Page 23 of Property of Max
I cross the room and yank open his curtains, needing to see the van in the driveway. Needing to see them.
“When I clocked out yesterday, someone asked if I’d cover their shift… a few hours later.”
“Let me guess,” Cody sighs. “You said yes.”
“Of course I did. I need the money. But I had to run home first for the nurse’s shift change, to check on Micah, to help Bree with her homework. I got back to work, but I was ten minutes late.”
“Got fired?” he asks.
I let out a humorless laugh. “No. Yes. Kinda.”
“Lila.”
“Sorry.” I drag a hand down my face. “Gumphrey told me I was fired… but then he said if I got on my knees and…” I can’t even say it out loud. “…that I could keep my job. Maybe even get the VIP tables for a week or two.”
“WHAT?” Cody’s shout rattles the walls. His whole body goes tense, fists curling. “That bastard propositioned you? I’ll kill him. I’ll string him up right in front of his precious restaurant by the balls. Tell me you didn’t.”
“Well…”
“Lila.” His voice is a warning.
“I didn’t,” I whisper quickly. My cheeks burn with shame. “But for a second… I thought about it. Just long enough to hate myself for it. Then someone walked in and snapped me out of it, thank God. I finished the shift, went home, and called to tell him I quit. I couldn’t say it to his face. I was too scared.”
Cody drops onto the arm of a chair, his jaw tight enough to crack. I stay by the window, eyes locked on the van. Bree’s silhouette leans against Micah’s chair, and even through the glass, I swear I see her head tilt toward him. My whole world is out there in that van. That’s the only reason I walked out of that office with my dignity instead of my job.
“Alright,” Cody says, smacking his palm against his knee. “We take it to HR. Let them deal with it.”
“Already threatened him with that,” I admit, turning toward my best friend since high school. “He reminded me his name is the one on their paychecks. They won’t dare go against him.”
Nodding, Cody pulls out his phone.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He holds up one finger, grinning like a kid about to cause trouble. “Give me a sec.”
He hits a button and lifts the phone. “Hey, boo. Got a favor. You’re on speaker.”
“Don’t call meboo,” comes a voice from the other end…deep, rough, already irritated. “What do you need, Cody?”
My head jerks up, startled. That tone…
“You around your friends?” Cody asks, ignoring it completely. “Put me on speaker. I want everybody to hear this.”
“I don’t have friends,” the man mutters.
“Stop being so damn dramatic and hit the button,” Cody sighs.
There’s a pause, a muffled curse, then a faint click that tells me we’re on speaker now.
“Hey, everyone,” Cody says brightly, like he owns the room even through a phone.
“Cody?” another voice answers, lighter, warmer. “That you?”
“The one and only.”
“I haven’t seen you in months,” the man says, mock-accusing. “What, too good for me now? You don’t want to hang out?” His tone dips into a sulky drawl.
I bite back a smile.
