by Riley, Alexa
The guy blocking my view of her moves in his chair and I’m having to lean back so far that my front chair legs lift off the ground.
“That would probably be better answered by our CEO. Shawn?”
Belinda’s words catch me completely off-guard and before I know what’s happening my chair tilts too far back for me to catch myself and I’m tumbling backwards into the air. There’s an audible gasp in the room when I hit the ground and I groan from embarrassment and not pain.
“Oh god, are you okay?” Belinda rushes over as I roll out of my chair and she helps me stand up.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” I say and look around the room to everyone on their feet and staring at me. “Luckily just my pride is injured.”
A few people laugh, and I glance to the back of the room where the blonde is again being blocked by George in accounting.
“It’s okay, take your seats,” I say and walk over to where Belinda is standing. “Can I have the question again?” I smile, and the room relaxes.
I spend the next hour speaking with everyone and giving a general update about what’s coming for the next quarter and what to expect with the upcoming holidays.
“Kristen in Human Resources is going to send out our new benefit information at the end of the week, so if anyone has any questions regarding that, she’ll be here after we adjourn to answer specifics.” I look to Belinda, who says we’ve covered everything and we’re good to adjourn. “Thank you all for coming. And for allowing me to try out my new acrobatic performance.”
There’s laughter and murmurs of appreciation as the room stands and everyone gathers their things. People are talking and the space is filled with chatter as I try to look over everyone to spot the blonde in the back.
A few people stop me to say hello on my way to the back of the room. I pause and talk to them and answer any follow-up questions they have, while secretly looking for the mystery woman. By the time I’ve spoken with everyone and shaken their hands, the room is almost empty. I glance around and I’m disappointed when I don’t see her anywhere.
“Are you heading home for the day?” Belinda asks, and I look back to see her arms full of papers. “I’m going to do a little work before I meet Roger for dinner.”
“Um, yeah. I’ll probably skip out now. I want to get an early start in the morning.” I’m already thinking about going into a couple of stores tomorrow and asking around to see if she works there. I could probably ask Belinda, but I feel like this is more of a private issue.
“Good luck. Call me if you need me,” she says as she walks out of the room with the last remaining person.
The door closes behind her and I sigh. I grab the stack of handouts we were all given today and straighten them up. The sound of a door opening has me looking up, and to my surprise the blonde is standing there.
I’m silent for a moment as I take her in. She’s wearing her Community Mart uniform with a handbag clutched tight in front of her. Her long blonde hair is over one shoulder and her brown eyes are looking anywhere but at me. She’s beautiful, and though she looks delicate I can somehow see there is strength in her.
“Hi,” I say, stepping closer to her. “I saw you come in earlier.”
She blushes and finally looks me in the eyes. “I thought you’d be old.” She puts her hand over her mouth and her eyes widen in panic. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out.”
I laugh and hold my hand out. “I’m Shawn.”
She puts her hand in mine, and though her skin is soft she’s got calluses on her palms. Like she works with her hands. If she’s working in one of our stores, then she’s probably a cashier or stocker. She gives me a firm shake with a strong grip, and I’m surprised how much I like the feel of it.
“I’m Bailey Webb. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It sure is.” I hold her hand longer than I should, but I’m not ready to let it go.
We stare at one another for a long moment until she blinks and loosens her grip. Only then do I release her, but I step forward a little, needing that closeness back.
“Sorry, I had this whole speech prepared in my head. I’ve said it a hundred times on the way over here.” Her eyebrows draw together and concern is all over her face.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” My instinct to protect her is strong, and suddenly I feel responsible for how she feels. “Would you like to sit down?”
She glances at her watch and bites her lip. “I don’t think I have time. I didn’t realize the meetings went so long.”
“Can I buy you dinner?” The words are out of my mouth before I have time to think about it. I’m sure Kristen in HR would be having a panic attack right now if she were in the room.
“I, um, don’t have time.”
It sounds like an excuse, but it could just be because I’m disappointed. “How long do you have?” I find myself pushing for even just a little more time. I need to know what’s got her upset.
“Not long. I should have left fifteen minutes ago.” She takes a step towards the door and everything in me needs her to stay.
“Here,” I say, taking out my wallet and pulling out a card. I grab a pen off the table and scribble my personal number on the back. “That’s my direct line. Nobody has that but my mom. You can call me on your way to wherever you need to go. Or text. Either way, I’ll answer, day or night.”
God, could I sound any more desperate? My need to connect with her is unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
“Wow, I didn’t expect this.” She looks at the card and then up to me like I’ve given her a golden ticket into the chocolate factory. “I’ll call you.”
She tucks the card in her bag and walks out of the room before I can say another word.
I stand there completely still as I replay the whole thing in my head. I’ve never given out my number to anyone before. There’s something about her that’s different yet perfect. I need to know more and I need it now.
I take out my work phone and hit a few buttons and put it to my ear. “Hey Kristen, it’s Shawn. Can I get you to email me a file on an employee?”
Chapter 3
Bailey
“Sorry I’m late,” I say to Annie as I hop out of my car and grab the grocery bags. Kyle texted me when I was on the way home to tell me that they asked him to work late and he wouldn’t be able to bring over pizza tonight. So not only did the meeting take forever, but I had to go get some food for us, too.
Annie and Hazel are feeding one of the goats with a bottle. Not that it needs to be bottle-fed anymore. Hazel loves doing it, and now the two girl goats—Abby and Gabby—are spoiled. Thankfully, she doesn’t try to do it with our cow, Sugar.
“It’s fine.” Annie waves a hand at me.
I have no idea what I would do without her. She’s been a godsend for me since my mom up and took off on Hazel and me. She always helps here and there, but lately she’s been doing it a lot more. The more she’s here, the more it costs us, but I’m just happy she can pick up the extra hours.
Normally a check from the state is deposited into Hazel’s account to help with homecare, but I’m pretty sure my mom has had the funds moved to somewhere else. I can’t even call and find out because then the state would find out I’m taking care of Hazel on my own. I can’t risk them taking her from me. Hazel would likely have a breakdown. I probably would, too. I need to get a lawyer to see what can be done, but that takes money and time—two things I don’t have.
“Gabby won’t share.” Hazel shakes her head and her blonde curly hair bounces around her. Gabby jumps up and tries to grab one of her ringlets, making her laugh.
“What do you want for dinner?” I call out, making my way towards them. “I have stuff for spaghetti or grilled cheese with tomato soup.”
“Spaghetti with grilled cheese,” Hazel suggests.
“I can do that.” I look over at Annie, who is getting her stuff together on the front porch. “You wanna join us?” I offer.
“Na
h, I’ve got plans today.”
“She’s got a date.” Hazel leans closer to me. “With a boy.” The way she says it makes me laugh. “She gets funny eyes when she talks about it. Like how the girls at the store get when Mason walks by.”
Hazel and I both make a fake gag noise when she says Mason’s name. We always do when it’s just the two of us.
“I don’t get funny eyes!” Annie says as her face turns a little red. She puts her hands on her hips and pretends to glare.
“Oh sorry.” Hazel looks over at me, her eyes dancing with mischief and smiles. God, I love her.
The whole way home I worried about what we’re going to do about insurance for her. We’re so tight on money and I’m always stressed, but a few minutes with my Hazel Basil and I’m laughing. She always does that to me.
“Whatever,” Annie huffs in fake annoyance. “I’ll see you guys later.” She waves as she makes her way to her car.
“How come you never date like Annie? You think boys are gross, too?” She scrunches her nose. Gabby pushes on Hazel, making her almost fall over, but I catch her.
“Who has time for boys when you have a cow, two goats, and too many other animals to remember them all?” I tease.
The animals are a lot to handle, but I couldn’t say no when Hazel somehow got us all of them. Now here we are with our own little farm. She’s passionate about them and they make her face light up every day.
“Maybe a boy could help us with Sugar,” Hazel offers with a bright smile.
My mind flashes to Shawn, and I push the thought away. Don’t even go there. I don’t have time for dating, let alone dating someone like Shawn Reed. He’s way out of my league, and he’s also my boss. Maybe not a day-to-day boss in the store, but he’s in charge. The last thing I need to do is risk my job. I might even be getting a promotion, which will mean more money for Hazel and me. Even if I have to be closer with Mason, I’ll make it work somehow.
“Is she being sassy again?” I ask, trying to get off the subject of boys. That cow is a handful.
“She’s a brat.” Hazel shakes her head like a scolding parent as she gazes at Sugar. “But I love her!” She yells the last part, as if Sugar understands her. “Don’t be mad at me, Sugar!” she adds for good measure. “She needs a sister.”
“Don’t even start.” I point at Hazel in warning. “One cow is enough.”
I watch her smirk and I know she’s already thinking up a way to get another cow. To be honest, I don’t even know where Sugar came from. We just found her roaming on our land one day and she’s never left. So here she stays.
Hazel goes to respond, but I cut her off. “Get the chickens in the coop and put Gabby and Abby away. I’ll start dinner.”
I lean down and kiss Hazel on the top of her head before heading back towards the house. A curse slips free when the top step to the porch gives out and I nearly bust my ass trying to catch myself.
“Crap.” I look back to Hazel. “Watch the step when you come in,” I tell her, pushing myself to my feet.
“You okay?” She starts to come my way.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “I’m all good.” I wave her off.
Another thing that needs to be fixed. It would be cheaper at this point if I got us a small apartment, but I could never ask her to leave the farm. She loves it here too much, and big changes stress her to the point of causing seizures.
I thought Mom not being around might set her off more, but she doesn’t seem to care. That makes two of us. If it wasn't for the insurance my mom kept on Hazel from her job, I would have been more than happy with her up and leaving.
I need to look into seeing if I can hire a handyman for the day. There are just some tasks I don’t know how to do myself, and sometimes when I try to fix things I make them worse. Maybe I’ll put a flyer up on the board at work. I’d rather it be someone I know or someone who comes recommended from a trusted source. I don’t like random men coming around Hazel.
Another blessing since my mom’s been gone. I don’t have to put up with that crap anymore. I wonder how long she’ll stay gone. She’s taken off a few times before for a week or so, saying Hazel is too much to handle. It’s been a month now and I know she’s not at her old job because the insurance lapsed on Hazel. When I went to pick up Hazel’s medications and they told me the full price I almost fell over. There’s no way I can afford the pills without insurance.
I still don’t know how Mom couldn’t handle it around here. All she had to do was go to work at the nursing home in the next town over. The only thing she ever did for Hazel was cover insurance. I started working when I was fourteen and I’ve been paying most of the bills with the help of whatever aid I could get from the state. I was the one to apply for everything and send it all in. Now that money is gone, too, and we’re left with nothing.
I dust my hands off as I enter the house, trying not to focus on my mom. Hazel can always sense when I’m upset. I put the stuff on the kitchen counter and get out what I need to make dinner. I set everything on the counter because I know Hazel will want to help.
I go into my bedroom, get out of my work clothes and put on yoga pants and a T-shirt. I pull my hair into a ponytail and try to let all the stress go just for a little while.
When I enter the kitchen, I fish though my purse to find the card Shawn gave me. I play with the card for the millionth time and let it slide between my fingers. I stare down at the number that I’ve already memorized and somehow I’m still shocked that he gave it to me. Not as shocked as I was about how hot he was. And so incredibly sweet, too. I’d misjudged him twice before he even opened his mouth.
He had this whole bad boy look to him, with his hair a little long and tattoos peeking out from under the sleeves of his rolled up buttoned up shirt but then he fell out of his chair and I had to smother a laugh. Suddenly he wasn’t this mega CEO, he was just a nice guy who was a little clumsy. Then he opened his mouth and nothing about his words or actions were “bad boy.” He was sincere and kind when he spoke about the company and the plans he has for the future.
I know I need to call him, but I feel anxious about it. He could say no to what I’ll ask, and I don’t know if I can handle it. In fact, after seeing him today at the meeting, I know he’s going to say no. He seems like a really good person, but also by the book. I need him to put my sister on my insurance without all the paperwork to say I’m her guardian. It’s definitely breaking some major federal regulations, but I still have to try.
Hazel walks in a moment later with Hopper in her arms. That bunny won’t let anyone hold her but Hazel. Hopper cuddles contently in Hazel’s arms as she sits down at the kitchen table.
“If you’re going to help cook, you have to put the bunny away,” I tell her as I put the card back into my purse. I’ll call him later if it’s not too late by the time I get everything done. If not, I’ll just have to call him on my break tomorrow.
“She’ll be good.” Hazel sits Hopper on the table. “Don’t be a bad girl.” She points at Hopper, who looks up at her with innocent eyes. “See?” She smiles at me.
Hazel washes her hands and I look over at the rabbit, who is actually minding Hazel. I don’t know how she does it, but even the animals adore her.
“How was school?” I ask as we start to make dinner.
“It was boring,” she sing-songs. “Ms. Copper wasn’t there today, so we had an extra-long PE class and no art.” She huffs the last part. If it were up to Hazel, it would be art class all day and no PE ever. Not that I blame her. I was never a fan of PE either.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” I tell her as I put the water on the stove for the pasta. I turn around and lean up against the counter, watching as she gets the grilled cheese ready to cook.
“What would you think about me becoming the assistant manager at the grocery store?”
She pauses, and I watch her think for a moment. Most people automatically think that Hazel is dumb, but she’s not. She’s just a little slower wh
en she has to process things. Big stuff is more difficult for her, but from what her doctors and teachers have told us, she has the learning ability of a twelve-year-old.
I don’t know the whole story because my mother refused to talk to me about it, but during the delivery of Hazel something went wrong and Hazel suffered a traumatic brain injury. The doctors originally thought she’d never be able to speak or walk, but she’s so strong and loves proving people wrong. She won’t ever be able to live alone or take care of herself completely, but she can have a beautiful, full life, and that’s all I ever want for her. I loved her like my own baby the day she came home from the hospital. I’m okay with her being with me for the rest of our lives because she deserves someone who will look out for what’s best for her, and because I love her.
She has small seizures throughout the day, but none that keep her from being able to function. As long as she stays on her medication she’s healthy. I just need to find a way to get her on my insurance and keep her on her meds. Her quality of life directly relates to mine because I want her to be the happiest she can be.
“Does that mean I wouldn't be your bagger anymore?” she asks, and I watch as her thumb starts to tap her index finger, something she does when she gets annoyed.
“Probably, but you could bag for Kyle or some of the other girls. You might like bagging for them, too. If I was the assistant manager, you could tell me who you wanted to bag for and I could make it happen. It would be like you’re in charge of where the baggers are assigned. In fact, maybe you could help me pick each day who bags for each cashier.”
Her finger stops tapping and she perks up at that. Her eyebrows come together in concentration, then her eyes light up. “So I’d be the bagger manager?”
“Sounds fancy.” I smile at her. “But I haven't gotten the job yet. Mason—” Hazel gags, making me fight a smile. “Mason said he wants to talk to me about it, but I wanted to talk to you first.” I walk over to her. “Because we’re a team and we decide things together.”