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He thought about her innocence earlier, then just as quick countered silently that she could just be that good of an actress. Man, he hated this crap. When he heard her behind him, he dusted imaginary crumbs from his hands above the garbage, and forced a smile.
The sound of a horn in the driveway drew his gaze to the window first.
“There’s my ride,” he said unnecessarily. “Thanks for the pizza.”
“Sure,” she replied. “See you Monday.”
He nodded, not wanting to speak the lie out loud. She followed him to the door to shut it behind him. Two steps off the porch, though, he spun around and returned. He shouldn’t care. Should go home and let her take care of herself with that impressive right hook and intimidating gun. But…if what’d happened the other day hadn’t in fact been an accident, it wouldn’t hurt to remind her to be careful.
Grabbing the handle, he opened the door to lean back inside. “Marley!”
She whirled to face him with a gasp. He twisted the door handle back and forth and commanded, “Lock this.”
Then he left.
Chapter 7
Dear Ms. Wade,
Effective immediately, your employment with Hunter Construction, Inc. is terminated. You will receive one-month’s salary as severance and…
Disbelief sent a hot flash through Marley’s body.
Fired?
She sank down onto the couch in the living room, the letter crumpled in her lap. Exactly as she’d feared. The mistake of the other day came to mind, and she raised the letter with shaking fingers. It had been a costly one. She could understand if that was the reason, even though she didn’t agree with the way they went about letting her go.
She read the letter in its entirety, realizing that beyond the point where she’d gone numb, there was only the end of that last sentence.
…and your health care benefits will continue until you obtain alternate employment, or a period of ninety days has passed, whichever comes first.
Sincerely,
Justin Blake
Co-owner, Hunter Construction, Inc.
She stared at the signature. What was it with that name these days? Were men by the name of Justin destined to turn her life upside down? First one kissed her, then another fired her.
There was no specific reason given for the termination, just the letter and the pitifully empty box of her things from the trailer, all delivered by courier this morning.
She sat up straight. She wanted to know why. Not to defend herself—okay, so there was that—but even if it was a rightful termination, wasn’t she entitled to know why?
Confusion and shock began to give way to angry resentment. She stormed to the kitchen and dialed the corporate office, but received a voice recording stating normal business hours were from seven a.m. to five p.m. Monday through Friday. Giving a frustrated growl, Marley hung up without leaving a message. She’d have to wait until Monday to confront the bastard. But what the hell did she do with her pissed off self until then? If she didn’t know how much it hurt, she’d punch something.
She rose decisively.
“Nate!” she called on her way down the hall. “You up? I’m going for a run.”
Receiving no answer, she bypassed her room and knocked on his door. She peeked her head inside and was only mildly surprised to see an empty bed, exactly as it had been since she’d made it the morning before. He was probably sleeping off his own anger—and most likely a hangover—at a friend’s house. He’d been drinking more since Dad’s accident.
Trying not to worry about that issue, she decided she’d talk to him later and changed into a tank top and some old cotton running shorts. Usually she ran in the evenings because of work, but today she needed a release for her anger.
Fifteen minutes later, at the popular Mountain Lion Loop Trailhead in Golden Gate Canyon State Park, she got out of her truck and did a few stretches on the bumper, all the while thinking about the letter. Yes, the rafters had been a mistake, and if that was the reason why she’d been fired, then fine. But tell her. Call her in, face to face and fire her like a man. This formal letter shit was so cowardly she was almost glad she wouldn’t be working for Hunter Construction anymore.
Finished with her stretches, she grabbed her water bottle and went to use the restroom in the visitor center before she jogged the seven mile mountain trail.
After exiting the building, she shifted into a jog around the corner and ran straight into a wall. At least it felt like a wall. Reeling back, she let her temper take over.
