Page 26 of Property of Max
“No.”
“Please?” she adds hopefully.
I pull out of the driveway with a sigh. “No, missy. But if you’re good, we’ll stop for ice cream.”
Chapter Nine
Lila
I’ve been out of a job for five days now. And I hate to admit it…but it’s been nice. I’ve seen more of my kids in this one week than I usually do in a month. I scrubbed the apartment from top to bottom, reorganized all of Micah’s medical equipment, which was a full-time job in itself, and even managed to curl up with them for a few movie nights.
It’s been five amazing, ordinary days.
But I know it can’t last. If I stretch every dollar, maybe we’ll make it a month before the bills catch up. After that… I don’t even want to think about it.
I whisper a quick prayer of thanks that Micah’s equipment, his meds, his Ensure, all of it, is still covered by insurance. If it wasn’t, we’d already be drowning.
I drag a hand over my face and square my shoulders. As much as I crave this little bubble of peace, I don’t have the luxury of pretending it can last.
I need to find a new job. Today.
My phone dings.
For a second, I smile, expecting Cody. He always calls, never texts. But the number flashing across my screen is unfamiliar.
Then I see the message.
YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS!
The words hit like a punch to the gut. My pulse spikes, ears ringing, but before I can even process the threat, I notice the attachment below it. A tagged video that was posted online three hours ago. It already has thousands of views.
My thumb hovers. My heart stumbles. Bree’s at school. Micah’s in the middle of his tutoring session with his teacher. I’m alone.
So, I press play.
The screen fills with the grainy image of Gumphrey’s office. Me, standing there, exhaustion written across my face, his voice slithering out of the speakers.
“Want to apologize to me on your knees? Persuade me to let you keep your job? I might even be generous and give you the VIP tables for a week or two.”
My stomach lurches. I fumble to pause the video, but not before I see the resignation on my pixelated face.
The tears hit before I can stop them. Hot and sudden, blurring my vision. I turn fast and slip down the hall to my room, shutting the door before the nurse or teacher can see. My chest feels too tight, my breath coming in shallow gasps as I fumble with my phone.
I shove the message out of sight on the screen and stab at Cody’s name. The only person in this whole world I have to call.
He answers on the first ring, his voice light and teasing. “Hey, my love. I was just about to come over and help you job hunt. Heard that bakery on Seventh is hiring.”
“I thought they said nothing would come back on me?” The words fall out of me in a whisper, broken around the lump in my throat.
There’s a beat of silence. Then Cody’s whole tone drops, sharp and serious. “What happened? Lila, talk to me.”
“Gumphrey just texted me,” I choke out, swiping furiously at my wet cheeks. “He threatened me.”
“What?” The word cracks out of him like gunfire. “No. Bones said their tech guy set Gumphrey up for tax fraud or some shit. Your name never came up. Hepromisedme you were in the clear.”
I squeeze the phone tighter, my knuckles burn white against the case. “Then why the hell do I have a video on my phone, Cody? Of me in that office. Of him saying those things to me.”
My voice breaks, jagged with panic. “Someone posted it online.” I swallow hard, bile rising in my throat. “You cansee iton my face…how I was… how I was about to agree. It looks like I wanted it. Like I…” My chest caves, the shame almost choking me.
