Page 206 of The Vacation Mix-Up
“Your eyes, Riley. Are you high? Because we have a zero tolerance?—”
“No!” I shriek, offended. “I’m nothigh. I’ve never been high. I was mugged at gunpoint last night, if you must know.”
She jerks back a little at my tone, then leans into the leather of her seat and smirks, imperiously tapping the end of her pen on the desktop. “I like you, Riley. But be careful. You’re replaceable.”
Clenching my fist by my side, I nod.
“Redo that report you emailed me yesterday. It lacked conviction.”
What? That’s a crock of shit!
Turning on my heels, I storm toward the door but stop dead in my tracks when she adds, “And where are my cookies?”
A rush of heat surges the length of my spine, my eyes closing momentarily, Mom’s letter blaring like a beacon at the forefront of my mind.
“Stop working for that soul-sucking witch. Go out on your own and live your dream.”
God, I desperately want to, but can I really just leave my old life behind and start a new one… with Riley? Am I brave enough? Strong enough? Do I have what it takes to stand on my own two feet in this industry?
“My little warrior. Take a leap, darling.”
Slowly turning back around, I stab my finger at her. “They’re notyourcookies, Georgia. They’remine.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me.Mine.I bake them, every week.” Closing the distance to her desk, I set my palms on the edge and lean forward. “And I’m done. I’m done being your slave. Done putting up with your shit. Done kissing your overbearing, authoritarian ass. Find someone else to kiss it for you.”
“Riley—”
“No! You don’t get to speak right now. I am. I’ve given you everything, and I’m not giving you any more. You’re not worthy of me, and you never have been. I’ve wasted so much of my life on you, and it’s taken the death of my mother, and a man who’s known me for a fraction of the time you have, for me to realize that.” I push off from the desk and poke out my breasts of steel. “I quit. I quit you, your tyranny, and your goddammed golden turmeric piss in a cup.”
She blinks, her jaw dropping, before she leisurely closes it, and… smiles. The first genuine smile I’ve ever seen on her icy face. “Finally. Goodbye, Riley. And good luck.”
What the peanut butter?
She reaches into her Birkin, and I flinch, thinking she too might pull a gun on me. Instead, she retrieves three hundred-dollar bills, and holds them out to me. “For the train,” she states, “and until you get your ID and bankcards back.”
I recoil, shocked, but then take them from her because the sharp look in her eyes is scary.
Staring at the cash, I nod… and nod again. Speechless. And then I turn on my heel, pick up my speed, and exit her office for the final time, my colleagues avoiding eye contact and bustling about as if they haven’t just eavesdropped on our entire exchange.
“She’s all yours, Tessa,” I announce as I open the drawer, grab the Memorize This if You Want to Live Bible, and toss it to her. “I really do hope you love your cage. But if you don’t, and you can find the key, call me. I have a small press to get up and running.”
Winking, I press my fingertips to my lips, kiss them, and then hold them above my head, waving as I march to freedom.
chapter thirty
RILEY
“Stupid piece of shit!” I shout, tossing my scraper across my workbench.
“Language!” Roni shouts back from the store.
I grumble, annoyed at my lapses of concentration, which are causing me to repair my repairs. Ever since Riles was too tired to call last night after she got home at ridiculous o’clock, my mind has continued to wander to dark places: someone hassling her on the subway, Georgia treating her like a slave… her not eating because she’s been too busy or exhausted to do so. Krystal calling me first thing this morning with the news she’s stopping by to collect the divorce papers isn’t helping my foul mood either.
I press my palms down on my workbench and hang my head.
“It’s not the chair’s fault, you know,” Roni says, pushing off from the doorframe before taking the few steps down into the workshop. “What’s wrong? Why are you being a pain in my backside today?”
