AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Mr. Banks—”
“I’ll give you a raise,” Mr. Banks interrupted. “And a longer lunch hour if you need it. You wouldn’t turn away a man during his hour of need, would you, Ms. Auden?”
“I’ll take a look at my email, but this doesn’t mean I’ll be returning,” I replied after a brief pause. “And I’ll expect to be paid for my work regardless.”
“Consider it done.”
After he hung up, I pulled the phone away from my ear and shook my head. I ran a hand over my face before I picked my laptop up off the dresser and pressed the button. Once it started, I waited for the webpage to load and drummed my fingers against my thigh. While I knew that making that phone call couldn’t have been easy for Mr. Banks, I also wasn’t under any delusions as to what it meant.
As far as Mr. Banks was concerned, I was still just a means to an end.
Valuing me for my work didn’t mean that he was going to change.
Not when he needed me.
Part of me was afraid that as soon as he had no more use for me, he’d go right back to his old ways. Considering he was smart enough to offer me a raise, I had a feeling he knew how much I needed the job. Once I was done scanning the documents he sent and making the necessary changes, I paused and added a list of my conditions for returning to the publishing house.
Including the right to a severance package if Mr. Banks tried anything.
Although I needed the money, I was putting my foot down and making it clear that if Mr. Banks came after me again, I wouldn’t stand for it. I read over the email one more time before I held my breath and sent it. When I was done, I refreshed my inbox and blew out a breath.
I had no idea how long I stood there, staring at my phone, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Since Mr. Banks had already begged me to return and admitted that he needed my help, I wasn’t sure that pushing my luck was a good idea. However, if there were the slightest chance my email was going to ensure Mr. Banks didn’t overstep again, I would be relieved.
Either way, I couldn’t take it back.
A short while later, the doorbell rang, slicing through the air. I came out of the room with my head held high and my shoulders squared. On my way past Anne and Jimmy, I paused and gave them a reassuring smile. Through the slit in the door, I peeked and saw Albin’s outline, his hands clasped behind his back. After I undid the latch, the door creaked open, and I poked my head out.
“Hi.”
Albin stood up straighter and held his hands out, revealing the bouquet of brightly colored flowers. He held them out and smiled when I took them. “Hi. I thought you might like these.”
I took them from him and sniffed. “They’re beautiful.”
Albin reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a bag of candy. “I got these for Jimmy. I’m not sure how much candy he’s allowed to have or what kind he likes, so I got a little of everything.”
I lowered the flowers, and my lips lifted into a half smile. “You really didn’t need to do all of this.”
Albin shrugged. “I wanted to.”
I pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped aside. “Come on in.”
He smelled like sandalwood and sage when he brushed past me, and I inhaled, butterflies forming in the center of my stomach. Once I kicked the door shut, Jimmy stood up and walked towards us.
“I know you. You were here yesterday.”
“That’s right. It’s nice to meet you, Jimmy. I’m Albin.”
“Sweetheart, Albin is a good friend of mommy’s from work. He got you candy.”
Jimmy hid behind my leg and peered up at Albin, a myriad of emotions dancing across his face. “Thank you.”
Albin crouched in front of him and pulled something else out of his pocket. When I leaned forward and saw the small action figure, my heart gave an odd little twinge. I wanted to ask if Albin suspected the truth, and that’s why he was being so nice, but I was afraid to ask.
What if he was being nice to make me lower my defenses?
What if he planned on taking Jimmy away once my guard was down?
Jimmy glanced up at me, and I nodded. His hand darted out, and he took the action figure away, holding it up to the light. “It’s really nice. Thank you.”
