Page 16 of Sugar Coated Lies
“She must have told me.”
“She’s been working there for that long? No wonder she looked like shit,” I add, for his benefit. “No offense, but she wasn’t anything like how you described her.”
“None taken. Listen, I gotta go. I have shit to do, like book a hotel room before my date tonight.”
“Wise move.”
He laughs. “Dick.”
“Talk to you later.”
I end the call, hating this mess I’m in and how I created it myself. I could always decline her call and be done with her. It was an informal offer. A mistake. She didn’t sign any papers. I’m not obligated to give her a job.
My phone rings, the number unknown.Don’t answer, my gut warns.
“Hello?”
“Hi, um, I’m calling for Daire Livingston,” a sweet voice says.
“This is him.”
“Oh. I thought this was your office number. I didn’t expect—”
“Who’s this?” I interrupt.
“Uh, Everleigh. Everleigh Reed. You offered me a job today. I was calling to tell you I quit the diner and my boss kicked me out, no two weeks necessary, so I’m ready to startimmediately, like you said I could.”
Well, hell. I guess that’s settled. Everleigh Reed will be working for the farm after all. And now I know her name. It’s sweet. Nothing like the evil vixen Benedict makes her out to be.
“Please tell me the job is still available,” she says in a panicked voice.
“Of course. Yes, it’s available. The address to the farm is on my card. I’ll be there tomorrow. Can you meet around eight in the morning to fill out paperwork?”
No response.
Did the call drop? Nope. My car screen shows we’re still connected. “Everleigh?” I like the way her name rolls off my tongue. “Are you there?”
“I am. Sorry. It’s just that I have a presentation due in class tomorrow at eight. It shouldn’t take longer than twenty minutes. I can make it to the farm by nine-thirty at the latest. Would that be okay?”
The tension in her voice reaches me through the phone. “Yeah. Sure. What class are you taking?”
“It’s a required course toward my degree in business administration and hospitality.”
To say I’m surprised would be an understatement. “Impressive. What do you hope to do with your degree?”
A nervous giggle spills from the car’s speakers. “My degree is pretty far off, but one day, if luck allows it, my dream is to own a small café. Coffee, pastries, pies.”
“Really?” Everleigh does impress.
“It’s a dream, just a dream.”
“Dreams can be the start of getting exactly what you want.”
“That’s an inspiring statement. Are you following your dream?”
Her question catches me off guard, and my brain blanks on how to respond.
“You don’t have to answer that. I didn’t mean to pry.”
