Page 62 of Christmas with my Three Best Friends

“Okay, so, I’ll keep this short and sweet,” I reply and raise a finger to silence her when she tries to talk over me. “No, it’s my turn. You listen. You and I had a bit of a fling before you came to work here. No professional standards were breached. From an HR point of view alone, my hands are clean, do you hear me? Should you be dumb enough to try and stir a shit storm on the matter, I will come down on you so hard, you will never hold any job better than restocking the shelves at a 7-11 for the rest of your life.”

“Rick…”

“Pack your stuff and be out of here. Accounting will wire you the last paycheck, and HR will send all the necessary documents to your home address. And if you want a recommendation for whatever job you get into next, I suggest you be civil,” I add sternly. “I gave you a chance, and I was nothing but grateful for the support you provided during the gym’s earliest days. You were compensated accordingly, and so it’s no excuse for these repeated offenses. It’s time for you to grow up and accept responsibility for your actions. You’ve been late on our time and money, and you know damn well time and money are the two things you don’t want to cross me with.”

She stares at me, disbelief and shock glistening in her wide eyes. “You’re serious…”

“Of course. I’ve given you plenty of chances, and you have repeatedly spat in my face. I’ve learned an important lesson here, too, mind you. No one will ever get as many chances as you got with me, Alice. And like I said, if you think of blackmailing me again, I will make you suffer in ways you can’t even imagine. This is my business, my hard work, my life. Do you hear me?”

All Alice can do is nod slowly as she pulls away and retreats behind the desk, utterly ashamed. I reckon the harsh reality is finally starting to dawn on her as she becomes aware of the repercussions corresponding to her actions. These are simple consequences, and I brush off any sympathy I might have for this girl. She’s had plenty of opportunities to do better. I should have listened to Shay about her a long time ago.

I should have listened to Shay about a lot of things.

I go into my office and close the door, fully aware that Alice is sobbing behind her desk. I couldn’t care less. The damage she has done outweighs my sympathy for her.

Jax watches me intently as I take my seat behind the desk and notice the brightly colored folder between us. I’m angry and riddled with guilt at the same time. Worse even, Shay’s absence is digging deeper into my soul. I don’t know how to deal with it because I’ve never felt this way about a woman. It’s as if I’m strapped into a rollercoaster cart that’s careening out of control.

“Everything okay?” Jax asks.

I shake my head. “No. And yes. A little bit of both, I guess.” I take a deep breath and lean forward slightly. “I just fired Alice.”

“Thank the fucking stars,” he exhales sharply.

“Pop the champagne bottle, will ya?” I shoot back, half-smiling.

“Come on, man, she had it coming for a long time. What made you finally decide to can her?”

“I got a call earlier from a customer,” I reply. “You were right. Shay was right. Marius was right. I was too lenient. And for that, I apologize.”

Jax chuckles softly. “It’s cool, man. You’re a good human being, you give second chances aplenty. I wouldn’t want you to change that about yourself.”

“You make it sound so easy. Anyway, we’ll find a replacement. I’ll email HR to post a job ad online,” I reply. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“West Key. Shay. And that.” He nods at the colored folder on my desk.

“What’s this?”

“Shay left it before she went away,” he says, his voice dropping by several degrees.

I open the folder and find the handwritten note first. Her words hit me like hammers right to the heart. I can almost hear her speaking directly to me, her tone trembling slightly as she explains she needs some time away from everything before she can decide what she’s going to do next. It’s a subtle way of saying she is definitely considering walking away from it all—the gym, our friendship, our intimate relationship. And I can’t blame her. I’d do the same in her shoes.

“What is this, exactly?” I ask Jax as I put the note away and start flipping through the folder. I’m surprised by the amount of detail that went into each presentation slide. The more I read, however, the more fascinated I become with what the proposal actually entails. “Damn.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d feel the same way,” he replies, almost laughing. “See how brilliant she is? How she put the whole thing together? This is it. The edge we need against our competitors in the area. Rest assured that once we publish the marketing materials for this program, people are gonna be flocking to the reception desk to buy memberships and consultation sessions with Shay before she sends them over to us for training.”

“This is fantastic,” I manage as I continue perusing Shay’s proposal. “So, we’re targeting the hardest to catch segment of our population.”

“That’s right. She’s fucking amazing.”

“She really is.” I look up at him when he sighs. “We made a mistake with her. You realize that, right?”

“Just one mistake?”

“Well, a cluster of mistakes,” he sighs deeply. “We have to get her back, Richard. And for Christ’s sake, you can’t leave us. I know you’ve got your heart set on the new place and whatnot, but could you at least consider staying on here part time? We need you here, man. West Key needs you. We said we were okay with you leaving, but the truth is… We’re not. I know Marius isn’t around right now to agree, but I also know I’m speaking for the both of us.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, leaning back in my chair for a moment. This is it. The crossroad I’d dreaded yet knew I’d stumble upon.

“I’ve been going about this the wrong way, and it’s my responsibility,” I tell Jax. “You’re right, though. At the first sign of trouble or distress, I was ready to just pack my stuff and leave. That’s not a good business practice, even if the books speak in my defense. You stick the tough times out, you work with your partners to lift the place up to where you know you’re able to bring it. And West Key has enormous potential. It has always had potential. I was a fool to focus strictly on the financial figures, and I’m sorry.”

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