The Outsider Series: The Complete Omnibus Collection

Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

Monday morning brought sunshine in the warm spring air. Walking into work, she was still wistful from her time with Brad. She must have jumped a mile when her boss, Jake, strode up behind her.

“I need to have a word with you, Emily. Can you come to my office?” His tone was chilly.

It was then that she noticed Suzanne, one of the other workers, behind the till, awkwardly averting her eyes. Emily followed Jake into his office.

“Shut the door, please.”

Her hands trembled and it felt like jumping jacks bounced around in her stomach. She wracked her brain. Did she do something wrong? Jake sat on the other side of the desk, his tightly clasped hands folded in front of him. “I’m going to have to let you go.”

The floor fell out from under her. If he had sucker-punched her, it would have hurt less. A confusing haze spun around her, as she sucked in a deep shaky breath, maybe she didn’t hear him right. She stared into his closed-off eyes. Then he visibly colored as he awkwardly leaned back in his chair, glancing down at his hands before meeting Emily’s gaze. This didn’t make any sense, just last week he’d called her into his office, praising her for what a great job she was doing. He’d even given her a two dollar an hour raise; what could have happened between then and now? She couldn’t for the life of her figure out what she’d done wrong.

“I… I don’t understand,” She somehow managed to get the words out, asking, but feeling gutted; her face flushed with hurt and humiliation.

Jake was now having a hard time looking at her. When he finally did, he gritted his teeth before looking over at her with a sympathetic appeal in his eyes. “I’ll give you a great reference, but I’m in a bind.” He splayed his fingers in front of him. “I had a call from one of my largest accounts and they threatened to pull it unless I let you go. It was some problem they had with you.” He shook his head and raised his defensive voice when Emily tried to appeal. “I’m just a small operation and if they pull it, I won’t be in business anymore.”

Emily was struck dumb as to who would want to do this to her. Leaning forward, furious at the injustice, she was determined to have all her questions answered. “Who was it that wanted me fired?” There was no way she was going anywhere until she found out and personally addressed it. It had to be a misunderstanding.

Looking away, he closed his eyes. “Emily, please. I don’t want any trouble and I’d rather not say. I don’t want to be dragged into the middle of this.” But his shame was changing into agitation.

“No, dammit it’s not okay. I demand to know. No, I think I have a right to know, and if you won’t tell me; I’ll contact the labor board or a lawyer if I have to, and drag your ass through court for wrongful dismissal.” She knew she’d gone too far with that last one, but she couldn’t hold it back. She was being screwed over.

“Okay you want to know, I’ll tell you, it was Brad Friessen and there’s no way I can afford to piss off a guy like that.” Standing up, Jake was furious as he pointed to the door. “Now, get out.” Trembling with anger, he held out her check and waited impatiently for her to take it. Emily shook as she reached for the check, struggled for breath and tried to still the ringing in her ears. The implication of such a betrayal weighed heavily. How could he? She struggled to hold it together as she walked out past the customers, Suzanne, and, she prayed, no one else she knew. She fought to suppress the tears as she hurried back to her rental house. The whole time her mind swam with images of Brad. The questions, the pain, how this man, in less than forty-eight hours, had gone from making passionate unprotected love to her...to this. It just didn’t make sense.

She cursed everything she could upon him, and then upon all men. She wanted to hate him. Only it didn’t feel right after everything they’d shared. His confession, what Crystal had done. That was not a man who didn’t care. One who would then turn around and try to gut her entire existence. No, the Brad she knew would never have done anything that despicable. Her head was driving her crazy with that voice playing devil’s advocate. He’d let her leave his home, but he’d explained that. Then there were the problems with Crystal, after all, he’d let her stay. But then she was his wife. Even if she disappeared and abandoned her child, she’d no interest in being a mother to Trevor. She dropped her head in her hands as she raged, trying to make sense of what had happened. It was beginning to drive her crazy. He confided in her about why Crystal was still there, and legally his hands were tied. Or, had he just said that for her benefit? She wanted to scream, she was so confused, none of this made any sense as she stormed up the walkway to the small house she rented. Unlocking the door, she went in and closed it tightly behind her. Tossing her purse down on the leather couch, she sank down beside it. The burgundy cloth covering the easy chair was so worn it was beginning to fray along the seams. Slowly scanning the room with her eyes, she noticed the toys were scattered by the green plastic tub. The crayons and coloring book littered the chipped, wooden coffee table.

She leaned back, feeling gutted, her breath shaky. She couldn’t fight the tears and didn’t try. She was a messy crier and let the keening go. “Can things get any worse?” Her thoughts wandered to Katy, and what they were to do. Of course, the severance pay from Brad had been very generous, but Emily needed a job or the remainder of that money would evaporate in short order.

She took a deep breath trying to still the hiccup and crying jag. She grabbed the box of Kleenex and blew her nose. Talking to anyone, they’d know she either had a cold or was crying. She just sat there and listened to the sound of the clock ticking away. Then she knew what she needed to do. Her motions were almost robotic as walked to the door, and then froze when her hand touched the knob. She backed away, strode into the kitchen and grabbed the telephone. Before she allowed herself to think about what she was doing, she dialed the number. It rang just once before it was picked up and answered by that sugary sweet voice. Emily felt her stomach sink. Hang up. She heard it but she didn’t listen. “I would like to speak to Brad, please.”

There was a long pause on the other end, before Crystal coolly asked, “Who’s calling please?”

Bitch, she thought to herself, she knows damn well whose calling. “It’s Emily. I’d like to speak with Brad please, now.”

“My husband’s not available at the moment. He’s downtown picking up our tickets. We’re getting ready to leave on a vacation together. It’s kind of a celebration. I’ll tell him you called.”

There it was, another knife in her back. What the hell was he doing? Had he really just slept with her all night, with his son in the next room, and then gone home to her and reconciled? A vacation, are you kidding? She looked at the phone and her heart sank; she couldn’t believe he’d do this to her, again. “Could you ask him to call me—it’s important.” She tried to keep the shake from her voice, but she failed miserably. Before she fell apart completely, she ended the call.

Laying her head down on the counter, she closed her eyes as she was unable to stop the sobs welling up inside. It felt like a vice had suddenly been squeezed around her chest and she allowed the pain to escape. Her knees gave out and she sank to the floor, letting go of everything she’d held together for so long. She cried, praying the pain swelling in her heart, threatening, in that moment, to destroy her, would disappear. All the while cursing herself for being so stupid to allow this man to do this to her, again. As she sat there on the floor, long after her tears had dried up, she felt empty; like she had been pitched headfirst into an emotionless void. And it was then that it hit her, how she’d given herself so freely to him, opening herself up to this man—to Brad, in a way she’d never done before.