Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Her smile is pure warmth, but then it falters.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
She stands quickly. “Oh, crap.”
“What?” I ask.
“I left my USB storage device at work. It’s got important material on it. Oh, crap, crap.”
I normally laugh when Mom gets herself into a state like this. Not in a mean way, but it reminds me how young she is, thirty-seven, but with soft features that make her appear even younger. When she gets anxious, muttering crap, it’s almost like she’s my sister.
She’s not freaking over leaving a lasagna too long in the oven or forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning. She’s already walking toward her bedroom. Her exhaustion is clear in her movements, the way she drags her limbs as though she’s ready to collapse any second.
“Where are you going?”
She pauses. “Where do you think? I have to get the drive. If somebody arrives tomorrow and sees I’ve left it on my desk… I need this job. We need this job.”
I glance at the clock. It’s nine thirty p.m. “Mom, you’ve got work again soon. You should be sleeping.”
She scoffs. “I won’t be able to sleep if—”
“I’ll go,” I say suddenly. “Give me your pass.”
She turns, facing me fully. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”
“Not even a little. I love driving ever since I passed my test. It’s awesome. It’s practice.”
Even if I hated driving, I’d say whatever was necessary to convince Mom to let me do this. She deserves a rest after working so many hours.
Jacob’s company is in the middle of a merger with an online-based distribution platform, resulting in heated meetings, shouting, and long hours for all Jacob’s employees… including Mom. She’ll be gone early tomorrow, long before I wake up to leave for the restaurant.
“And you need your sleep,” I tell her.
“What if somebody sees you?” Mom mutters.
“Is it really a big deal? I’ll head in, get the drive, and leave. You told me Kelly’s son came in last week to collect some work stuff for her, didn’t you?”
I remember because she mentioned him as a way of hinting at my dating life. She’s always probing, convinced I must have some interest in somebody. She’d freak if she learned I only have an interest in one man.
“Only if you’re sure…”
“It’ll be fine,” I tell her.
She gives me her keycard and explains where her desk is. It’s on the top floor outside the main conference room in the “pen” as she and the other assistants call it.
“I won’t be long,” I say after I’ve pulled on my sneakers and my jacket. “Get some sleep, please. You deserve it.”
“Okay, but if you talk to anybody, say I forgot my phone or something. Don’t mention the memory drive.”
I wasn’t lying about driving. Following the GPS, I savor the short journey to Mom’s office.
The lobby of the building is dark, but the marble floor gleams under the softly lit lamps. At the desk, the security guard is listening to music. He lifts one earphone as I approach.
“Hi, my mom forgot her phone. Her name’s Veronica Lewis. She works on the top floor as one of Mr. Jennings’s assistants.”
The man is older, with lines on his face deepening as he frowns.
“I’ll be in and out in five minutes,” I tell him.
“If this is a trick, Miss Lewis will lose her job.”
“I’m her daughter,” I tell him. “That’s the last thing I want.”
He sighs. “The security footage has captured you, so let me see your ID.”
I take out my driver’s license with a flare of pride, the same one I feel every time I need to show it. “I promise. Five minutes.”
He writes down my details, then gestures for the turnstile doors.
I hurry through the building, to the elevators, imagining myself working for a large company like this. When the doors open, I rush across the open-plan room to Mom’s desk, the one closest to the door. The memory drive is still plugged into her computer. It’s an easy mistake to make. I take it out and pocket it quickly.
Then footsteps pound down the hall so loud and confident they seem to shake the walls. I turn and walk fast, but then a door off to the side opens violently.
It’s Jacob, ducking his head as he walks beneath the doorframe. He’s wearing a T-shirt and casual jeans, his silver hair messy as if somebody has run their hands through it. Okay, I’m imagining it’s me who did just that.
“What are you doing here?” he says.
I realize what Mom means. His voice is cold. He sounds pissed. I have to play this right. I can’t risk Mom’s job.
CHAPTER TWO
Jacob
I just left a video call with Trent Saunders, the CEO of the company we’re merging with. It was heated, as many have been since this deal started. Trent doesn’t seem to understand the importance of the truth. Trent thinks that marketing and turnover are more important than journalistic integrity. It’s creating problems.