“I don’t know.” Isabella shakes her head. “Jury’s still out.”
I scowl at her. “No it isn’t!”
“Okay then, I guess it’s a hung jury.” She gives me a devilish smirk, and Blake’s full lips quirk in a brief smile. “Let’s let these two lovebirds hash things out together, shall we?”
Blake gestures, and I follow him to the sidewalk, a safe distance from Jorge and his friends. Henry follows at a distance.
“You seriously want to offer me my job back?”
“My sister called in a favor. Personally, I have my doubts.”
Well, that stings. “You just have zero consideration for people’s feelings, don’t you?”
His dark brows lift in mild sarcasm. “Sure, Winona, as the man who runs a business with his family name on it, which employs thousands of people and keeps thousands of sub-contractors afloat, my first consideration is always whether I’m hurting anyone’s feelings.”
“You could actually do your job without being an absolute bastard,” I say heatedly. “Have Henry write that down in your little book, right next to the part about saying please and thank you.”
“I’ll make sure to do so. Anyway.” His watch bleeps. “I’m already behind schedule because you were unreachable by phone and I had to come out here and hunt you down.”
Yeah, I left my work phone and tablet at the office along with my employee ID card yesterday. And I didn’t update Hudson’s on my new personal phone number because I was too busy getting fired.
“If you want another chance, I am offering it. However, there are conditions.” Blake gestures at Henry, who opens his briefcase and pulls out a folder.
“This is a contract. My uncle and I wrangled over this. My uncle was dead set against rehiring you, and he threatened to go to the board, but we reached a compromise. The conditions are spelled out here.”
Henry hands me the folder, and I flip it open and start scanning the paperwork.
“Basically, you’re going to have to fix everything you’ve broken.”
“That’s fair. Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.” Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Isabella, Edna, Jemma, and Clarita edging up to us so they can eavesdrop.
“You sent Shanice away on a two-week vacation. She was Henry’s assistant, running errands that he didn’t have time for. You’re going to have to take her place until she gets back. I’ll have you report directly to me, rather than to Henry. Do not expect me to go easy on you. I’ve been told I’m a bit of a tyrant at work.” His smile promises that he’s “a bit” of a tyrant like the passengers on the Titanic got “a bit” damp.
I resist a biting response and just murmur, “You don’t say.” But the vise of worry that’s clamped on my innards loosens just a little. This isn’t some kind of terrible practical joke. I am re-employed. “I assume I’ll have the same schedule as the personal shopper job? That was forty hours a week. I was planning on doing temp work evenings and weekends. Also, I do volunteer stuff whenever Clarita needs me.”
He shrugs. “Sounds exhausting. And also not my problem. The personal assistant job’s hours are from whenever I need you o’clock, until when I say I’m done with you o’clock.”
Damn. There goes a big chunk of money every week. “Well, a large part of the personal shopper’s salary is commission. If I’m working as your assistant, what kind of salary will I get?”
“The assistant’s salary. One hundred and fifty thousand a year. Plus benefits. Retroactive to your starting date of employment.”
I suck in a startled breath.
“Remind yourself never to play poker,” Blake says wryly. “You just lost any shot of negotiating a higher salary.” Higher than a hundred and fifty k a year? Holy wow.
Isabella gives me a huge double thumbs-up.
“How much money did he say?” Edna looks at Clarita and Isabella in confusion. “I need to get my hearing aids checked. I thought he said a hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year.”
For that amount of money, I’d kiss up to the Devil himself. With tongue. Oh wait, that’s exactly who I’ll need to start kissing up to.
Well, no time like the present. I muster up a nice smile without a hint of sarcasm. “Yes, I would be very happy to have my job back; thank you for the opportunity.”
“And last but not least, you need to get the Sunni Sunni Singer doll for my niece by her birthday.” He points at the