Page 23 of When Life Sucks!

“Congratulations, Alice!”

“Thank you. But that leaves me with needing a new secretary.” Now, I can’t help but smile as Sadie’s face drops, obviously thinking I’m telling her she’s done. “As you are going to be getting a promotion from secretary, I can’t expect you to do that and be my secretary now, can I?”

“Promotion? Promotion to what?”

“To assistant manager, of course. You will make sure that what I need doing gets done, but you’ll oversee staff, and you’ll make sure the new secretary does their job well.” I give her a smile as I see her flushed with excitement, and I know we are going to work well together because we’ve been in tune so far.

“Oh my! Promotion to assistant manager, who would have thought it?” Sadie looks shell-shocked, and I don’t hold back a small laugh which has her grinning like a fool.

“You will have this office and I will move into Jeffrey’s, which will give us both the space we need. You will keep the secretary at your desk. Oh, if the President of the Rampaging Rioters MC walks in, let him in, he’s now living with me.” Sadie’s shocked expression again has me laughing. “I know, I know, but hey, Sacks, was a bust wasn’t he, and I’ve always liked and respected Jax, so l thought I’d see where this leads. Oh, I found my father too. He’s called Black and I’ll see him if he comes here, but not my mother. She’s on my shit list at the moment.”

Sadie’s eyes are so round, and her mouth is a perfect O with the shock of all I’m telling her. I giggle a little, which snaps her out of the haze she’s in.

“Alice… I learned a long time ago to take opportunities as they come around. My husband, who was my best friend, confidant, and lover, died in a road accident coming home from work. We’d only been together three years. Since then I’ve been living waiting to die and be returned to his arms. But last year I reflected on what I’ve been doing, and he would have been so angry with me for wasting my life. Now, I see and grab every chance to be happy, so you go with your gut feeling. If this Jax feels right to you, then you grab hold and run with it. It will either work out or it won’t, but you won’t be saying, what if…Now, let's get back to work, we have offices to clean and prepare. I’ll get Jeffrey’s ready for you and find us a reliable secretary…”

I don’t have the chance to say anything else because Sadie is out of the office, muttering to herself while giving the impression she’s a mini-tornado.

Three hours later I’m in the new office, looking out of the ceiling-to-floor windows when a red Toyota Camry rolls up to the front of the building. My heart jumps with excitement and I can’t hold back the squeal as I run out of the office, past a startled Sadie, and down the stairs because I’m not waiting for the elevator. Bursting through the front door of the building I try to calm myself as I walk up to the man holding out the keys.

“You Alice?” He asks with a huge smile.

“I am, and this is mine!” I laugh out loud as I grab the keys and walk around the Camry, admiring every inch of her.

“Your boss gave me a photograph of you, but the excitement on your face told me you were the new owner. She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

“She is. I love her already. That’s my old girl.” I point to my Camry which has been my pride and joy for a long time.

“Do you want me to take her and sell her?”

“No, she’s staying with me. I’m keeping her.” I’m going to have to call Papa about the vehicles because I only have one parking position available to me. Maybe I could leave my old Camry at the clubhouse?

After checking out the new Camry and locking her up, satisfied that she’s going to be a dream to drive, I rush back into the building and to my office.

“I see your new vehicle arrived safely.” Sadie is shaking her phone at me. “I promised Jeffrey I’d get a video of you seeing it for the first time.”

“Jeffrey should have been here when it arrived, and Ronald. They are the most amazing people, and I love them to bits.”

“Who do you love to bits?”

Looking up, I don’t hold back the smile I have for my Papa. Rushing over, I give him a hug, and turn to Sadie. “Sadie, this is my Papa, Black. And this is Beast, the National President of the Rampaging Rioters MC, and my uncle. Papa, Beast, this is my assistant manager, Sadie.”

Once introductions are over, I grab Papa’s hand and drag him into my office. Beast is behind him, of course, and he’s giving Sadie an interested look. “Beast, get in here.”

“Hey, I told you to call me Unc, or Uncle…”

“I’ll call you Beast when you are acting like one. Now leave Sadie alone and get in here.” I giggle at the look of shock he’s giving me. Probably because he’s never seen my bossy side.

Once in the office I close the door, knowing Sadie will bring drinks in for us shortly. “So, what can I do for you both today?”

“I wanted to check you were good with the setup with Jax?” Papa asks as he takes a seat, looking around the office.

“Yeah, I’m okay with it. I’ve always liked Jax, but never stepped his way because he was a nomad. That’s how I ended up with Sacks in the first place. I was watching Jax, and he was with a woman, so I agreed to go on a date with Sacks, and the rest is history.”

“Jax has always watched you, Alice. I knew he’d wanted to ask you out, but you got with Sacks and he thought he’d missed the opportunity. I can tell you he’s loyal and would never agree to do what Sacks did.” Beast stands when the door opens and Sadie walks into the office balancing a tray. “Let me take that from you, sweetheart.”

I smirk at the comment. Papa gives Beast a startled look, and Sadie responds, “I’m not your sweetheart, so you keep your syrupy talk to yourself.”

A giggle bursts from me, while Beast grins as he states, “Well, that went well. But you gotta keep trying if you want to taste the honey.” I’m not getting involved in any of that. Sadie can deal with him if he persists.

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