting at my desk and opening my laptop. I really needed to update my resume so I could start looking for something.
In fact, I didn't really know how to start. I had been working at the same place since I graduated, and I confess that, because it was such an important office, I ended up settling there, believing that I could grow there and stay there for many years.
Sweet illusion...
I was about to start typing when my phone rang. It was a video call from Evelyn. I answered.
She was a Spanish teacher, and, at that time, she should already be at one of the schools where she worked. I confirmed this when I saw her apparently in the teachers' lounge.
“I was waiting for you to call me, but it took so long that I'm doing it myself,” she said.
“Sorry, girl. Yesterday was a... complicated day.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard. I talked to Ms. Jenna last night and she let it slip that you quit. Even she didn't believe me when I said I didn't know yet. I find it uncomfortable that my best friend didn't update me on something so important.”
I sighed, tired. Evelyn's argument made sense, since we always told each other everything. But at that moment, I really just wanted to be alone for a while.
“I was going to text you in a little while,” I explained. “But now you know, right? That's it, I resigned.”
“For the love of God, Cami, what happened? Did Turner blackmail you or threaten you? Did he harass you? Did he expose you?”
“None of those things. What he did to me was a proposal. Without any sexual overtones, let's be clear.”
“Like ‘hush money’ so you wouldn't tell anyone you had sex with him?”
That sentence still gave me a feeling of unease.
“Should you use this word in your workplace?”
“I'm alone at the moment. And I teach high school, my friend. My students know what it's like to have sex much better than I do. I miss that phase of my life.”
