Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
What? She is? No. No, she’s not. Why is she going along with this?
“Goodness!” Mom fans herself for no reason at all. Wait. I think it’s because she’s going to cry. The fanning motion does nothing at all for that. I’ve seen it before. Bawling is about to go down.
I have to intervene before we have waterworks in here that rival the storm outside. “We should really be getting to work, Mom. There’s always so much to do in the first few days. Evilla wants us to be under the radar here. We’re not a pudding king and queen. We’re just regular people, and she doesn’t want it to appear like her dating me gives her special status.”
“Right! Right.” Mom drops her hand and backs up. “I’ll let you get on with your day then.” Like we’re not standing here soaked as slippers, accidentally drowned in a driveway puddle. “Promise me you’ll try the pudding, Bergamont.”
I’ve officially reached maximum humiliation.
Especially when my mother follows that up with a kiss on my cheek and a squeeze on my shoulder and then just saunters away. She stops at the front door and gives a queenly wave before stepping out into the pouring rain, looking happy enough to dance in it.
I rush to the door. There are holy shit amounts of lightning out there, but my mom races to her car, which is parked on the street right in front of the building. I don’t know why I didn’t even see it when I was racing over here. Oh, right. I was distracted. Mom gets in the car without mishap. She’s wet, but my mom is the kind of person who never lets a little bit of rain stop her.
Marjorie seems to be the kind of woman who won’t let this spread, but she’s giving us both that strange, undiluted look of curious disbelief.
Evilla points to the hallway. “Your office, darling. I’d just like to talk for a minute if that’s alright?”
“Did my mom seriously drop off enough pudding to feed everyone?” There has to be a rule about this. It seems like a liability waiting to happen. This is not how I wanted to kick off my first day here.
Marjorie looks like a cat that just got gifted a whole cage of canaries, and her nod confirms it. “She did. I’ve put it in the staff fridge. She did insist that I taste it, and it’s marvelous. I think she’s right. We just might have found a new flavor.”
“Hold that thought for just a minute. I’ll be right back.”
She gives us a secret little smile. It’s either she’s pleasantly surprised at the knowledge that we’re secretly a thing, or she knows we just pulled a fast one on my mother. I’m not sure which, and I need to get to my office and figure out what the heck just happened.
We’re both still soaking wet, but that’s not why Evilla gives me a look like she just stepped in a puddle of cold urine left by an incredibly cute puppy right after she put on a brand new pair of socks because the last ones went the way of socks in the washer, compliments of said puppy and a different puddle.
“W—why?” I stammer. That’s the best I can do. I have no words. I’m utterly confused.
She crosses her arms. Her wet clothes press alluringly against the curves of her body. Her hair is starting to dry off on top, and the little frizzy strands stand out all over the place. Her mascara is running down one cheek, and it’s also starting to dry. She’s probably standing in an inch of water in her shoes, and her clothing is still dripping onto the floor, but she manages to look like a regal queen.
“Because I’ve changed my mind. I think this might actually be fun.” The way she says fun sounds more like I’m about to be strapped to a medieval torture device. It might be entertaining for her, but it’s definitely not going to be pleasant for me. “I don’t want a promotion. I want you to restructure the company so everyone gets a raise and feels seen and heard no matter what their position is. Sure, there can still be bosses and all that, but teamwork is a way better option. Everyone here is great. I think it could work, everyone sharing in the leadership. And I want shares. People work better when they’re invested in what they’re doing. Everyone here already has a great love for this place, so they should be part owners. And I don’t mean paltry shares that don’t mean anything. I mean real shares. You bought this company on a whim, which means you’re richer than god. You don’t really need it. So, prove you can be a good person with a good heart. Give it back to the employees. When you succeed, they succeed.”