Bette inwardly groaned. She didn't like summarizing her pathetic life. "I guess there's not much to tell. I worked for nearly 23 years at a law firm I helped build from the ground up. I was the office manager and did a little of everything. I live in Roark, so I'm not far from the facility. I'm punctual and hard-working."
He leaned back in his chair, folding his hairy arms over his chest. "Have you been in Roark this whole time?"
"No, I was in Belleville but moved here after leaving my job."
"Seems like a big career move to leave a job after so long."
Yeah, you would, too, if your wife fucked someone two decades younger than you."It was a big move, but I felt it was time. As you can see from the letter of reference, I left on good terms."
His forehead wrinkled as he nodded at a stack of papers she assumed were her resume and references. "That's true. I called all the references, and not a single person had a badword to say. Proficient and professional. I guess my biggest question is, why here? You have never worked in a rehabilitation facility. You've had one job in twenty years and a sudden move, so what brings you here?"
What brings me here?What a loaded question. Complete and utter betrayal. Her ex's twitchy clit. A selfish asshole who threw her away like trash. Living in her childhood home with her narcissistic mother at the age of 47. The whole fucking world falling on top of her. "I want to challenge myself with something out of my comfort zone. You don't grow without change, and I want to grow. I want to experience new things."
"And you're aware you'll be surrounded by some rough characters, right? This isn't a luxury rehab. Over half of our clients are court-mandated. Many of them have zero desire to be here. There are nice guys, and then there are not so nice guys. I had to send someone home just yesterday for trashing the house he was staying in. We've got serious criminals, and no offense, ma'am, but you don't exactly look like that's your type of environment."
Heat rushed up her chest and throat, settling over her face. How dare he assume she's not capable of handling herself. Just because she looked nice and wasn't a man didn't mean she wasn't capable. Irritation simmered just below the surface like a pot of water just before the bubbles popped up from the bottom to a rolling boil. "Mr. Elrod, I'm a determined person. When I decide to do something, I do it. I ran a successful law firm for over 20 years. I think I can handle some men and a nonprofit organization."
Steepling his hands, he rested his chin on them, taking his time to think it over. The clock above the window ticked loudly. It was two hours behind the actual time, increasing Bette's irritation with the place.Why have a clock if you're not going to keep it true to time?
The clock ticked and tocked for a solid two minutes, and just as Bette was about to stand up and leave, he shrugged and sat up. "Well, if you think you can handle it, welcome aboard."
Bette frowned as she blinked at him a few times before responding. "That's it? I have the job?"
"Yeah."
"How? You barely interviewed me, and you didn't think I could manage it not even five minutes ago."
He shrugged again, and the shrugging shoulder was starting to irritate her further. "Truthfully, not many people want to work here. And I know you don't have a degree, but you'll notice a lot of our staff is more experience-based than academically qualified.We believe in giving chances. Most of the staff are recovering addicts. You'll find we tend to look more at the person's actions than what's on paper."
Bette's rigid form lost some of its hardness. Her shoulders drooped a little as she took in his words. She hadn't expected that answer. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"
He smiled wide, already reading her as if her thoughts had rolling subtitles across her forehead. "Let me guess, am I an addict?"
Bette bit her bottom lip and nodded, unsure of etiquette when asking such a question.
"Yeah, I am. I've been clean for 22 years in August. Used to snort all the coke I could get my hands on. OD'd four times. I finally got sick of feeling like shit and accepted help from my probation officer. I tried three times to get clean and managed on the last try. Almost everyone on our staff is in recovery. We do have a few that've been affected by addiction in other forms, but for the most part, we've all been in the same fight."
That made sense even though it had never occurred to Bette that people who would relate to the clients most would be people who have had firsthand experience. Her inflated sails lost a little wind. She already didn't blend in. Not relating to the people walking through the halls only seemed to add weight to her shoulders. Doubt was rearing its head again.
He spoke assuredly, breaking her thoughts. "But you seem more than capable of doing the job, and you'll learn more of the addiction side with time. That's not an issue. I just don't want you to think this is going to be a picnic. We're all a little rough around the edges here."
Bette swallowed down the small ball of fear that had developed in her throat and put on a confident smile she hoped looked natural. "I can handle rough around the edges. Shall we talk pay and expectations?"
Chapter 3
The conversation that followed after Tyler offered her the job was easier than the first half. Bette knew going in that the pay wouldn't be great. The benefits weren't bad, though; they got a decent amount of personal time, so she couldn't complain. It wasn't as if she was going to stay there forever. This was just to get her feet wet, get back in the flow of things, and become a functioning human again.
She filled out some paperwork, then was passed off to his personal assistant and front office manager to take a drug test. Bette's eyes bulged at the cabinet filled to the brim with drug tests. She must have noticed Bette's expression as the woman had just chuckled and explained they buy the tests in bulk, and every client tested at admission and sometimes throughout their stay. Bette wasn't surprised when she passed but did feel weird watching the woman don latex gloves and test her urine right at her desk. She was then sent back off to Tyler.
"Well, now that all of that is out of the way, what about a tour?"
Smiling, Bette nodded. "I'd like that."
Bette felt confident as they left his office. It had gone much better than she anticipated. A small amount of heaviness left her chest as she followed him outside to the main hall. The immediate future didn't seem as dark—not bright, but a bit better.
The building they were in was called The Main. It was in a T-shape with housing rooms in the top line of the T. The long part was medical, the cafeteria, offices for staff, and laundry.
"Now, right here is where you can order lunch through the cafeteria. We provide a lunch for staff daily, but you're welcome to bring your own. It's not the best food in the world, but it gets the job done."
