Page 46 of Hide and Sneak
I’m tempted to indulge in some quick stress relief with one of my toys while he’s gone to get our food, but the thought barely crosses my mind before Holly taps on my door.
“Hey, you look hot,” I announce as she walks into the living room. “Do you have a date?”
She beams at me. “I do. Remember that guy I met at the bar? He’s taking me out. I texted you his name and picture.”
I grab my phone to make sure. “Got it. Did you turn your tracking on?” My friends and I have an app that lets us share our location so we all stay safe.
“Yes, I’m all set. I just wanted to give you the heads up.” She glances out the window when a truck pulls into her driveway. “There he is.”
“Have fun. I want to hear about it tomorrow.”
Once she’s gone, I settle down to play Third Place while I wait for Sutton. Sure enough, he’s managed to get my Small to marry his. And of course there’s no way I can divorce him, thanks to his mods. With a grin, I consider an alternative and quickly follow through. I finish just in time, shutting the laptop as Sutton enters.
The chicken smells amazing and we both fill a plate. It’s quiet for a bit while we eat and I scroll videos on my phone. “What are you watching?” Sutton asks, staring at my screen.
“Nothing.”
“You’re watching water go down a storm drain.”
“Quit looking at my phone.” Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m watching. “It’s street maintenance. They go around and unclog the drains during heavy rain.” I’m not sure what’s so interesting about watching someone drain a street by raking debris out of the grating but it’s so satisfying. Maren told me she likes rug cleaning videos for the same reason, but I haven’t tried them yet.
He gets up to put his dishes in the dishwasher then pauses in front of me. “I’m going to shower.”
“Okay.” I look up at him. “Do you want my permission or something?”
“No, but you can come with me.”
“Hard pass.”
“Are you sure? You can watch the water go down the drain. You don’t want to miss that.”
I’ll bet that smile has gotten him into and out of a lot of trouble. Too bad I’m completely unaffected by it. He dodges the pillow I throw at him and walks away laughing.
I slip a sweatshirt on and take Dusty for our nightly walk around the neighborhood then go back to my phone. An email notification pops up. Why is the manager of the daycare emailing me? If she thinks she’s going to change my hours or stick me with a different age group, she’s crazy.
The message isn’t long but I have to read it three times for it to sink in. One line keeps drawing my eyes back.Your employment is terminated effective immediately. Terminated. I’ve never been fired from a job in my life. I’ve worked at Little Hearts Daycare for over six years. I even stuck with it when the ownership changed hands and they replaced the management with that nightmare of a woman.
Fire me over email the Friday before I’m due to return? No. This bitch is going to hear my voice.
“Lila? Everything okay?” Sutton asks, coming down the hallway shirtless, his hair damp.
“I’m fine.” I am the opposite of fine. I’m not sure I’ve ever been this angry in my life. My fingers shake as I tap my screen to call Trunchbull. Despite it being after business hours on a Friday night, she answers right away. “Hello Lila. I expect you’ve received my email.”
The glee in her voice goes undisguised, and I wish I could reach through the phone to strangle her.
“Why am I terminated?” I manage to get the words out through gritted teeth.
“As I said before, you refuse to adhere to our policies. I was made aware that not only did you warn Colleen Morgan that child protection service was coming, you told her the call came from us when those reports are supposed to remain private. She has pulled her son from our care, and spread it around so that four other children have been withdrawn as well.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “What the hell do you expect when you put people’s families at risk?”
“I am protecting these children and I will continue to do so. If you have any belongings at the center, retrieve them before opening on Monday. You will not be allowed on the premises after that.”
Look, I’m a peaceful person. My self-control is something I pride myself on but everybody has a limit.
CHAPTER 17
SUTTON
