AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
Mae
He sits straight across from me at a desk with wide-open windows behind him, a view of the mountain range in the distance. He’s big, inked, tall, and wide. The man could be a book cover model if he wanted to. I bet everyone would read the tawdry tale of the big, burly man who wears a suit coat all day and flannel all weekend. Well, they would as long as the author wrote a character that had the exact opposite personality of the man I’m staring at.
Book-boyfriend Luke would have the same rugged, burly exterior, but he’d also have a heart of gold and a soft spot for cute little redheads that love Christmas more than any other holiday. He’d also want a big family, a little house out on the hill overlooking the valley, and he’d love to build said redhead anything she could dream.Yeah, that would be perfect.
I twist my hair in knots around my index finger and stare at my computer screen, trying to look busy, but I caught up on everything we need done a week ago. I swear at this point I’m only here to keep him company. I think Scrooge doesn’t like to be alone.
“You don’t look busy, Mae.” His tone is rough and grumbled. It always sounds like this.
“I’m always busy! I’m adding all the advertisements Rugged Mountain Ink bought to the website.” There’s a bite in my tone, probably because I’m most definitely not doing what I said I’m doing.
“No, you’re not. You’re looking at shoes.”
I glance toward Luke, then back at my computer screen, which most definitely showcases the cutest pair of red pumps I’ve been debating for the lodge Christmas Party.How does he know that, though?
“You’re spying on me now?”
“It’s not spying if you work for me. It’s proper supervision.”
“Right,” I grumble, clicking off the screen and back to the website I’m working on. “You know if I leave, you won’t find anyone else to do what I’m doing for you, right? Anyone in their right mind would have run for the hills by now. There are plenty of jobs in town.”
“Are there, though? I suppose if you want to clean lodge rooms, you could find something, but would they pay you what I’m paying?”
I draw in a heavy breath and let it go slowly, trying not to lose my cool. The truth is, he’s not wrong. Luke pays double what I’d get anywhere else in town. Even if I wanted to take the cut in salary, I went to school for graphic design and computer tech. I don’t want to waste that.
“It’s nearly five. I’m going to pack up and head out. I have to take my son to basketball.”
“Basketball is in a couple nights. Why are you lying to me?” He stands from his desk and makes his way toward me. The space isn’t huge. We have a studio sized room at the back of the lodge. It’s partitioned into two spaces. One for the ever-important Luke Mathers, and a tiny cube for me with a view of a side window staring out into nothing.
A vein throbs in my neck as he nears. Personality wise, I can’t stand the man, but still, the closer he gets, the more my body reacts like a teenage girl about to confront the hottest guy at school.
He lowers his huge body onto the edge of my desk. “Why are you filling me with lies, Mae?”
“I’m not lying.” I am, in fact, lying.
Luke laughs and picks up a framed photo on the corner of my desk. It’s Josh and I up at the lake last summer fishing. “He’s growing up.”
“Yeah, and I’d really like to see him so…”
“So… what? You expect me to shut down early because you want to see your son?”
I look away and try not to laugh at the lack of awareness this man has. “It’s one night. I’ve been here late every day for weeks. My sister’s been feeding him. I just want to have dinner with my kid.”
“Feed him when you get home. Problem solved.”
“He’s six! If I fed him when I got home, it would be eight o’clock.”
“Then feed him here.”
I roll my eyes. “Feed him here?You would rather me bring my kid to work than leave early?”
Luke stands from the edge of the desk and makes his way back toward his office. “I need you here until eight. So, if you want to bring Josh in to sit with you, that’s fine. Just get your work done. No more shoe shopping.” His tone is curt and aggressive.
This should be the part where I revolt against everything and storm out the door, but I know how lucky I am to be collecting the paycheck. As a single mom, I need the money. I don’t remember the last time I got a child support check and I sure as heck don’t have a support system that I can fall back on. The only option I have is to show up, do this shit job, and hope I save enough money to transition once I’ve gained a little experience… or hope that something wonderful falls from the sky.
You know, because wonderful opportunities fall from the sky so often.
