Page 13 of Mountain Boss

“You’ll be well taken care of, Bestie,” I tell the bathroom.

I have a set of bright green hand towels that will spruce the place right up.

Backing out of the bathroom, I have to shut the door so I can continue past it to the back part of the cabin.

Instead of a door, there’s a curtain rod secured high across the end of the hallway, with a navy blue curtain hanging from it.

I push it aside and step through.

It takes a moment. A few breaths. But not long.

Not long to seeit.

I press my lips together.

I pinch my fingertips together.

I tryso hardto hold it together.

I even lift a foot and stomp it to the floor.

Because… fuck him.

Fuck that man—my new boss—so fucking much.

Hot anger builds in that spot between my eyes.

“Fuck you,” I whisper.

Along the wall that separates this space from the bathroom is a dresser.

This space.

I press my fingertips together even harder, my thumbnails digging into my flesh painfully.

This is not a bedroom.

A bedroom has a bed.

This room…

I swallow.

This room has a homemade structure straight in front of me, lining the back wall of the cabin. Sturdy legs support a platform made of plywood. Something I would call a bunk.

The bunk is under a window that has a curtain to match the one across the hallway, and it’s tall, above hip height for me. So there’s plenty of space for me to shove my things underneath.

But it’s not what’s under the bunk that has a traitorous tear rolling down my cheek.

It’s what’s on top.

Nothing.

No mattress.

Nada.

Nothing.

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