Page 19 of Him Lessons

Striding quickly after Pablo, Andy caught him just as he reached the door to the break room. “Hey, Pablo,” she said cheerfully. “Why don’t you take your lunch early today? I’ll get the bathroom in here.”

“Twist my arm. I’m already starving.” He flashed her a grateful grin and handed over the mop. “Want anything from In-N-Out?”

“Nope. I’m good.”

“Cool.”

As Pablo took off, Andy carefully backed into the break room. Fortunately, the employee bathroom came before Dave’s office, so she didn’t have to pass in front of his door. Which was indeed cracked as usual. The booming sound of Dave’s laughter spilled from it as she wheeled the mop into the restroom. Turning in the entrance, Andy wedged the big yellow bucket in the doorway to prop it open.

The conversation happening next door was crystal clear. Andy smiled, listening in without an ounce of remorse.

“…gonna level with you, Al. I would love to give you this store when I leave. You know that. Your numbers are stellar. You’ve got the customers eating out of the palm of your hand. Hell, you could sell a pool table to a blind man.”

Andy’s smile slipped as she listened to her boss singing the praises of…Al?

When had that happened? And when hadAlever sold a pool table? Also, what was up with the blind man joke? Could her boss be any more obnoxious?

“You are absolutely the best man for the job.”

Ugh. He totally could.

The only thing that kept Andy from vomiting in her mouth was the “but” she sensed coming.

“But—”

Andy pressed forward, desperately hoping for Dave to say something redeeming. Something like:

“But Andy’s the one who worked her way up from a part-time cashier to a full-time assistant manager. She’s the one who regularly tests out the merchandise and writes product reviews to help improve the guest shopping experience. She’s the one who works all major inventories without complaint. She’s the one who knows that Pablo is always hungry because he’s in a highly competitive soccer league, that Shawna has to leave early on Wednesdays because it’s a shorter school day for her son, and that Kim hates it when customers get their pronouns wrong. Andy’s the one who does and knows all of this. Which is why she’s the bestpersonfor the job.”

But Dave didn’t say any of this.

Not even close.

What he said was:

“Andy’s the boss’s daughter.”

Four little words that were a punch to the gut.

Words she knew in an instant Aldon had been thinking when he’d guarded his tongue with her earlier.

Words that were immediately followed by many, many more that had Andy’s heart sinking and her butt sliding to the cold tile floor.

“This interview with her is a formality, Al. You know I have to give her the keys.”

“I know. Your hands are tied, I get it. But damn, Dave, you really think she’s good enough for this job?”

There was a long, drawn-out sigh. “Well, Andy does have some skills, I’ll grant you. She’s a hard worker, she gets along fine with the staff, and for someone who’s, you know,a little different, she does fairly well with our customers.”

Fairlywell?

A littledifferent?

Andy’s jaw clenched, her blood pressure spiking as Aldon chuckled.

“Yeah, I hear you, D. Every once in a while I catch her rambling to the guests about some random crap. Like, who the hell cares about the mating habits of a flippin’ cockatiel?”

Bird breeders.

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