Just before lunch, her boss swung into her tiny office without so much as a knock. “Nell. You’re here. Good.”
Suppressing a desire to ask where else she might likely be at 11:30 on a workday, particularly as they weren’t supposed to go off-site without permission, she forced a smile and said, “Of course, Tommy. What can I do for you?”
“First of all, did you know? About Aidan?” He fixed her with a cold look.
“No, what about Aidan? I — we don’t exactly socialize or anything. He’s just a co-worker; I barely know him.”
Tommy Baxter practically snarled with displeasure. “It’s the height of our busy season, we’re short-staffed as it is, and that turd went and quit without notice. Sent me a goddamn email and didn’t come in today. Says he’ll mail in his keys.”
Nell struggled to control the expression on her face. “Wow. That’s… so wrong of him.” And exactly what we all wish we could do. Part of her wanted to applaud Aidan for getting out, but his defection would doubtless make life more difficult for the rest of them.
“His desk is already cleared out. He must have known on Sunday that he wasn’t planning to come back. You’re sure he didn’t say anything to you?” Tommy’s suspicious nature was legendary in the office.
“Literally the only thing Aidan said to me on Sunday was, ‘Got any plans for your off days?’ And I told him I was going to read the rest of A Discovery of Witches and bake bread. That’s it.”
Tommy huffed in a way that suggested he wasn’t impressed by her weekend plans — but then, she hadn’t mentioned to him or to Aidan that she also took an advanced combative self-defense course on Mondays and traditional taekwondo plus an MMA sparring session on Tuesdays, and taught classes both days as well. Aidan had abhorred violence of any sort, no matter how necessary and justified, and Tommy made it known on a regular basis that he admired women like Lila who “didn’t need to work out to look good” and entertained themselves on weekends by going out to restaurants and clubs. He’d hate the thought that Nell might be stronger than he was, which would likely make him even more poisonous in her vicinity. Nell would much rather stay invisible around the office as a homebody bookworm and bread-baker, hiding her strength under the business casual clothes she hated, even if she’d overheard Tommy referring to her as Chunky Booty.
Quit the damn job, Amy had said to her once. It sounds like a horrible place. You could get something else. But she was trapped, as so many people got trapped, by a salary she’d worked up to within the company — from booking support to junior booking agent to senior booking agent, then she’d been promoted across departments to property assistant and then to property manager — and it was all just specific enough to be not very transferable in terms of skills and position. She’d have to start over completely, rent would become unaffordable without a roommate, and she’d have a hard time paying her martial arts training fees. No.
“—all going to need to pull together and cover Aidan’s accounts until we can replace him, right?” Tommy was saying, and Nell nodded and tried to look appropriately concerned. “Good. Thank you.” Tommy’s satisfied tone puzzled Nell for a moment, then he plunked one of the folders he was holding onto her desk. Oh, no. He can’t possibly… “I’m giving you Champagne Cascades for the moment, and Scott or Trina can take Applegarth Cabins. Unless you’d rather have Applegarth?”
“But… I already have two properties, and no assistant. Couldn’t Scott and Trina take these ones?” Nell didn’t believe in the word can’t, but it was perilously close to forming in her mind at the thought of a third property to handle.
Tommy gave her a grimace of impatience. “I’m asking you, Nell. You’re taking one of these. Which one?”
Nell swallowed her frustration. As usual with Tommy, she had to force a smile — he liked to see women smile, he’d said, and he had a way of making life difficult if you didn’t accommodate him. “Champagne Cascades is fine.” She knew nothing about either property, as Tommy would know if he thought about it for a flipping minute. “But I haven’t got an assistant right now. I really will need some help managing three.”
“You’re on salary, Nell. That means you stay until your work is done, right? No running home at five. But I’ll get you an assistant. In fact, I have an idea about that…” His words trailed off as he left her office.
“Okay, so where is Champagne Cascades?” Nell muttered to herself, picking up the folder and opening it. “Huh. Up near the Canadian border. Romantic cottages for two, no kids or singles. One of those.” She read on. Rentals were at a higher price point, so this was obviously more luxurious than she was used to handling with Winter Pine and Secret Creek. Would it be interesting or just a hassle? The site manager’s name was Jessalyn Roberts. A woman? Nell didn’t know that Wildforest hired female site managers at all — she’d only ever dealt with men like Brian and Stu. What would this Jessalyn be like?
Soft chimes sounded over the office PA system, letting everyone know it was noon. They were allowed to leave the office for lunch as long as they were back before the chimes sounded again at one, as if they were at school, not adults working in an office. As soon as she heard the lunch chimes, Nell whisked her purse out of the desk drawer where she kept it and bolted for the stairs. Sure, it would be financially more responsible to bring a packed lunch, but then she’d have to eat at her desk and would have no escape all day from the Wildforest dungeon.
It was a
