AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah,” Jack rubbed his chin. “I acted like I just wanted to catch up, but really, I had a favor to ask him.”
“You snake,” I said drolly. “Did he say yes?”
The bartender dropped my new Sam Adams on the bar, closer to Jack than me.
Jack slid the beer down to me. “I don’t know. I haven’t asked him yet.”
I raised my eyebrows. I could count on one hand how many times Jack had asked me for a favor. Not that I didn’t owe him at least a dozen, but he wasn’t the kind of guy to ask. Hell, he wasn’t the kind of guy toneeda favor. When I met Jack, I was twenty-two and he was twenty-eight going on forty. He wore argyle sweater vests and bow ties and plaid jackets with patches on the elbow. I was struggling through college with financial aid, a work-study set up, and a chip on my shoulder. We should have detested each other, but you couldn’t hate a guy like Jack. He saw what you needed and got it for you before you could tamp down your pride and ask.
“Whatever you need, it’s yours,” I said, the game on TV snagging my attention. I wasn’t even that curious what it was. I was just glad I finally had a chance to repay him for those long years when I was struggling and he was always there to kick my ass or buy me a beer, whatever he deemed necessary. If it was money, I’d hand him a blank check. If Jack hadn’t been there, I doubt I’d be in the position I am now. He was the one who pegged I’d be good at marketing and helped me get my foot in the door at a firm. Now I had my own, and the money I’d been chasing so hard for so long was suddenly abundant.
Even after Shara’s cut, I had more money than I’d ever imagined I would.
“You remember my oldest, Layla?”
“Yeah,” I said distractedly. The Red Sox had two men on base and two outs. It was hard to focus on Jack’s favor.
“She’s moving back home.”
“Hey, that’s great, man.” I managed to tear my gaze away from the game. I knew Jack and Isabelle hated letting Layla go to college across the country. Hated it even more when she told them she was never coming back. I wasn’t surprised she’d changed her mind though. People don’t leave Boston for good that easily. “Is she bringing–” the name of Layla’s longtime boyfriend escaped me.
Jack was already shaking his head. “Christian, and no. The reason she’s coming back is because they broke up.” He sounded grimly cheerful about it.
“That’s too bad.”
“For him.” Jack ordered his second beer–his last of the night. He never drank more than two.
I grinned and tipped mine up. This poor bastard Christian could have been rich as Midas, smart as Einstein, and been the male equivalent of Mother Theresa, and Jack still wouldn’t have thought he was good enough for his little girl.
“Anyway, she’ll need a job.” Jack threw me a significant look. “Do you know anyone who is hiring?”
“Sure, Cross Media is,” I said easily. If this was the favor, Jack had gone too small. “I mean, I can’t just hand her a job, but I can give her an interview.”
“That’s all she needs.” Jack pulled his beer closer, a look of satisfaction on his face.
“Great.” Keeping one eye on the TV, I worked my phone out of my back pocket and fired off a quick email to the head of HR. “Have her send me her resume, then give me a day to look at our openings and figure out where I think she’d be best.”
“I appreciate it, pal.”
I dipped my chin in acknowledgment. I wasn’t worried that Jack was about to put me in a bad spot. He would never ask me to hire Layla if she wasn’t capable. And hell, it might even be fun to have one of his kids around. Our company was like a family, and Jackwasfamily. It would be a good fit.
I was sure of it.
CHAPTER3
LAYLA
My dad texted and called when I was in the air, somewhere between LAX and Logan International. I hadn’t even tried to get on their complimentary Wi-Fi, so I didn’t get his messages until we landed. Then I had to read his text three times before I gave up on deciphering it and listened to the voicemail he’d left.
“Good news,” he announced cheerfully. “I’m leaving for the airport in an hour, so I’ll absolutely be on time.”
I smiled a little. My dad had a lot of great qualities, but being on time wasn’t usually one of them. I’d originally asked my brother to pick me up, but when my dad heard about it, he insisted on coming himself.
“And I found you a job! Can’t wait to see you, sweetheart.”
I held the phone away from my ear and blinked at it, wondering if I’d heard him right. I went back to his text messages and now it made sense. He’d gotten me a job. I groaned aloud, causing a couple of my fellow passengers waiting at the baggage carousel to shoot me sideways looks.
While I waited for my large gray suitcase that looked like all the other large gray suitcases to come around, I wondered what poor acquaintance my dad had prevailed upon. Was I going to be answering phones in the history department at BU? Giving car insurance quotes at his friend’s dealership? Learning how to shampoo dogs at the Canine Carousel his second cousin just opened? It could really be anywhere. My dad had friends in all sorts of places.
