Page 53 of Hits Different

Chapter 20

Perspective

Parker

“Parker, we need to talk”, Simon fills his office doorway, arms folded. “Now”.

Well, damn. This was inevitable.

Three days of waiting for Simon to discover that his newest employee had lived down to his potential.

Three days of desperately trying to figure out a Plan C because I was about to get fired from Plan B, and Plan A had already gone straight to shit. It sucks. I was actually starting to like it here.

Three days of radio silence from Brandon.

Simon sits at his desk. His framed Bachelors, and Young Businessman of the Year award hang from the wall. His profile fits comfortably between them. There’s no way that’s not by design.

“We don’t need to do this, Simon. It’s okay. I know why we’re here”. I remain standing. “You’re going to fire me, and honestly, I don’t blame you”.

“I see. That’s interesting”. His fingers trail across a file, and I catch sight of my name. Seriously? He has a wholefileon me? “And why am I firing you, exactly?”

“It looks like you’ve got the evidence right there”.

Simon flicks the file open. “Let’s run through it together”. I spot the heading Employee Evaluation. Simon clears his throat.

“Parker is punctual, pleasant to work with, and completes the tasks assigned to him”, Simon lowers his glasses. “He goes the extra mile to keep things running smoothly. Hm. Nottypicallybehaviour that get someone fired. Perhaps I’m missing something”.

My cheeks start to feel warm.

“Parker demonstrates a good work ethic, a willingness to learn, and most importantly, loyalty to a family member who may not always have appreciated him”. Simon closes the file.

“I took some creative licence for that last part. But it’s true. My groundskeeper told me about the netting. Archie told me you’d covered his shift. And Sheryl said you’d helped her with the social media”.

“She didn’t have to do that”.

“It was fairly obvious someone had”, Simon says wryly, “Given last time I asked about our posting schedule she sent me a link to the UPS pickup times”.

“I was just helping out”, I mumble.

“I see. And this?” He turns around the whiteboard that I immediately recognise as the original Shit List. Each one has a neat tick next to it. “This was just ‘helping out’ too?”

“I know you were forced into taking me”, I find my voice. “I heard you. Talking to Sheryl”. His eyes widen with realisation. “It’s fine. You weren’t wrong. I burn things down. It’s what I do”.

A silence hangs between us.

“I was blowing off steam after a difficult day”, Simon takes off his glasses. Cleans them. Puts them back on and takes them off again. “Obviously, you weren’t supposed to hear any of that. Truly. I’m genuinely very sorry”.

He looks so mortified that it’s impossible not to believe him. Besides, could I really blame him after everything I’d put my family through? “The truth is, business isn’t as good as it should be”, Simon continues, quietly. “And I’m responsible for that”.

“People are falling over themselves to get in here”.

“Not as much as they used to”, Simon replies. “The economy is tough. Rival camps are ten a penny. There’s things that other clubs can provide that we can’t. Like premier accommodation, for a start”. My eyes drift to the whiteboard, where the note about the Garrison has been wiped off.

“The room’s here are decent”. I’ve never heard Brandon complain. I’ve never actually seen his room, now I come to think about it.

“Not compared to the five star hotels that the best players are used to”. I feel a flash of indignance on Simon’s behalf. “And the best hotel in town won’t take a meeting with me. Not the right look, apparently”.

“Come on. There’s a Young Businessman of the Year award in my eyeline that says you can handle it”.

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