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“I thought you weren’t sure you had a job anymore?”
“I’m not.” I shook my head and glanced up at Anne, who sat across from me on the couch. “I don’t even know why he’s calling.”
“Isn’t Albin supposed to stop by in a bit?”
I nodded and rose to my feet. “I should take care of this before he gets here.”
Because I knew that Albin wasn’t Mr. Banks’ biggest fan after he saw the way my boss treated me. Not that I blamed him. Mr. Banks made it clear that he didn’t value me for my skills or what I could bring to the table. Instead, he was one more man who wanted to get into my pants and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
I wasn’t even sure why I was entertaining the thought of picking up.
Except that I knew I couldn’t afford not to take the call.
With a sigh, I glanced over at Jimmy, who was sprawled on the carpet, his crayons next to him and a look of fierce concentration etched onto his face. I stood up, walked over to my son, and bent down to kiss his forehead. He tilted his head back, smiled up at me, and my heart melted.
It was all for Jimmy.
There was nothing I wouldn’t endure for him to make his life better.
My chest was tight as I ruffled Jimmy’s hair and picked my way over his toys. In the doorway to my room, I paused and glanced over my shoulders. Anne swung her legs over the side of the couch and drew Jimmy into a conversation, the two of them giggling and laughing. When the two of them looked over at me, I gave them a tight smile in return.
Then I stepped into my room and let the door click shut behind me.
I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, and pressed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Ms. Auden, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”
“I’m aware.”
Mr. Banks cleared his throat. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior at the event the other day. I realize now that I shouldn’t have behaved so inappropriately. I know I have no right to ask you to come back, but I’d like you to.”
“Mr. Banks, you made it clear that you did not hire me for my skills or the kind of experience I could bring to the job.”
“I’m aware of what I said.”
“I’m not sure it would be a good idea for me to return.”
As much as I wanted that paycheck, I couldn’t spend my entire time at the office looking over my shoulders and waiting for the other shoe to drop. So long as Mr. Banks felt like he was entitled to me, with everything that entailed, it was never going to be a safe environment. While Jimmy and I needed the money, I wasn’t sure this was the kind of thing I could put a positive spin on.
Because I had no idea how far Mr. Banks was willing to take things.
Risking my own safety wasn’t worth the paycheck.
Was it?
“Ms. Auden, I am not a man who is used to begging, but I will if I have to.”
“Mr. Banks, I’m sure you can find someone else to do the job—”
“There is no one else, and now that Mr. Arkwright has pulled out as an investor, we cannot afford to make any mistakes.”
“Mr. Arkwright is no longer investing?”
“Exactly,” Mr. Banks replied, pausing to ruffle through a few papers. “I’m sure you can understand why it’s incredibly important for us to band together moving forward. There are some dark times ahead, Ms. Auden. It’s all hands on deck.”
Silence stretched between us.
“I need your help, Ms. Auden,” Mr. Banks continued. “There is no one else. I can send over a few things for you to work on from home.”
