nails and pulls the lapels of her jacket tight. The promising glow in her eyes goes mean, and she straightens her spine, stretching her short stature further. If I cared enough, I’d laugh at the show of bravado. I give her no hint of my amusement, choosing instead to remain indifferent.
“Get out,” Inez says.
Rising from my chair, my intentions are already back at my apartment. Days off are precious to me—the one time a week I can be Lydia Montgomery instead of Cara Smith. There’s a carton of vanilla ice cream in the freezer I’ve been dying to indulge in.
“Not you, Cara.” Inez drops into her seat behind the desk. She signals toward Naomi. “You. Go.”
My ambitions are smashed, and the vanilla ice cream has to wait until next week. Inez permits me plenty of allowances, but our relationship is unique to us. I knew I was pushing it by snubbing her in front of another girl. If word gets out that one of us can make her own rules, they’ll all want to. It’s a chain reaction that will only be corrected when heads roll.
Inez recruited me the same way she did most Hush girls. I was broke, alone, and desperate when she sat across from me at a café I couldn’t afford to even be at. The city was prepared to chew me up and spit me out, and I was out of options. I ended up in Grand Haven after spending two years on the streets, and it had nothing to offer eighteen-year-old me.
Until she bought me a coffee and sandwich.
That’s where the similarities between the others and me ended.
“This isn’t fair,” Naomi replies.
Inez rolls her eyes. “Life isn’t fair. Get out.”
Naomi looks back and forth between the boss and me, mouth opening and closing like a suffocating fish. She’s a foot stomp away from throwing a toddler-type temper tantrum because she doesn’t want to share her toys with the other sluts.
“Oh, stop being dramatic.” Inez sighs. “Go home. I’ll call you later. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
Drama Queen takes a hint and leaves, closing the door harder than welcomed. Inez stares after Naomi for a beat, and I know she’s committing the offense to memory to be dealt with later.
“Your disrespect is contagious,” she says half-heartedly.
“She’s rude to your staff. In particular, the receptionist,” I counter. “That kind of disrespect has nothing to do with me.”
“What do you think of the new receptionist?” she asks conversationally.
“I don’t think anything of her,” I say.
“I think Camilla has potential. She reminds me of you in some ways, but you…” Waving her pointer finger at me, Inez leans back in her chair and chuckles. “You’re one of a kind, Lydia. I wish I had twenty girls like you. If I did, I wouldn’t have to beg you to take the Ridge & Sons appointment for me. Yet, there’s only one.”
“A blessing and a curse.”
“How long have we been in each other’s lives?” she ponders.
“Seven years,” I say, ending the charade.
“You’ve grown into such a beautiful woman. Finding you in that boujee café saved me just as much as it saved you. But it did save you.”
Inhaling a large breath through my nose, I ask, “What’s your point?”
“The funny part about our story is, and I don’t know if I ever told you this, but that was my very first time visiting that particular establishment. As a creature of habit, I ate the same salad from the same café two blocks over every single day. They were out of my dressing, and it ruined the entire thing. I left angry and hungry and just started walking. That’s when I found you, with long ratted hair and a dirty face. I adored you the moment I saw you.”
The right side of my mouth curves up and I say, “You bought me food, offered me a place to stay, and a job at the front desk of Hush.”
“I offered you a brand-new life.”
“We both know how the story goes, Inez. Why are we talking about this?”
“Fate brought us together, Lydia. Do you think I don’t want more for you than appointments with the simple men you insist on?” She waves her arms around the office. “This office is so beautiful, but we’re destined for more. I’ve offered you partnership multiple times.”
Opening my mouth to object, I stop short when she continues.
“We do everything on your terms. I respect your boundaries, and I’ve never troubled you with my struggles because you’re like