Page 38 of Shifters in the Night

“Well, it’s my company,” he reminded her. “And I’ll determine what makes sense for the Bayou.”

His arrogance made her grit her teeth, but she kept a pleasant tone when she said, “Of course, and I’m not thrilled that you kept information from me, but no, I’m not trying to get back at you. I just want a change, some peace and quiet, some privacy. The house became available with relatively little hassle or expense. I’d be a fool to pass it up and you don’t hire fools.”

He frowned, seeming irritated that she didn’t just give up the moment he made his displeasure known. “But how comfortable could this house be, really? We’re used to a certain level of refinement, Lia, luxury. I’m sure nothing in this little town could come close to that. I’m sure it looked very charming in the photos, but you need something beyond dirt floors and an outhouse.”

“I’ve seen the house already, in person, and it’s more than adequate,” she assured him. “Besides, if I don’t like it, I always have the option of moving back into my mobile unit, right? No harm, no foul.”

“And what if I need to contact you?” he demanded. “What if there’s an emergency? You know how important it is for me to have access to you at any time.”

“I’ll have my phone. I’ll be just as available as I was before, only with a little more distance between us.” She bit her lip. That last point probably wasn’t one to make in front of him.

“Well, what about Jeff?” Victor asked.

“What about him?” Lia asked, raising a brow.

“You know he looks to you for guidance. How is he supposed to do that when you’re who knows how far away? And who will be visiting you at this little house on the edge of town?” he asked.

Lia gripped the edge of her desk and thought very carefully before she responded. What did Victor care about who was visiting her? He’d never asked about her personal life before, beyond the socializing she did to improve New Ground’s position. It was just another change in his patterns that made her even happier to move into Bayard’s little house.

“I haven’t issued any invitations yet,” she said, giving him a brittle smile. “And what I do with my off-hours is my business.”

He fumed, nostrils flaring. “Well, I don’t like it.”

She tried to sound patient as she said, “I understand that, but it doesn’t change my plans.”

“Just make sure you get to work on time,” he grumbled as he pushed up from the chair. “Having a longer commute from your swamp shack is no excuse for tardiness. I have half a mind not to allow you to keep your company-issued vehicle, but I know you’d just find some other means of transportation. You’re resourceful in the most tiresome way when necessary.”

“Resourceful enough to find other employment if you continue with that line of thinking,” she snapped.

Victor’s eyes flashed and the recesses of Lia’s brain seemed to skitter in panic. She knew a threat when she saw it, and this was a threat. She cursed herself for tipping her hand.

“You’ve made that threat before, but I don’t think either one of us even wants to think of the consequences if you leave New Ground. I think you’d be very unhappy anywhere else.” With that, Victor stormed out of her office. Lia slumped in her seat, suddenly wanting to see Jon, very badly.

Lia wasn’t one to watch the clock, but she left that afternoon at exactly five o’clock. She breezed past Jeff’s desk with a fake cheerful goodbye that gave him no room to continue the conversation. His expression was very confused – probably because he’d never seen her leave on time before. She made a beeline across the street to her mobile unit, confusion and frustration fueling her steps.

She walked into her trailer, slamming the door behind her. The idea of never having to walk into the office was very appealing. Lia sincerely wished that she kept liquor in the house, because she could really use a drink. Sonja was hosting girls’ night this weekend and she couldn’t wait for it. Word vomiting her feelings about her workspace to some sympathetic ears sounded very appealing right now.

Her phone rang, and for a moment, she thought maybe Jillian and Sonja were psychic and could detect her need for fruity vodka concoctions over the distance. But no, it was her dad calling. She would have to content herself with that, as he rarely called without her mom as a buffer. Of course, given the way her day was going, that could mean some sort of disaster was pending. She pressed accept.

“Hey Dad, is everything OK?”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, it’s just me. I wanted to call when your mom was at her committee meeting so we could talk,” Max said.

“Sorry, it’s been a day,” she sighed in relief and felt bad for it. Her mother was, well, her mother, and she loved her. But conversations between her and her father tended to be a little less … disrupted. Mom tended to inject random tangents into the conversation and before she knew it, she hadn’t heard a single story from her father. “How are you?”

“Oh, same old, same old,” he told her. “Particularly long meeting today with a potential investor who wasn’t very cooperative, but I got what Peter wanted from him.”

“Well, of course you did,” she chuckled.

Her dad’s voice took on a teasing tone. “You know, Peter has commented a few times now that he’d love to bring you on with the firm. He’s practically salivating at the prospect of having the both of us working for him.”

She glanced towards the treeline, wondering if this was some sort of hint from the universe that it was time to move on from New Ground. It had to mean something for her father to be dropping those hints while she was thinking of a future without Victor. But as much as she liked Peter and missed her parents, she didn’t want to work with her father. She definitely didn’t want to live close to her mother. The cocktail party schedule she would be yanked into would be a major lifestyle adjustment. And she didn’t want to leave Jon or the Bayou. She was needed here, and more importantly, she needed the people here.

“I appreciate it,” she told her father. “I don’t think this is the right time to think about that. But even if I stop working for Victor, I don’t know if I’m ready to take on another position like this one.”

“Really?” Dad exclaimed. “Why’s that?”

Lia flopped onto the couch, wincing at the way she practically bounced off the barely used, rock-hard cushions. “I think I’m ready to build something of my own, instead of creating business for other people. I want to help people and I’m not sure I’m able to do that working for someone else.”

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