Page 14 of Valentine's Daddy To Go
“No,” Nellie says as she crosses her arms over her sizable chest. I’m sure she’s doing that to establish authority, but all it does is draw my eyes to her breasts.
She sees me looking and wraps her arms even more tightly around herself. Her face is all screwed up with annoyance. I know I should probably feel bad for pushing her buttons, but she looks so cute standing over there all irked with me.
“I get that he made a mistake,” Nellie continues, “but it was just a teeny tiny one. He should have had that bike ready by Friday, but he got the day wrong. It could happen to anyone. It was just going to be three days late. That’s not a lot of time. You shouldn’t have fired him for such a small thing.”
What is she talking about? Is that the reason Brian gave her? I mean, that most certainly did happen, but I have a whole laundry list of reasons of why I got rid of him. Like how he’s always late and he’s kind of an asshole and I’m pretty sure he might have some kind of substance abuse problem and I never really liked him.
Honestly, he’s just an all-around bad employee.
But it’s clear to me that Nellie doesn’t know any of this. I could tell her and keep Brian out of my life for good, but then I’m sure that would mean Nellie would walk out of it, too.
I don’t think that’s something that I want. Come to think of it, if I play my cards right, this could be an opportunity.
“Why don’t you sit down?” I tell her. She looks around my office for a few seconds before promptly taking a seat. She has her back up totally straight, her hands folded in her lap as she looks at me. “So, as you know, your brother is no angel.”
She nods furiously.
“Yes, of course. But he didn’t deserve being fired.”
I hold up a hand.
“Well, that’s debatable but let’s not get into it now. In fact, I have a proposition.”
She looks at me suspiciously, her brow furrowing.
“What kind of proposition?”
“I’ll let Brian keep his job.”
“Really?” Nellie blurts as her face lights up. That gives me confidence to push forward, knowing she wants this so much.
“Yes, really. But there’s something you would have to do for me in return.” She looks nervous, her eyes darting back and forth.
“What do you want me to do?”
I lean back, crossing my arms across my broad chest.
“I want you to come work for me.”
Nellie’s brow furrows as she shakes her head in confusion.
“I don’t understand. I’m an accountant, not a mechanic. I don’t know anything about motorcycles. Plus, I already have a job. I mean, would it be like a few hours a week or something? After I get off work, or on weekends?”
“No, I’d want you full-time.”24 / 7 in fact, but I don’t add that part just yet.
“Well, I already have a job,” she repeats, shaking her head. It’s like she can’t come to terms with what I’m saying.
“That’s fine,” I shrug. “Having a job means you have some skills. But all of that is irrelevant to me. The deal is, you come work for me, and Brian gets to keep his job. No negotiations.”
“But how can I have two full-time jobs? That’s impossible. I’d have to quit my current one,” she says, her voice trailing off.
I shrug again because I already gave her my terms, and they are what they are. I nod.
“Smart girl. I’ll pay you well if you’re worried about the money. How much do you make at your current place?”
“It’s not just that. I – I – I don’t know.”
I can see Nellie internally struggling with answering. I know she desperately wants to help her brother, but she doesn’t know me, nor my motivations.
