Slim to None

by A. H. Shelton

  “Don’t let him lie to ya, little darlin’,” Sam yells across the room. “He’s been mopin’ around here like he just lost his best huntin’ rifle,” he grins. “But we know you’ll be back!”

  I laugh at the look Lukas throws him, threatening him to hush up.

  “The two of ya’ll are just too funny,” I say, shaking my head and laughing.

  “He’s funny-lookin’,” Sam says, as Lukas throws a pillow at him. This makes me laugh even harder.

  “Is that a swimsuit I see? Looks like you’ve been to the beach today, girl,” Lukas says, his tone strange. Worried, maybe?

  Standing up so they can see, I model the suit for them, not even feeling one bit shy about it, as I thought I would. My new-found confidence is not lost on Lukas.

  “Wow…I mean – wow! I knew you’d fell off quite a bit from all the stress you’ve been under, but – that’s something else right there…”

  From his tone, honestly I can’t tell if he thinks this new me is good or bad, and that makes me feel awkward, somehow. Sitting back down on the bed, I shrug and get kinda quiet.

  “You look amazing, little lady – and don’t you let anybody make you feel otherwise!” Sam says, his voice emphasizing something that Lukas seems to bristle at. Men! They have their own daggone secret language, and it is impossible for a woman – at least this woman, to decipher.

  “I’m gonna be here for about another week, until I get the loose ends tied up here. Can’t wait to see ya’ll,” I say, although my jubilant mood has been spoiled. This ain’t the first time Lukas has had a bee up his butt about somethin’ – last time it was Jacob…at this point, who knows?

  As I say my goodbyes and end the call, I can’t help but feel a little down. Lukas has just been actin’ so weird around me lately, but I don’t have to think about that right now. Melanie and I have virtual lunch date on the beach tomorrow, and I won’t let any man – neither Lukas nor my daddy, cause me to lose any sleep.

  As I sit in my favorite daybed on the beach, munching on a sandwich, I prop my tablet up against my shins so that Melanie can take in the same spectacular view that I’m enjoying while we eat together.

  “Omigosh, it’s so beautiful! Look! Dolphins!” she exclaims excitedly. I can’t help but grin at her giddiness – so much like mine the previous day.

  Laughing, I tell her, “I just wish you could smell this ocean breeze…it is amazing!”

  This means the world to me that my bestie and I get to share in this experience together. Too bad Lukas is acting like such a weirdo lately, or we all could be video chatting together. But I’m not gonna chance his strange moodiness ruining mine and Mel’s day.

  After a while in the sun, I’m tired and ready to take a nap, so I decide to head back to the hotel. My Uber driver is especially flirty with me, and it does not go unnoticed.

  “I’d totally ask for your number,” he says to me coyly, “but it’s against company policy. But if you tell me your room number, I could totally come up after I get done.”

  Taken off guard, I’m at first confused by his forwardness, then I have to remind myself that I look a certain type of way now – a way that guys visually appreciate and want to hook up with. Yeah – but nah.

  “Sorry, I’m here on a business trip, but you have a totally nice day now, you hear?” I say in my thickest Southern drawl. As I’m closing the car door, I hear him mumble, ‘Hillbilly.’

  Shaking my head at such childish behavior, I enter the elevator and ask the guy who’s already inside to hit the nineth floor button for me, please and thank you.

  “Sure,” he says with a lecherous grin, eyeing me up and down. I take out my phone and pretend to make a call so he won’t have the opportunity to spout a pickup line like the ridiculous Uber driver. Geez, what is this, ‘Hit on Kassidy Day’?

  Yes, I’m wearing a tank top and denim shorts, but nothing I’m wearing is revealing or suggestive, so what makes these guys think I’m coming on to them? Rolling my eyes as I get off on my floor, I think to myself, that this is just something I’ll have to get used to.

  But if I’m honest with myself, isn’t this what I wanted? To be attractive to the opposite sex? The answer is yes, but I had no idea that guys could be so forward and aggressive – because I’ve never experienced it before. I can’t wait to tell Sam about this – he’ll get a big kick out of it…the old Lukas would’ve as well, but not so much anymore.

  I hop into the shower, looking forward to a nice little nap. Once I’m dressed, I get a Facetime call – from Daddy. Oh crap. My mind is racing, trying to think of how to answer without him seeing that I’m not at Melanie’s. Then it hits me…

  “Hello?” I say, trying to keep the anxiety out of my voice and off my face. “Hi Daddy,” I say drowsily.

  “Kassidy, I just wanted to let you know that I’m leaving for Costa Rica tonight. There might not be good reception in some of the areas we plan on exploring, just in case you need to get in touch with me,” he says, sounding like a normal, caring dad – and such a good actor, as well.

  “Okay, thanks for letting me know,” I say hurriedly. “I was just about to take a nap,” trying to quickly end the call before he notices my surroundings – he notices.

  “Where are you? That doesn’t look like Vivian’s house at all,” he says. Before he has the chance to grow suspicious, I blurt out my fib.

  “I got a motel room in Greensboro,” I say, trying to sound nonchalant. “I needed to be alone for a while, get my head together.”

  It worked! Shaking his head, Daddy sighs. “I really wish you’d come here,” he says ironically. “I think it would be good for you.”

  Oh, it will be good for me – but not for you, I think to myself sarcastically.

  “No, I’m fine – just needed some quiet time to think,” and do a take-down on you.

  The call ends with Daddy needing to finish things up before leaving for the airport, and I am glad. I didn’t know how long I could keep the lies up. Apparently, my skills are hereditary, but I’m just glad this is the only trait that I inherited from him, and would never even have tried to use it if it wasn’t totally necessary. This apple plans to roll as far away as possible, and burn the tree to the ground.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Kassidy

  I am so nervous about what I’m getting ready to do today, that I Facetime Melanie and have her on video chat with me while I’m getting dressed.

  I first called my daddy’s office, asking to speak to him. I was told that he was away on vacation, and wouldn’t be back until next week. Just what I wanted to hear – step one of my plan is now officially in action.

  “What if they don’t wanna talk to me,” I whine to Melanie, wondering if there is any shot at this. “They could call Security!”

  “They could – but if he’s the a-hole boss that you believe him to be, and has been putting his hands all over women, they will be more than happy to rat him out.”

  She’s got a point. That’s exactly what I believe – for him to have been friends with the dirty low-life piece of crap that hurt my mama, then he’s got some dirt of his own, I just know it.

  But I’ve got to put on one hell of a good act, in order for these ladies to put any sort of trust in me…and I’m not so sure that I’ve got skills at being manipulative, unlike my father. I mean, he’s built an empire on it.

  “Wish me luck,” I tell her nervously, as I end the call with Mel. Luck is not what I’m needing right now, but a miracle. Today is the beginning of my daddy’s comeuppance, and I am so glad that I’m the one who gets to dish it out. They say Karma is a dish best served cold – and the temperature is about to hit zero below.

  As I enter Kane Labs Corporate Office, everything is glass – outer walls, inner walls, desktops, everything. I hope this isn’t some sort of sign that they can see my scam coming a mile away, I think only half-jokingly. I am feeling very much on display.

  Approaching the reception desk, I quickly compose mys
elf, reminding myself that I’m supposed to be a seasoned reporter for a major publication. Get it together, girl!

  The lovely blonde behind the desk gives me a polite smile. “How may I help you?”

  “My name is Erica Johnson, and I’m a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. I’m here to investigate rumors of there being Sexual Harassment within the Kane Labs corporation. Can you tell me anything about this?”

  A strange expression crosses the young lady’s face, but she quickly recovers her air of professionalism.

  “I most certainly could not, and I don’t know where you’re getting your information. Can I see your credentials, please?” she says curtly.

  Breathing a sigh of relief while silently thanking DJ for being such a thorough hacker, I produce the fake Press ID that he created for me, using an actual copy he’d gotten from inside the LA Times’ security system data bank.

  “There you go,” I smile pleasantly. She looks at it intently, glancing up at my face several times before handing it back to me.

  “Like I said, no idea what you’re talking about,” she says, not so politely this time.

  “Would it be possible for me to speak to some of the other ladies who work here? I’d really like to check further into this story. My sources are always quite reliable, and something tells me that this isn’t just misinformation I’m dealing with here,” I say in my best fake news reporter voice.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea…” she begins, before I cut her off.

  “Please? At least let me be able to tell my editor that I tried my best to get the story before someone else does. It could really get me out of some hot water with him at the moment,” I tell her sheepishly. In an embarrassed tone, I whisper, “I’ve not gotten as many stories as he wants me to the past few weeks,” I say with a shrug.

  With an exasperated sigh, she walks over to a desk, where she speaks to an attractive dark-haired girl. Her expression pretty much mirrors the blonde’s, and they look at each other with worry, before both walk over to where I’m patiently waiting.

  “This is Katie, she’s Executive Secretary to Mr. Nicholas Kane, founder of Kane Labs. She may have heard more about these so-called rumors you speak of than I have,” she says, giving Katie a stern look.

  “What exactly are you inquiring about, Ms….?”

  “Johnson – Erica Johnson, from the LA Times,” I say, extending my hand to shake hers. “I’m here about the allegations of Sexual Harassment and Misconduct, concerning the man that you work for – a Mr. Nicholas Kane,” I tell her in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “Well, I can assure you that those allegations are false,” Katie says in an official tone. “A disgruntled employee, perhaps.”

  “I see…just how many recent employees have left the company – disgruntled, as you call it? And why were they let go?”

  “There have been a couple – and they weren’t ‘let go,’ they left the company by their own choice, with no notice,” she says. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. Good day to you, Ms. Johnson,” and with that, she walks away.

  “I’m sure you can see your way out,” the receptionist says, intentionally being ironic, yet politely letting me know to leave before she calls Security.

  Giving her a weak smile, I start to walk out the door, when I remember something.

  Reaching inside my handbag for one of the three fake business cards that DJ created for me, I write my hotel room number on it and hand it to the receptionist.

  “If you can think of anything else – anything at all, please give me a call,” I say, hoping that this will give them time to regroup and change their minds. There’s someone here with a story to tell, I just know it.

  Smiling curtly, she places the card by her phone and ignores me, I am dismissed.

  When I get outside, I can’t help but have a mini-meltdown.

  “Ugh!” I exclaim loudly, getting weird looks from passersby. How could this have gone so badly? I just knew that they would have taken advantage of the opportunity to expose Nick Kane for who I know that he is – a scumbag…but what if I’m wrong? No way, can’t be. I’ll never believe it.

  I get back to the hotel and call Mel, singing the blues to her about my well-planned fiasco.

  “Aw, dang it girl!” she says morosely. “Well at least you tried to avenge your mama. She would surely understand and be so proud of you for all you’ve done,” she smiles.

  “But I didn’t do anything. I didn’t succeed at what I wanted to accomplish. What good is that?” I’m so disappointed, all I want is to take a bath and veg out in front of the TV.

  “You did your best,” Melanie says, sounding like something that Mama would say. That makes me feel better, thinking of her looking down on me, knowing that I tried.

  “I love you, girl. Thanks for everything. You’ve always been there for me,” I smile, teary-eyed.

  “And I always will be,” she grins. “Now hurry up and get your butt home – we miss you!”

  After my shower, I lay on the bed in my pajamas, watching some random show, and feeling totally useless. What a waste of a trip to Cali, I think to myself, although the beach has been amazing. I think I’ll visit it again tomorrow and relax before heading back home.

  I must’ve dozed off around seven or so, because a knock at the door startles me awake. Strange, I didn’t order room service.

  Grabbing my robe, I look through the peephole. Confused, I slowly open the door.

  “Okay, who are you really? Because I checked, and there’s no ‘Erica Johnson’ who works for the Times.”

  The blonde receptionist is standing before me, along with Katie, daddy’s secretary. They look pissed, while I’m standing there in my robe, looking terrified. Yep, the cow patties have definitely done hit the fan.

  Chapter Forty

  Kassidy

  I open the door and let them in, accepting the fact that the jig is up…they’re on to me. I sit down on the bed and taking a deep breath, I reveal to them what they’re close to figuring out for themselves anyway.

  “My name is Kassidy Kane,” I begin, watching their jaws drop – they know the name. “My father is Nick Kane, your boss.”

  Realization hits them, and they both begin speaking at once.

  “I knew you looked familiar!” Katie says, having an ‘aha’ moment. “I’ve seen your photo on his desk many times, but you’re change – a lot!”

  Nodding wearily, I wait for their questions, with which the blonde, who I now know is named Michelle, begins blasting me.

  “So, you’re spying on your own dad?” she asks, eyeing me suspiciously. “What’s this all about?”

  “Ya’ll better pull up some chairs, ‘cause this is gonna take a while,” I say, my voice grim.

  Taking a deep breath, I begin to tell them the whole story – from the night when I was twelve, and overheard my daddy tearing down my mama, to Buck abducting and assaulting me, to the tornado, to the funeral, to Sam’s confession, and then to the journal. I left nothing of the horrific events of the past year unspoken.

  “And that’s why I’m doing this – to make things right by Mama,” I say with a sigh, exhausted by all of the emotion that the revisiting of my story has evoked.

  When I am done, they both have tears streaming down their cheeks.

  “Kassidy, I am so sorry,” Katie says, sitting down beside of me on the bed and hugging me. “This is awful, just awful!” she sobs.

  “Thank you for being honest with us,” Michelle says, her voice sounding sincere. “Now it’s time that we’re honest with you.”

  “I lied to you when I told you that it was all rumors – the Sexual Harassment allegations,” Katie says, looking ashamed. “He’s done things, nasty things, to several of the women who’ve worked for the lab – myself included.”

  “Most of us have just learned how to side-step his advances, and keep our mouths shut in order to keep our jobs,” Michelle says, a look of disgust on her face. “That is, until Na
talia,” she says, as she and Katie exchange a distraught look.

  I wait for Michelle to go on. Something in their expressions tells me that something happened with this Natalia, and that that something was not good.

  “From the day Natalia was hired, he had a thing for her,” Katie says. “She was stunning, dark hair, olive skin – very exotic-looking. I believe that Nick decided on that day that he had to have her.

  Natalia was from Delhi, India, and had moved here to make money so that she could take care of her ailing parents back home. Nick showered her with gifts and told her to let him know if there was anything that he could do for her parents. He paid for her airline tickets so she could return home at least every other month to check in on them. He paid for a nurse to come in every day and take care of them as well. Natalia was in awe of his generosity, and thought that he was the kindest man she’s ever known…but little did she know that there were expectations of how she must show her gratitude.

  One day, she ran past my desk, crying, her hand clamped over her mouth to hold back her sobs. I called after her, but she didn’t hesitate, and headed straight for the door,” she says.

  “We had no idea what had happened until she didn’t show up for work for several days in a row. So, Katie and I decided to go by her apartment to check on her,” Michelle says. What she says next reminds me of Mama’s story.

  “We knock several times and get no answer, so we tried the door and found it unlocked. We went inside, calling out to Natalia, but no answer. We found her, though…she was on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, in a state of shock. She wouldn’t, or couldn’t answer us when we spoke to her, trying to coax out of her what had happened. But we had pretty much put two and two together already – she had just left Nick’s office when she ran out, hysterical. That’s what made us suspicious enough to go check on her at home – we knew something just wasn’t right.”