Good. Ill talk to you later.
All right. And, Mitch? We will find you a better job.
Once the call had been disconnected, she checked the time on the phone. Past nine. But she was in no hurry to get up. Jack had been right. Her face had throbbed during the night, making it difficult to fall asleep. She was unwilling to admit that there had been any other cause for her sleeplessness. Unless it had been mortification at the struggle it had taken not to jump the mans bones before hed walked out the door.
Pulling a pillow over her face, she sought to shut out that particular memory. It was humbling to discover that despite her conviction otherwise, she hadnt changed much at all over the last three years. She could switch her name and her lifestyle, dress in another manner, act differentbut she hadnt tamed her nature at all. Shed merely subdued it.
All it had taken was the sex appeal and lethal aura of one man to entice that wildness back to the surface. That meant she still was drawn to excitement. She still found herself tempted by risk.
She had to cancel dinner that evening.
She hadnt completely lost her mind, those few minutes in Jacks arms to the contrary. Shed learned caution the hard way. Shed learned to listen to her instincts.
And they warned her not to make a mistake with Jack Langley. If she couldnt trust herself with the man, it made sense to avoid him altogether.
Pushing aside the niggle of disappointment, she reached for her cell, intent on getting it over with. It rang in her palm. Recognizing the number, her stomach plummeted. But she knew better than to not answer it.
Lindsay, cancel any plans youve made and get down to the restaurant. As usual, Bill Neldstrom didnt give her a chance to speak. Chang just went home sick, and Sarahs in San Diego for the weekend. Ive got my hands full here, and I cant do the cooking and supervise the waitstaff, too.
Everything inside her rebelled. Bill, I havent had a day off all week. You promised you wouldnt call me in. Just yesterday, in fact.
Well, I didnt know that Chang was going to catch a bug, did I? His tone was testy. You can have a different day off.
When? She wasnt feeling particularly charitable, especially after hearing about his run-in with Mitch. Youve fired the grill cook and Sarahs gone for a week. Tell me when Im going to get some time off, Bill, especially with Chang out sick.
You want to be off permanently? I can arrange that pretty damn easily.
The temptation to shove his job down his throat was almost overwhelming. Lindsay sat up in bed, jamming her free hand through her hair. But rent was due next week. And it wouldnt hurt to have a little extra put aside for when she moved on. Telling Neldstrom off would have to wait until then.
I should at least get overtime for this. But she was already swinging her legs over the side of the daybed.
His laugh sounded genuinely amused. Sure. You bring in a Social Security number and you can get all those Department of Labor perks. Now move your ass. Youd better be here in thirty minutes.
She took a small measure of satisfaction in disconnecting the call and hurling the phone down on the pillow. Neldstrom was a miserable worm and a poor excuse for a human being. Unfortunately, he had the upper hand and delighted in wielding it. He was one shed be all too happy to leave behind when she left Metro City.
Striding to her closet, she pulled open the door and grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. It would take nearly the entire allotted time just to walk to the nearest bus stop and make it down to Pipers.
Dressing quickly, she abruptly remembered shed been about to call Jack. With a mental shrug, she wiggled into her jeans and fastened them. She could call when she had a free minute at work. It would give her a chance to prepare for the conversation.
She had a feeling she was going to need all her wits about her when she talked to him.