by Chloe Morgan
And then, his second.
“You look like you’re running on fumes, Gram.”
Vince’s voice ripped me from my memory-lane trance.
“I feel like it,” I said.
“You should take the summer off from this office,” he said.
“What? The entire summer? Hell no.”
“Come on. The company’s doing fine. That much is obvious. I can hold down the fort while you’re gone, and you can get the rest you need.”
“I’m not leaving for a whole summer.”
“Then, take six weeks. Half the summer, and if you need the rest of it, you have proof that I won’t sink this place while you’re gone,” he said, grinning.
I chuckled. “I know you’re not going to tank this place. You helped me fucking build it.”
“Then go. Take some time for yourself.”
“We need to keep this momentum going. I need to be in the office. Four over-projected quarters is almost unheard of in our profession,” I said.
“And you know damn good and well this steam isn’t letting up anytime soon. Not now, when your loaning department has now just opened up. We’re inundated with customers.”
“Another reason for me to be here.”
“No, another reason for you to vacation, Gram. Things aren’t going to tank over a summer. If anything, they’re going to pick up. People are going to be reaching for our loan department for schooling and such. You know this. And if it’s personal money you’re worried about, look at it this way. You have enough money to secure yourself for four lifetimes. Taking a couple of months off isn’t going to hurt you. Or Oden Investment.”
“So, we went from six weeks to two months?” I asked.
“Bitch about it anymore and I’ll make it two and a half months,” Vince said, grinning.
I sighed, but I had to admit that a nice, long vacation away from New York City sounded nice.
“There’s a nice place in Florida that would be wonderful. Sun. Sand. The ocean. It’s called Palm Beach. Maybe you’ve heard of it,” Vince said with a smirk.
“Ha. Ha. Ha,” I mocked.
“Just go, Gram. And when you come back, it’ll be time to tag me out. I could use a couple of weeks to sleep and eat myself into oblivion.”
“Wait, you’re actually going to take your vacation time if I go?”
“Scout’s honor,” he said.
“You weren’t a damn Scout.”
“Fine. I pinky promise, then. How does that sound?” he asked.
A vacation for a vacation. One I knew Vince deserved but never fucking took.
“Deal,” I said.
“Good. You let me know how Palm Beach treats you. Get yourself a nice resort hotel, get a damn massage or two, stuff your face full of food, and enjoy the sun. I’m going to be very disappointed if you don’t come back with a tan,” he said.
I chuckled. “I’ll even send you pictures of me in my Speedo in the ocean.”
“Yeah, don’t do that.”
“Are you sure? I’d look really nice in one.”
“If you do, I’ll block you and throw my phone into the street from my office window.”
I threw my head back and laughed.
“Hey, Florida was your idea!” I exclaimed.
“If it gets you out of that chair that practically had your body indent in it? Then, fine. But if you come back and I’m blind? Just know I poured bleach into my eyes,” Vince said.
Chapter 4
Nia
“Good morning, beautiful!” Mandy exclaimed.
I looked up at my best friend as she walked through the door.
“Hello, hello,” I said.
“Uh-oh. Someone didn’t have their coffee this morning. Good thing I brought two of them,” she said.
“You’ve known me for years and you still don’t know I don’t drink coffee?”
“I’m just kidding. Damn. It’s that bullshit green tea you drink all the time.”
“Why would you play with me like that? It’s not funny,” I said.
“Because I’m hoping one day it’ll make you laugh, sourpuss,” she said.
“Well, the joke has to be funny first.”
“Drink the caffeine so you can stop being such a jerk,” she said, giggling.
I took the drink from her and took a long pull of it. The green tea tasted divine. I had no idea what that place across the street laced their tea with, but I never could replicate it. I sat down in my chair behind the register desk at the trinket shop I worked at. I closed my eyes and smelled the fresh salted air that wafted through the door as it opened and closed. I loved Palm Beach. It felt like the home I never had. I didn’t make much at Sun & Tan’s Trinket Shop, but I did make enough to afford my own small place above a bakery. I liked waking up to the smells of freshly baked bread in the morning.
“Is it safe now to talk?” Mandy asked.
I swallowed hard. “You can take your chances, sure.”
“You got any plans for your weekend? I know Tanner just promoted you. I’m hoping that frees you up?”
“Mm. It does. But I haven’t made any plans yet. Tanner said he ‘might’ need me to come in Saturday evening. Not sure why.”
“So he can try to kiss you again,” she said.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll bite his damn lips off the next time that happens.”
“So, he’s still causing problems? And you can’t report him to anyone?”
I shrugged. “Report him to who? It’s a small shop, Mandy. He’s the owner, the general manager, and the HR department. Plus, he’s not a problem. More like a nuisance. Some little bug that needs to be squashed.”
“Is there someone beautiful out here talking about me?” Tanner asked.
I sighed as I turned my head, watching my boss pop his head out of the back-room door. He took inventory every Friday morning, which was why I loved my Fridays so much. I wasn’t greeted with the nasty compliment and up-down eye look he gave every female employee he had. In fact, all he employed were females. I knew it. They knew it. Everyone who came into the store knew it. But I was a shitshow in school and refused to go to college, so I needed a job.
Any job that someone would let me have.
“Morning, Tanner,” I said.
“And a good morning to you, too, Nia. That shirt looks great on you. Fits you just…”
His eyes danced over my breasts, and I groaned as I stood up.
“What? It looks nice on you. That’s all,” Tanner said.
“Morning, Tanner,” Mandy spat.
“Uh-huh. Yeah. You too,” Tanner said mindlessly.
“How’s inventory going?” I asked my boss.
“Would be better if I had some help back there. Or, at the very least, some company,” Tanner said, grinning.
“Busy up here counting the register, Tanner. Sorry,” I said.
“Well, anyway, I heard you guys talking about weekend plans. You guys want some company?” Tanner asked.
“No, we don’t,” Mandy said.
“Oh, come on. There’s this great place on the other side of town I know about. There’s a band playing and they’re waiving the cover fee. There’ll be dancing. And the bar’s even got a small kitchen,” Tanner said.
“As fun as it sounds, no,” I said flatly.
“I hear the band’s really good,” Tanner said.
“What’s their name? If they’re good, I’m sure I’ve heard of them,” Mandy said.
“She’s right. Mandy’s the band connoisseur of Palm Beach. Who’s playing?” I asked.
“Well, I—I mean, I could go look up their name. I think it’s—Cat and Mouse?” Tanner asked.
“Who?” Mandy asked, grinning.
“Or Mouse Trap,” Tanner said.
“Try again,” I said.
“It’s something with mouse. I remember that. Trust me, they’re very good. First round of drinks are on me?” Tanner asked.
“I’d rather turn lesbian than have you come
anywhere with us,” Mandy said.
I tipped my green tea up to my mouth to try and conceal my giggle. After all, the man was still my boss. I had to tread a line lightly with him until I could find another job to take underneath my wing. I’d just been promoted to shift manager, and if I could stick that out for a year, that opened up many managerial positions for me in the area.
“Well, maybe Nia wants me to come. Did you ever think about that?” Tanner asked.
The two of them turned to me as I finished off my tea.
“I actually have plans this weekend already,” I said.
“I thought you said you were free?” Tanner asked.
“I thought you said you were doing inventory,” Mandy spat.
“I have some things I have to get done. Things I’ve been putting off in order to take more hours to help me get this promotion. But now that I have it, I really need to get some of those things done,” I said.
“A hard worker. I like that about you, Nia. You’re here with me, dawn to dusk. I swear, I feel like we know one another so well,” Tanner said.
“Trust me, she doesn’t let anyone any closer than she has to,” Mandy said.
I shot her a look. I heard the bitterness of her words. And it wasn’t my fault. That was simply how I was. I didn’t let people get too closely because if I needed to pick up and leave, I could without a second thought.
“I should get to work,” I said.
“Sounds good. I’ll be back in the stockroom if you need me,” Tanner said.
“I’ll call you later?” Mandy asked.
“I’ll be around,” I said.
I worked up until lunch, but the place was dead. It didn’t take much for Tanner to give me the day off—a small batting of my eyelashes, shoving my boobs together and puffing out my chest a bit. If the man was going to be old and nasty toward the women he employed, the least I could do was use it in my favor. I asked for the day off, and he gave it to me quicker than the waves crashed against the shoreline.
Which meant I had time to walk along the beach.
I grabbed a slushie from my favorite place and drove to the beachside. I parked my rust bucket of a vehicle and took off my shoes, letting my dress flap against my bare skin. I grabbed my slushie and set off for the water’s edge. I walked along it, feeling the cool waves lap against my shins as the sun beat down upon my shoulders. My hair blew in the breeze. Seagulls cawed off in the distance.
I was surrounded by sun, sand, and water, by people laughing and making memories and playing in the water. I stopped and turned out toward the ocean, gazing upon the watery horizon. I sipped my slushie, tasting the wonderful combination of green apple and blue raspberry as it melted on my tongue. Anytime I wanted, I could get one. Anytime I wanted, I could put on a dress and come stand in the waves. Anytime I wanted, I could put on a bathing suit and dive into the ocean, surrounding myself with the comforting saltiness of the one thing that brought me peace as a little girl.
I was surrounded by nothing that reminded me of my childhood.
And that was just how I liked it.
Chapter 5
Gram
I stepped off my private jet in Florida, and the smell of the salted air slapped me in the face. I drew in a deep breath of it, feeling the hot sun beating against my shoulders. I tried to relax and get into the mood of this vacation. But the second my phone vibrated, my luggage was on the ground and my phone was out of my pocket.
Vince: I’m assuming you landed. So, stop texting. Go enjoy yourself. I don’t need a play by play.
I fought the urge to argue. Yes, I’d been texting Vince on the plane. But technically, I wasn’t on vacation on the plane, just on the way to it. I wanted to go over some last-minute details with things in progress at the company and make sure everything was good to go. I checked my email one last time and sent off some responses while someone picked up my luggage from the ground.
I looked up and saw an older man smiling at me as he held my luggage in his hands.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
I looked past him at the car behind him, churning and raring to go.
“Yeah, yeah. Just give me one second to send something off,” I said.
“Vince told me you’d say that. So, here’s the response I was said to give. If you don’t send it off now and close out your phone, I have permission to take it from you and ruin it.”
“Wait, you know Vince?”
But all the man did was grin.
He turned on his feet and started for the car. I figured I could send the email out while I was eating some lunch. I slid the phone into my pocket and chuckled, shaking my head at the fact that Vince was keeping such tight tabs on me. The man was insane at times, but I could never fault him for his expertise and detail-oriented mind. I slipped into the car as the driver loaded my luggage; then he got in and looked at me through the rearview mirror.
“Ready to head to your hotel? Or are you looking for some food?” the man asked.
“How long do I have you for?” I asked.
“Your entire vacation, sir.”
“Wow. How much is that costing me?”
“Does it matter?”
I grinned. “Another question commanded by Vince to ask me?”
“Yes, sir,” the driver said, smiling.
“Then, yes. Food first. Wherever you want to go,” I said.
The man drove me through Palm Beach, and I could hear the ocean even through the windows of the car. The man headed straight for this little hole-in-the-wall seafood restaurant, and I was glad I’d worn some shorts and a casual polo. I walked inside and sat down, ordering a soda and something called a Pot of Gold. It ended up being a large dutch oven steaming from the top, overloaded with lobster and potatoes, shrimp and corn, crab legs and steamed broccoli.
It was a damn seafood feast.
“Um, excuse me. How much did the entree cost?” I asked.
I held up my check for my waitress to see as she smiled down at me.
“You didn’t order the one on the lunch menu. So, the dinner price for the Pot of Gold is—”
“Thank you, yes. That’s all I needed to know,” I said.
I handed the woman my card, but my heart raced as she rang me up. I’d never get used to spending money. I’d always pinch pennies and look for a good deal, trying to get the most from my money. It was ingrained into me from my childhood from a very young age, when my refrigerator was filled with nothing but half-spoiled milk and stale cheese.
“Here you go, sir, and we hope to see you again soon,” the waitress said.
I tipped her well, always enjoying when I could spoil someone who worked so hard. Then, I got out of there as quickly as I could before the waitress could question me about it. I pulled out my phone as I got to the car that had apparently been booked for me for an entire month, making sure the last email I crafted was sent off.
And just as I went to get into the car, I saw a cute little trinket shop across the road.
“Driver, could we go over to Sun & Tan’s?” I asked.
“That’s my wife’s favorite place to go. And you can call me Al, if you’d like,” the man said.
“Well then, Al. Why don’t we go find something for your wife to take home?” I asked.
“That isn’t necessary, sir.”
“Gram,” I corrected.
“Gram, that’s very kind of you. But very un—”
“What does she like?” I asked.
The man drove me across the road while we talked. Apparently, his wife collected anything and everything to do with frogs. So, I kept that in mind as I walked into the store. I went in there and looked around. I picked up a few things I saw and turned them over, taking in the prices. The sounds of a door opening in the back corner caught my ear, and I looked up to see what the commotion was.
And I saw her. For the first time in years.
Nia Samuel.
She had a face I could never forget, eyes I’d never wash away f
rom my memories. Even though she was looking down, those bright green eyes shone from the sides of her stare. Her long blonde hair was thick with beachy waves. It glistened with every tone from platinum to honey. Her body had filled out over the years, thick with curves that looked great in the tank top and shorts that donned her body.
My heart stopped in my chest as she walked down the aisle, unaware of the fact that I was there.
Chapter 6
Nia
“Those shorts look very nice on you, Nia,” Tanner said.
“Thanks,” I said flatly.
“Sometimes, I don’t know why I get away with letting you dress the way you do. It could distract the customers.”
“Or my boss,” I murmured.
“What was that?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I said as I turned around.
I saw Tanner’s eyes on my ass, and he didn’t whip his gaze up quickly enough. In fact, when he did bring his gaze away from my fucking legs, they stopped at my chest before finally meeting my eyes. I scoffed and shook my head. What he was doing was insane, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to take much more of it.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Nia,” Tanner said as he licked his lips.
“And for the last time, I’m not interested in you,” I said.
“Oh, I’m sure I could change your mind on that.”
“Not in the slightest,” I said, snickering.
I’d told that man many times, and it seemed as if telling him again was just another part of my routine for being at this job. There wasn’t a woman I worked above that didn’t complain about the way Tanner talked to them or looked at them. They came to me with their issues, hoping there was something I could do to resolve them.