Page 9 of At His Beck & Call

I scroll away from his name, back up to the top of my contact list, and stab my finger into Bethany’s name.

“Hi,” she answers immediately. “I was just about to call you, I’m so?—”

“Don’t apologize,” I say quickly. “All you ever do is try to help me. I know that. I shouldn’t have lost my temper. I understand why you said what you said, what you were trying to do, and I’m grateful. I’m really sorry for going off on you like that.”

“Lissa, it’s alright, I should have heard you out?—”

“I just lost my job.”

There’s a long silence on the other end of the line, and then Bethany’s voice comes through again, ominous and filled with rage.

“What?”

“Francesca fired me because Henry threw up at school, and I have to go and get him. She’s given me my two weeks. Please, Bethany, I’m begging you. I know you don’t like the idea of me working at Sterling House, but I don’t have any other choice.” I give a long, defeated sigh. “Well, that’s not entirely true,” I continue, feeling guilty for twisting the knife. “I could call James, and he’d pay for everything.”

“Fuck me,” Bethany says despairingly.

“Please, Beth. If I hate it, I’ll quit, but I have to try. For Henry.”

There is a long, agonizing pause as I hold my breath.

“Alright,” Bethany says eventually. “I’ll set up an interview, but I’m going to give Pippa parameters. Non-negotiables. There are some shmucks on our books that don’t get to go near you with a five-hundred-foot pole. Is that understood? And we have the SOS rule like before. You feel unsafe, you call me, and I’ll come get you immediately.”

“Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you, too. So much. I fucking hate this, though. I’ll be in touch.”

Then she hangs up, and I place my phone gently back in my bag and keep walking toward the school. That’s what I’m good at. I keep going until all hope has faded.

Chapter 4

Lissa

“I’m okay, Mommy.” Henry gently swats my hand away as I smooth his hair for the final time before we leave the apartment.

“Do you have any more stomach pains?” I ask, trying to keep a lightness in my voice that I don’t feel. “It’s okay if you do, I’ll stay home with you this evening.”

“I know, you told me,” Henry says, his huge blue eyes looking up at me. “But I feel better.”

I put my hand under his chin, looking him over carefully as he giggles and pulls away.

“Where are we going?” he says curiously, and my gut clenches at the innocent expression on his face.

“I just need to leave you with the sitter for a couple of hours, okay? But I won’t be too long.”

“Okay.”

“And if you don’t feel well, you make sure to tell her, and she’ll call me.”

“I will, Mommy.”

“And you don’t feel dizzy or anything?” Henry shakes his head.

“Can we get a puppy?”

I pause, my hand on the door, the question so out of the blue it makes me stop dead in my tracks.

“What?” I ask stupidly.