FOUR
1639 Words
“Gena, what’s the status of the River Oaks project?” Jonathan Grey asked, his deep voice commanding attention.
He settled into a high-backed, black leather chair, his imposing frame filling it out, his broad shoulders nearly spanning the width of the chair's back. His piercing brown eyes were fixed intently on the papers in front of him. His dark curly hair was perfectly messy and his tailored suit immaculately pressed.
His personal assistant, Gena, stood poised with a tablet in hand, her eyes locked onto his. “The permits are finally in place, sir. We can break ground next week.”
Jonathan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the papers in front of him. “And the financing? Is everything in order?”
Gena nodded, her blonde hair bobbing slightly. “Yes sir. The investors are happy with the projections. We are good to go.”
“Good.” His gaze lingered on the papers for a moment before he looked up, his eyes locking onto Gena’s. “I want to see this project come together quickly and efficiently. No delays, no excuses.”
Gena nodded, her expression professional. “Yes sir, I’ll make sure everything stays on track.”
“Good. Is Luke here yet?”
“No, sir.”
“That would be all.” He went back to the paper on his desk.
She turned to leave.
“Gena.”
“Sir?”
“Who authorized these designs for the adverts?” He asked, pointing to his tablet on the table.
“Mr Thorne, sir.”
“And the designer?”
“Probably one of his team.” She answered.
“Find out who the person is. Fire the person and fire Mr Thorne. Their services are no longer needed.” He said gruffly.
“Yes sir.”
As she exited the office, Jonathan checked his wrist watch, his mind already shifting to the next agenda. He was a man who values quality, control and precision, and he expects nothing but excellence and quality work from those around him.
He picked up his mobile phone and dialed. “Are you ready?” He asked.
“Yes, Jonathan. I am.” Marilyn answered through the phone.
“Ok. Good. And the deal?”
“They accepted our offer.”
He scoffed. “They don’t have a choice.”
“Meet me at the airport in an hour.” He said and hung up.
Hannah sat in the small office, facing Bree and Dee, her eyes darting between them as she wondered what was going on. First, they had closed the coffee shop earlier than usual and then, they asked to see her privately. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably as she waited for them to start the conversation.
Bree, with her warm Irish accent, broke the silence. “Hannah dear, we've got some news to share with you.” Her voice was laced with empathy.
“First off, we understand that this is so sudden, but we've been left with no choice.”
“What is it, Bree? Did I do something wrong? Am I fired?
Bree’s gentle tone reassured her. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Hannah. This is just a circumstance beyond our control.”
Bree and Dee exchanged a look. He reached out and took his wife's hand and nodded gently for her to continue.
“Hannah, you remembered the visitors that came here sometime late last month, that we had to see them in our office? Bree asked
Hannah nodded, her mind racing. “Yes, I remember.”
“Well, they told us some lands in the area were bought… including ours.”
“We were kinda surprised but not so much.” Dee said
“Yes.” Bree sighed. When Sam died, he left the property to his late distant cousin, since he had no child. So we’ve been paying to this distant cousin, though we’ve never met him.”
“Apparently, he sold the land and the property in it, as he had no need for it, and he didn’t deem it fit to tell us ahead of time.”
“So, the gentlemen told us and gave us time to move.”
Hannah tried to grasp the meaning of what they were saying. She wondered why they didn't fight it. She felt the first rise of panic coming.
“We didn't try to fight it.” Dee said as if reading Hannah's thoughts. “We didn't because we were already planning on retiring by the end of the year. They just moved it up.”
“Even if we fought it, we wouldn't win. It's not our land or property. It was leased to us.” Bree said. “Though Dee checked the validity of those men before we agreed.”
“The reason why we called you on here is to tell you that the shop won't be open from tomorrow.”
“Does that mean…?”
“Yes. We are out of business here and your services won't be needed here again.” Bree said quickly.
Hannah stared at them.
“I'm so sorry, Hannah.” Dee said. “We are sorry. We understand how much holding a job down right now means to you. One of the most difficult parts in all this was telling you.”
Hannah knew she had to say something but her throat was clogged. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “What… What about you both? What are you going to do?” She asked in a small voice. “You said you didn't have to retire until the end of the year.”
“We'll go to Phoebe’s first. She's due to deliver anytime soon anyways.”
“After staying there for some time, we'll go to Ireland where we planned to stay after our retirement. We'll figure things out.”
Dee sighed. “We should have told you ahead of time, but a letter came in two days ago saying we should evacuate the property.”
“I'm so sorry.” Hannah said.
‘There’s no need for that, we are fine.”
Bree slid an envelope across the table to her. “This is your pay and then some more until you find another job.”
“Bree… I can't take it. I've not worked a month’s pay yet. Just give me the pay for the days I've worked so far.”
“Please, take it Hannah? We really want you to.” Hannah starts to shake her head. “For Emily.” Bree said quickly. “For me, okay? Please.” She said softly.
Hannah felt tears sting her eyes as she collected the envelope. “Thank you so much.”
“It's alright. I'll write a recommendation letter for you, so you can get a better job faster. We know how hardworking you are.”
Hannah nodded. “Thank you Bree. Do you need help with anything? Like packing or boxing things up?”
“Oh, don't worry, love.” Dee said. “We've got everything under control.”
Bree got up and went around the table, pulled Hannah up for a hug. “You're a strong woman, Hannah. You'll be fine.”
Hannah walked home, the warm sun beating down on her like a comforting embrace. She had just left Bree and Dee’s coffee shop, and decided to walk instead of taking the bus. She wanted to cry, but she wouldn't. She couldn't.
Her rent was due and the money Bree and Dee gave to her can't cover it. Of course, she was grateful they gave her more than what she worked for, she still needed a job to keep the wolves out. She remembered the stack of bills, the letter from her apartment management, she needed that job as soon as possible.
As she turned the corner of the street, the sounds of the city grew louder - the wail of sirens, the rumble of buses and the chatter of pedestrians. Hannah's feet carried her on autopilot.
She has failed again. Just like her father said she would. Okay, that's enough! She won't go down that road, she had enough on her plate to think about that. It'd only open old wounds.
She walked to the bench a few feet away and collapsed into it, the worn wooden slats creaking beneath her weight. Dropping her head into her hands, she let out a deep sigh, feeling the tension in her shoulders and the sting of tears she refused to shed. Since she still had time, maybe she should start looking for another job.
Emily. Her precious baby. The reason she couldn't…wouldn’t give up. When she found out she was pregnant, everything had gone south. She had had to drop out of school to work. She chuckled. It was very foolish of her to assume that her family would be there for her.
Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten. She rummaged through her bag for the donuts Bree had given her. The sweet, fluffy treat was a small comfort, but it was something. She took out one donut and bit into it.
She checked her wrist watch. She would pick up Emily from Jade's, and maybe while doing that she would use Jade's laptop to search for job listings.
She finished her donut, dusted off her hands and clothes, then picked up her bag and stood up.
Just as she was about to come down the little pavement, a sudden jolt pulled her backward, sending her stumbling off balance. Her arms flailed wildly, and her heart raced as she struggled to regain her footing. But it was too late. She felt herself falling, her body weightless and helpless.
Could the day get any worse?
Almost immediately, strong hands grasped her back and shoulder.
- Writer
