Hard Work Page 3

  “But, sir, I…”

  “In the future, if you want days off, you need to schedule them in advance. Maybe my mother would just let anyone walk all over her here, but she’s gone, and I’m the boss now, so get it straight.”

  Just like the employee earlier, her lip started to tremble as she stared at me, her huge bug-like eyes filling with tears.

  “Oh, come on now. What is with you weepy people in this place? It’s Vermont. I thought you guys were hardy. How can I get anything done with people crying all over the damned place?”

  “Sir, I really need the time off because…”

  I angrily kicked a box to my left, wishing she’d just shut up and leave me alone. “Because what, Noel? Because you don’t respect your position here and the kindness it took not to clean house when I took this dump over? If you don’t want to work, maybe you don’t need to work here anymore. How about that?”

  The people in the storeroom next to us watched me dress the girl down, but I didn’t care what the staff thought of me. If they wanted to leave, they were more than welcome to. Hiring new people who I liked may actually be a blessing.

  “Sir, my father is sick, and I need to go travel to see him. I know you hate when people cry so I didn’t want to get into it, but they don’t think he’ll…they don’t think he’ll make it.”

  With my hand on the door, I let out an enormous sigh and shook my head. “Fine. You’re not fired. Just get out and let Kathy know when you’ll be back.”

  I closed the door behind her after she left and sat back in my chair. Shaking off the exchange, I dove into the paperwork I loathed as much as the staff.

  I’d always thought that even if she’d invested too much time and effort into the inn, my mother at least ran a tight ship. It certainly didn’t seem that way to me now. After an hour in the cave, as I’d come to call it after too many hours spent in that musky room filling out paperwork, I walked out to check on the guests. It was an effort being nice to them sometimes, but I needed to keep the place running as well as it had with my mother for just a year, so it was a necessary evil.

  Luckily, there wasn’t much glad-handing to be done. A group had decided to go on a nature walk. Old people and hipsters loved nature walks. The idea was bizarre to me. I could easily Google a picture of nature and sit my happy ass inside all day where the awful Vermont weather couldn’t touch me.

  I said hello to an old couple who barely heard me and ambled up to the check-in the desk at the front.

  “Good morning, Mr. Gilford,” the girl said stiffly as I approached her.

  She was very young and hadn’t been there as long as the others but had worked under my mother for the last two years of her life. I didn’t think much of her as children generally annoyed me, and anyone under twenty-five was a child in my eyes.

  “Morning. Is there something wrong?” I asked, noticing how she glared at me.

  “What you did to Noel this morning was horrendous. Her father is dying, and you bullied her to tears like you do just about every other woman in this place.”

  Her rudeness surprised me. Taking a step back, I said, “You’re implying I’m some kind of sexist?”

  “No, the men hate you just as much because you treat them like garbage too,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “Listen here.” I looked at her name tag and read the name Mandy written in black marker. “Mandy, you don’t get to talk to your boss that way. If I remember correctly, this is your first job?”

  “Yes, and if all bosses are like you, maybe I won’t have a next one.”

  “No, you don’t get to talk to me that way. I’m your boss, and that’s all there is to it. Your job is to stand here with a smile plastered on your face and greet people as they come and go. You’re the gatekeeper. I don’t pay you to give me advice on how to treat my staff. If people cry, that’s their problem, not mine. I haven’t done anything that damned traumatizing. I gave Noel the time off, so everyone wins. As for you, learn to keep quiet and do your job.”

  I went to walk away, but to my immense surprise the girl felt like talking back. “Mr. Gilford, with all due respect, which is very little, you’re a bully, and your mother would be disappointed if she could see what you have become.”

  Shock settled into me as she took a deep breath to continue.

  “That wonderful woman was full of warmth and kindness. I can’t see how she raised such a hateful man. While I appreciate this job and will do it well, you don’t get to bully me around while I do it. You should start being nicer since we’re the ones who bust our asses for this place while you get drunk in your room. What if your mother saw you treat us like this? How would she feel?”

  I didn’t feel like listening to any more chastising from the mouths of babes, so I stormed off to my room, slamming the door behind me. Looking at the clock on the nightstand, I saw it wasn’t even eleven in the morning.

  Christ. Disgusted, I sat down and pulled out my cell phone, looking at the picture of my beautiful girlfriend back in California before hitting the SEND button to call her.

  “Hello?” she said after a few rings.

  “Hey, babe. You watching over Cali for me?” I asked as I reclined back onto the bed and closed my eyes. At the very least having someone to talk to who wasn’t in godforsaken Vermont might make me feel better.

  “Hey, Zane, we should talk,” she said, the tone in her voice sounding hesitant and cautious.

  “Listen, Stacey. I know this long distance thing sucks, but I’ll be back in California before you know it and we can get right back to where we left off. Your clothes being all over my floor and you naked under me seems like a good place to start,” I said, wishing so badly that I could have her there on top of me at that very moment.

  “Zane, stop. This isn’t working, and you know it.”

  My mouth fell open, but I did my best to salvage the conversation. “Babe, it’s only been a month. I know it isn’t ideal, but I’m going to come out of this with a ton of money. I hate it too, but if you just hang in there, I know we can make it work. How about I fly you out here for a week, and we can make fun of this boring town together?”

  She sighed and the phone fell silent, but in the background I could hear someone speaking. A man. “Is someone there with you, Stace?”

  “Zane, I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I said, slamming my hand down on my bedside table as I jumped up, anger tearing through me.

  The walls of my room felt like they were closing in on me, and my head spun from the realization that my girlfriend was there in the apartment we shared together with another man. I’d barely been gone a month, for fuck’s sake!

  “I’m sorry, I just…”

  “You just what? Moved the fuck on already? It’s been a fucking month, Stacey. I’m not some soldier at war and gone for years, for Christ’s sake.”

  “Zane, I have to go to work. We can talk about this later.”

  “Fuck later. Go have fun with your new boyfriend.”

  I ended the call and threw my phone across the room where it landed in a pile of clothes I had yet to get around to washing. In just a single month, my whole life had unraveled. I hated the inn and everyone in it, and I wanted to be back in my apartment in California by the beach.

  And now, my girlfriend had decided to leave me after just a month for some guy. It was probably that sleepy-eyed club owner she knew. He was always hanging around looking for an in with her.

  I guess I had given it to him.

  For the first time in my life, I was all alone, and it didn’t feel good. In fact, it felt like shit. I let out a big sigh and fell back onto the bed, wanting to sleep away the next eleven months and hoping that something, anything, could make them better than the first one had been.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Becca

  The sunlight streaming through my window roused me from my sleep, urging me to get up and enjoy the first full day of my vacation. It was
one of those crisp and cool autumn days where the clear blue sky and the sun beaming down gave the impression that it could have been eighty degrees outside, but a touch on the window told me it was probably perfect sweater weather.

  I smiled with anticipation as I envisioned the day I would enjoy wandering through the woods. One of the best things about getting away to this place was the chance it afforded me to shed all the stress of the city and simply immerse myself in the quiet of nature. A nice long hike would do me a world of good. Maybe I’d even have a picnic outside on the front porch when I returned.

  Before long, however, I came crashing back to reality when I opened my email and saw a message from my attorney letting me know that he would be calling me around ten to discuss the issue with my ex-husband, Dustin. I mentally kicked myself for not specifying to him that I should be left alone during my vacation, but it was important and probably shouldn’t be put off until I got back to the city. Still, I didn’t like being mired down with such hassles on my relaxing vacation.

  A glance at the clock told me it was only nine, so with a lot on my mind I grabbed a shower, got dressed for the day, and made my way to the breakfast buffet in the dining room downstairs. As I sat picking at my eggs and bacon, I let out a heavy sigh. In truth, I wanted to let out a scream and pound my fists in frustration, but it wasn’t exactly the thing to do in the middle of a quaint bed and breakfast, or anywhere else, for that matter.

  Dustin and I had divorced three years ago, but he was still as big a thorn in my side as ever. All I had ever wished for when he and I broke up was to be left alone to carry on and live my life happily, but it seemed Dustin would have none of that.

  Right before we married, I found the most incredible townhouse on the Upper West Side, and we picked it up for a steal. Three bedrooms, two baths, and an office for me, but even more, the townhouse became my sanctuary in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city.

  When we divorced, Dustin claimed he didn’t care about the townhouse and agreed it was mine. After all, he was a new bachelor on the prowl after a few years of a failed marriage and had no interest in the townhouse we’d shared as a couple. Dustin hadn’t even bothered to help decorate the place when he lived there, so he obviously had no interest in keeping it.

  Now years later, he found himself some gold digging floozy who liked to live well above her means, and he needed money. So, of course, he wanted to sell the townhouse where I lived and had been living for years so that he could finance her expensive and completely gaudy taste. Even more importantly, he wanted to buy a new place for the two of them but wouldn’t be able to afford the down payment without the money we’d get from selling my home.

  I shook my head, not wanting to stroll down memory lane anymore, and finished my breakfast before walking towards the stairs to return to my room. If my attorney was going to be calling, that needed to happen in private, but I certainly wasn’t going to ruin my time in the woods with a conversation like that.

  As I walked past the stairs, the young brunette at the front desk waved and said, “Have a wonderful morning, Ms. Fox. Is there anything we at The Gilford House Inn can do for you today?”

  She was so chipper, but I heard a genuine sincerity in her voice that charmed me instantly. If I hadn’t been so distracted, I would have said more, but I just smiled and replied, “No, but thank you so much. I’ll let you know if there is. Have a wonderful day.”

  “And the same to you!” she called back with a smile.

  At least my stay at the inn was looking better than it had the day before.

  I returned to my room and caught up on some work and a little social media before my phone rang at precisely ten o’clock. Attorney Edward Wickers was nothing if not punctual. I answered it and reclined back on my bed. If I had to get stressful news, at least I could be comfortable while doing so.

  “Good morning, Edward. What are the chances you’re calling me with good news today?” I asked, more hopeful than I should have been.

  “Highly unlikely, unless your idea of good news is an ex-husband full of hassles.”

  Edward had a no-nonsense style which made him often come off as a bit terse if you didn’t know him. I did know him, though, and I knew he wasn’t a bad guy. Just someone who wanted to get the job done right and quickly. I appreciated that in a lawyer I was paying so handsomely.

  “Good morning, Rebecca. I’m not going to sugar coat it for you. It isn’t great. Dustin didn’t seem to have much of a case in the beginning, but the fact that you have always earned more than him doesn’t help. I know his attorney, Loretta Michaels. She’s damn good at what she does, and quite the pain in the ass. Pardon my French.”

  “What about the fact that when we divorced three years ago, he signed the paperwork that left the house to me?” I asked, still desperately hoping that fact would save me from the nightmare situation I had been in with all of Dustin’s crap.

  “It’s a big help. I can say that much. But honestly, it’s not enough. He’s claiming that you coerced him into signing with the threat that he wouldn’t receive alimony if he didn’t.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose trying to dispel the headache forming just above my eyes. Dustin’s refusal to act like a goddamned adult made me want to scream up at the ceiling.

  Sighing, I stood to pace and said, “That’s ridiculous. He declined alimony payments and took a lump sum. You know that, right?”

  “I do. I drew up the paperwork myself all those years ago. It doesn’t look good at the moment, seeing as he did pay for some of that property as well, but I assure you I am doing my best.”

  “I know. You always do. That’s why you’re the best.”

  My flattery never fazed him, though, and he simply pressed on with our conversation.

  “In the meantime, see if you can smooth things over with him without involving his lawyer. Trust me. You do not want to deal with her.”

  Crestfallen, I stopped my pacing at the window and looked out, trying to stay positive and in vacation mode. All I wanted was some good news, but it seemed like Dustin was constantly gaining the upper hand somehow. The fact that he was a slime ball of a guy only made it worse. He didn’t deserve to reap any more benefits from having been with me.

  “Okay. I’ll do my best. Anything else?”

  “Yes. I have some things we need to go over and then I’ll be out of your hair, so to speak.”

  We spent the next thirty minutes going over minute details that to me didn’t seem to matter but I assumed were important if Edward wanted to discuss them. He wasn’t the type for idle chit chat, so when he was finished, he abruptly said, “Okay, that’s everything. I’ll go over all of this and get back to you within the week. If you need anything from me, please call, and if you get any movement from Dustin in either direction, send me an email with the details. Didn’t you mention you’re on vacation?”

  “Yes, a sort of sabbatical really. I needed to get away from New York for a little while.”

  “I see. Well, enjoy your time off, Rebecca. We’ll speak soon.”

  Without a formal goodbye, he hung up. All the better really. I could only imagine the bill I had racked up talking to him for so long. I set the phone down and paced from the bed to the window as I worked to get over my anger at Dustin once again ruining something good in my life. I tried to relax as I walked around the room to clear my head, but it was no use. I couldn’t shake the stress coursing through me, and I knew it was because I didn’t want to talk to Dustin.

  The last time we tried had actually been in person. I figured meeting for lunch could be more civil than a phone conversation, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. From the moment he sat down at the table, things went downhill. He didn’t want to hear a thing I said, and when I mentioned that I wouldn’t let the townhouse go without a fight, he began barking orders at me that I’d have to, drawing attention from everyone in the restaurant around us and embarrassing me. From that moment on, I vowed I would do everything I cou
ld never to have to spend another moment around him.

  But now I didn’t have a choice. I had to speak to him if I wanted a chance at keeping my home.

  With my stomach twisting into knots, I picked up my cell phone and dialed his number.

  “Hello, Becca,” he answered, sounding distant and uncharacteristically cool.

  “Good morning, Dustin. How are you doing today?” I said, infusing my words with all the sweetness and charm I could muster.

  In truth, it was easier for me to be nicer to the girl downstairs at the front desk than the man I’d shared a bed with for two and a half years.

  “I’m fine. Just spoke to my attorney actually.”

  “Listen, Dustin, do we really need to do this? I know we’ve been curt with one another for nearly three years now, but what happened to the best friends we used to be? I’m not saying we need to return to that, but this whole back and forth over the townhouse is ridiculous, and we both know it.”

  “Becca, I don’t think—”

  I cut him off, hoping I could get a few more moments of sweetness in and control the conversation that would inevitably begin to go bad at any second. “Dustin, I love that place. You know that. It’s my home. It’s not just some townhouse. It’s where my memories are. It’s where we spent those years together. I know we aren’t best friends, but that has to count for something. I don’t want to lose my home, Dustin.”

  “Cut the crap, Becca. You and I both know that you can afford a new place.”

  And there was that nastiness in him that never failed to rear its ugly head. God, I hated him. What a selfish bastard.

  “That’s not the point, Dustin. The point is that—”

  He cut me off and snapped, “That you’re a spoiled brat who just wants to get her way?”

  I sighed and shook my head. “I’m spoiled because I want to keep my home?” I asked as I paced the room, my stomach fully knotted up.

  “Becca, I get that you want to keep the place, but we bought it together and—”