Regina was sweeping up the break area, guiding a hill of crumbs and dust into her thick gray dust bin.
“Shane wants to see you. I told him I’d send you in.” She busied herself with the broom and her tiny tower of crumbs.
“Oh really? Okay, thanks.” I wedged my purse inside my employee locker and made my way down the long black hall that led to the storage bay and my boss’s office.
His door was open as usual.
I watched him for a few seconds, head bent low over a stack of invoices, and admired his chiseled jaw and his stylish red hair. I knocked on the door frame.
“Good morning.”
“Morning. Come in.” He waved me in with barely a glance up from his papers.
Shane was younger than any other boss I’d had—barely over thirty. He was handsome. His unruly hair was strangely attractive; his eyes green with little specks of gold in them. He always wore nice fitted shirts, but sometimes, I could see a sliver of a dragon tattoo peeking out from his right bicep.
He was too young for me, not to mention my boss … but I’d fantasized about him a few times since starting here. He was kind and handsome, with those underlying bad boy tones.
I caught myself licking my lips as I stared at his. How long has it been since I’ve been with a man? I tried to rewind the clock and count back … a year, maybe? Probably closer to two.
I’d gone on a couple dates since moving to Austin, but nothing beyond dinner and sex. And in college, most of the neighbors in my apartment complex were either married or old.
I’ll never meet a man in this town, I thought, drearily. But maybe … if I’m busy with my new writing career, I won’t mind it.
I frowned when I saw Shane’s expression. He looked … concerned. Angry, possibly. What the hell? I’d seen him irritated with some of my co-workers, but never me.
And that’s when it hit me: the news coverage. My name and face splashed all over the local news, not to mention my “mention” on a popular international podcast. What might he think of me after seeing and hearing all that?
Fear bloomed in my chest as I considered something worse than losing his acceptance: is he going to fire me because of all this?
His eyebrows furrowed, then he asked, “Are you doing okay, Natalie?”
As fond of me as Shane seemed and despite my minor crush on him, he rarely asked me direct, personal questions.
“Yeah. Doing great. Thanks for asking,” I said, awkwardly.
“Because I heard about what happened … and I’m a little concerned. Are you holding up okay?”
I released a breath, the comforting concern in his voice easing my nerves slightly.
“I’m okay. A little overwhelmed by all this, but fine.”
I sat down across from him, letting out an anxious whoosh of breath as I settled in the chair.
Shane nodded slowly, taking this in. I wasn’t sure if he believed me.
“Are you really going to write that woman’s story? I mean, I knew you liked to write, but I had no idea that true crime was something that interested you. It’s a little macabre, don’t you think?”
I’m doing it because … well, I guess it’s because I’m in that second group of people, the kind that slow down and look at tragedy. It’s not because I enjoy the macabre; it’s because I’m SO affected by it. I can’t look away—there’s no choice in the matter. I have to know the truth, down to the gritty details.
“Don’t you think, Natalie?” Shane repeated, shaking me out of my trance.
“Well, I’m not planning on leaving Kmart if that’s what you mean. But we did set up an interview to discuss it. I promise that I won’t let it interfere with my job,” I said, wistfully. By “we”, I meant Chrissy and me, but I didn’t dare say her name. This town hated her name.
Shane smiled and again, I felt a small flicker of relief.
“You’re a great employee, Natalie. One my best. Actually, you probably are the best.”
My cheeks warmed. “Thank you, sir. That means a lot.”
His grin evaporated.
“That’s why this is so hard…”
Oh no.
And that’s when I knew it: I’m losing my job! All because of this stupid media coverage…
“Please don’t do this. I really need the money,” I whined. It was true: I did. Even though the pay wasn’t great, it was steady. And I needed a regular income to pay my bills and keep the farm.
“Natalie,” he said, steepling his fingers pensively. I’d never heard him say my name so many times in one day. Frankly, I didn’t like it.
“I didn’t bring you in here to fire you. I don’t care what anyone says—you’re an exemplary employee. But I’ve received word from the higher-ups … Annie from Corporate has asked me to give you a couple weeks off until the circus dies down. There have been complaints and they are concerned about their reputation.”
Annie from Corporate. I don’t even know who that is.
“What sort of complaints?” I asked, nervously.
“From a couple employees and customers … they’re threatening to quit or boycott the store if we don’t let you go.”
“I thought you said…”
“I’m not firing you. All I’m asking for is a couple weeks … cooperate with me here. It’s just until things blow over. The last thing we need is some sort of circus around here, making us look bad.”
“But…”
“And you know the store is already struggling. I can’t afford for all of us to lose our jobs over this, Natalie.”
“Paid or unpaid?” The question was pointless. I already knew the answer.
“Unpaid.” Shane grimaced.
“Fine. It doesn’t sound like I have much of a choice here.” I stood up, eyes glistening with tears. I swiped at my face, hating myself for coming across as weak in front of him.
“Seriously, you know how much I like you. You’re a great employee…”
“Thanks, Shane. I’ve got to go.” I scurried out of his office, the
