Page 70 of Rebel

Eyeing him warily, I told him, “Our office was recently closed, and I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on, so I can’t visit for very long.”

“Well that’s a fine howdy do,” he complained. “I drove all the way here from LA and you’re giving me the bum’s rush.”

“You know I’m not doing that,” I said, desperate to talk him down and get him to leave.

“Then let’s grab an early lunch and talk?” he suggested. “Maybe we could order in, and you could work while we talk.”

“Alright,” I finally told him, “But next time please call before stopping by.”

“Of course,” he said politely. However the tone of his voice was hollow.

“How about Asian food?” I asked. “You liked that when we worked together.”

“Yeah, that sounds great. I’ll take a crispy chicken and a cola,” he said blandly.

“Alright,” I said indulgently as I texted our order in. I was annoyed that he’d turned up, but felt that I had to be polite to him. It wasn’t like he’d done anything to hurt me. I had a feeling he was going to try and persuade me to return to LA, and I was ready to explain that my life was here in Griffinsford now.

I did, however, take a minute to text Rebel about my old boss being here, but that was only out of an abundance of caution.

When I glanced up, he had a forced smile. “You have a nice setup here. Is this your parents’ company?”

“Yes, they’ve made me the general manager. So far, business is brisk.”

“So, you’re a one-woman show here, right?”

“Yes, I’m the only office staff, but I have three field workers and one in training.”

“This seems like a small town. I’m surprised there’s enough electrical work to support a whole electrical office.”

“We get referrals from all over the county. One of my field workers is a master electrician. His services are very much in demand.”

“Well, that’s impressive, if a bit wasteful to have such a high-caliber employee on the payroll in a one-horse town like Griffinsford.”

I ignored his insult, and we continued to chat until the food arrived. He mostly talked about how his wife was screwing him over in their divorce and how all his employees had suddenly become assholes, but he was soldiering on all on his own. He always somehow made himself the victim in every situation he had created by his own selfish, thoughtless decisions. I had somehow forgotten how irritating he could be. As we were eating, I turned the tables on him.

I cleared my throat and asked, “So, how has your business been since I left?”

“It’s been one misadventure after another,” he admitted nervously. “That’s one of the things I came to talk to you about. I can’t run that office all my own, and I want you to come back and work for me.”

“You know I can’t move back to LA.” I gestured around the room with one hand, “As you can clearly see, my parents need me to run their business. My father has Alzheimer's, and my mother is his primary caregiver. I’m their only child, so saving the business falls to me.”

He shoved his half-eaten food container aside. “The food here is terrible. How can you stand to live in a backwater town like Griffinsford? You clearly came to LA for excitement like all you small-town girls do. You were lucky enough to find someoneto employ you at a decent wage and just when I was starting to rely upon you, you picked up and moved back to Smallville.”

Having lost what little appetite I had, I dumped both our containers in the wastepaper basket beside my desk. “You’re right about the food being terrible but not about me going back to LA to work for you again.”

“If it’s a matter of money, I’m willing to raise your salary by fifty percent.”

“I really can’t. Like I said—”

“Yes, I heard you the first time. You think your parents need you to save their quaint little business located on the ass end of nowhere.”

“That’s about enough,” I snapped. “You’re being rude and condescending.”

“I’m exasperated with you, young lady. I gave up my wife for you and here you are throwing it back in my face.”

“What?” I asked.

“Oh don’t give me that Lacey, I could tell you were into me. Well now I’m free,” he said licking his lips in a manner that turned my stomach.

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