Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 92782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Unless there was another reason she was sick and didn’t want her sister to find out …
Fuck.
8
Liberty
The lunch crowd had cleared early, and that meant Shawn and I could take turns having a lunch hour. Monday nights weren’t normally busy, but you never knew what could happen. If I was released to go home early, then I’d have to suck it up and get another motel room for the night. I needed to find somewhere a little cheaper though. Seventy-nine dollars a night wasn’t awful, but it was more than I needed to spend. If I could find something for around sixty dollars, then spending a few dollars on some food wouldn’t cut into my savings too bad.
“Liberty,” Virginia called, and I turned to see her standing at the other end of the bar.
“Yes, ma’am?” I asked, hoping she wasn’t already sending me home. I needed today’s tips to cover tonight’s motel cost.
“I need to speak with you in the office,” she replied in a clipped tone, then turned to head back in that direction.
I glanced nervously at Shawn, who was watching me.
“Don’t look like that,” he said. “You’re the best employee they have. She’s probably going to give you a raise or some shit.”
Virginia had never liked me. She sent me home every chance she got, and if she did the schedule, I was barely on it. That didn’t really matter though because the others she scheduled more all ended up asking me if I wanted their shifts because they didn’t want to work so much.
I had done my best to win her over for the longest time, but eventually, I just let it go. I did my job and ignored her disdain for me.
“You know she’s not my biggest fan,” I said under my breath.
He grinned. “No, but Tom is.”
I shook my head and sighed before leaving the bar to go follow her back to the office she and her husband shared. If she had some reason to fire me, I was truly screwed. With no job, nowhere to live, no vehicle, and pregnant, I was going to be in trouble. Possibly homeless by next month.
The door was open, and Virginia was sitting on the edge of her desk, facing me, when I walked inside the room.
“Close the door,” she told me.
Dread pooled in my stomach as I closed it behind me. Taking a deep breath, I turned to look at her. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her expression was tight, making the wrinkles in her cheeks more severe.
“Have a seat,” she said.
Every step I took felt heavy as I made my way to the faded blue sofa that sat across from her. Slowly, I lowered myself to sit, then stared up at her, waiting for whatever it was she had brought me in here for.
She stood up and let her hands fall to her sides. Lifting her chin a little higher, she cut her eyes toward me. “You’re a dependable employee,” she began. “I’ll admit, in the beginning, I was sure you would take advantage of my husband’s easygoing nature, but you never have, like many in the past did. I appreciate that. You work more hours than any other employee we have. Again, that is an asset most places of business do not have.”
She sighed heavily then, and the tiny bit of hope I’d suddenly gotten was dashed.
“I was even willing to overlook the fact that you are clearly pregnant.” She paused and looked at me pointedly, as if daring me to deny it. When I said nothing, she nodded once. “I’m right then. The bigger boobs, weight loss, looking pale after long shifts, getting sick out by the bushes before you come in to work. I know the signs.”
A cold sweat broke out on my skin. I didn’t know where she was going with this. She’d said she’d been willing to overlook it, but I was in her office for a reason.
“Today, a man walked into our pub, asking about you. Now that wouldn’t be an issue because, well, look at you. Many customers want to know when you’ll be working, where you are if you’re not here, but this man was different. You don’t run a place like this one in town and not know who to steer clear of. You recognize the kind you want as regulars and the kind that can cause problems. Liam Walsh is the president of The Judgment MC. Normally, that would be okay. The Judgment don’t cause issues here in Ocala, and although they own strip clubs and other ill repute businesses, they keep their hands clean for the most part.” She studied me. “How well do you know him?”
I shook my head. “Not very well.” My voice cracked. “He is dating my sister, but she and I aren’t close.”