Chapter 8
Makenna
The interview went well and I got the job, but they wanted to start training me immediately. They needed me to work odd hours for a while, which meant I would need a temporary babysitter for Ana. I stood outside of the main entrance to the plant and fumbled with my phone, debating on whether or not to call Brewer. I technically did agree to call him to let him know how the interview went.
But I didn’t know how he would respond to my other need.
“Hello?” he asked.
The sound of his voice wafted through the phone and I suppressed a sigh. It was soothing. Comforting. Like the low rumble of thunder in the distance. I leaned my ear heavily into the phone and listened to the sound of his rhythmic breathing, part of me wishing he was there.
What was this man doing to me?
“Makenna? Is that you?”
“Yes, sorry. Hi. It’s me,” I said.
“Everything okay? Do you need me to come get you?”
“No, no, no. That’s not actually why I’m calling.”
“How’d the interview go?”
“It went well. They gave me the job.”
“What? That’s wonderful. Congratulations. So… why don’t you sound happier?”
“They want to train me today, and I won’t be done in time to get Ana from school,” I said.
“You want me to do it?” he asked.
“Would that throw a wrench in your plans?”
“I mean, I’ll have to postpone the swinger fetish party I’m catering to tonight, but they won’t mind. The later the better, they always say.”
I giggled and shook my head as I tucked my hand underneath my arm.
“Interesting party, it sounds like,” I said.
“You meet the most interesting of people.”
“Are you really into that kind of thing?”
“You should see the stuff I have underneath my bed.”
I felt a shiver ricochet up my spine. Was he joking? Was he being serious? I imagined all the things he had underneath there. Toys and chains and harnesses. I allowed my mind to wander as the breeze raked through my hair, cooling my heating body down as I swallowed hard.
“My personal favorite is edible underwear,” Brewer said.
“The strawberry kind?” I asked.
“Nope. Rainbow flavors. Changes it up a bit each bite you take.”
“I still have no idea if you’re joking or not.”
“That’s the point.”
I could hear his grin through the phone as another giggle fell from my lips.
“What time does Ana get off school?” he asked.
“Three thirty,” I said.
“I’ll be there to pick her up in my dashing Chevy Impala. I’m sure that’ll keep the kids talking another day. Plus, the car seat’s still back there.”
“You didn’t take it out once you got back home?”
“I figured I might need to pick you guys up again since your car’s being hauled away.”
“What?” I asked.
“Yeah. It kept smoking and someone called the fire department. I think they’re going to tow it away or something like that.”
“Great. Just what I need.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you out as much as I can.”
“It won’t be for long. In three or four pay periods, I can get myself another vehicle. Hell, if I dip into my savings account now, I could do it tomorrow.”
“Whatever you choose is fine. But don’t worry about rides and shit like that. I’ve got you,” he said.
I drew in a deep breath as I allowed those words to sink in. I’ve got you. That was a phrase I hadn’t heard in years. Not since Ana’s father was still alive. I leaned against the outside of the plant and closed my eyes, allowing the heat of the reassuring phrase to trickle down to my toes.
“You have no idea how good it feels to hear someone say that,” I said breathlessly.
“A hard-working woman like you should have someone she can rely on.”
“So, you decided to step up and fill that role?”
“You got someone better?”
“No.”
“‘Cause I’ll fight him if you do,” he said.
“You’re insane, you know that?” I asked.
“And you worry too much. I can hear it in your voice.”
“What else do you hear?” I asked.
“You want me to be honest?”
“Please.”
The silence was deafening, and it wasn’t until I heard him draw in a deep breath that I wondered what type of territory I was stepping into.
“I hear a woman who’s been bogged down with too many real-life scenarios to enjoy things. I hear the stress of being a single mother and the relief of having a way to provide. I hear a playfulness that hasn’t been let loose in a long time and I hear the echoing desires of a woman who hasn’t felt like one in far too long.”
I felt my nipples puckering against my bra.
“I hear the unfulfilled passion of an animal waiting to be released. I hear the curiosity of unfulfilled exploration. I hear the argument rattling on in your head. Should you do this or shouldn’t you do this. What are you getting yourself into and you’re a mother, so why should you do this or that?”
I leaned my head into the side of the building as I furrowed my brow.
He was good.
Maybe a little too good.
“I’ll pick up Ana and watch her at my place until we can come get you,” Brewer said.
“I can have someone from the plant bring me home,” I said.
“You sure?”
“Very sure.”
“If you don’t find someone, you call me immediately. I’ll toss Ana in the car and we’ll come get you.”
“That’s very sweet of you, thank you. And I’m sorry if this is last minute. I’ll pay you for your time.”
“You will. But not with money.”
Electricity shot through my veins as my eyes popped open.
“Huh?” I asked.
“We’ll talk about it later, okay? Right now, you need to focus on training for your new job,” he said.
“What did you mean by that?” I asked. “Not with money?”
“We’ll talk about it later. I don’t want your money, Makenna. You’ll need it for that car of yours.”
“Then how will I pay you? What else would you take?”
I realized what he was talking about the moment the question flew from my lips
“I’ll take you,” he said.
I felt my breath speeding up as my heart slammed against my chest. I could feel the ghostly warmth of his breath along my lips. I could feel the phantom heat of his body pressing against mine. That memory of him being so close was lodged in the corners of my memory. The glimpse of his body I’d gotten that morning was enough to put my brain into overdrive. His strong legs, bulging with veins and his thick muscles that blanketed his torso. The pads of muscles that chiseled his abs before decadent lines disappeared beyond his boxers.
Drawing me to a place on a man I hadn’t experienced fully in so long.
“Makenna?”
“Yes?” I asked with a whisper.
“Go train,” Brewer said. “I’ve got this.”
“Thank you so much. I owe you one.”
His chuckle rumbled through my body as my hands began to shake.
“Talk to you soon,” he said.
I hung up the call and wiped at the sweat on my brow. I wasn’t sure if it was the sun or the conversation, but I needed to get back inside. It was surprising to me how easy it was to ask him to watch my daughter. But more than that, it was shocking how comfortable I felt about him being around my daughter. A man no mother would ever want her daughter bringing home, and I trusted him more than the man I’d spent the last three years of my life with. Even though I only just met him.
There was something about him I trusted. But I couldn’t put my finger on it.
I couldn’t identify what it was I trusted about him.
I slid my phone into my pocket and headed back into the plant. I had a long day ahead of me, but if I could keep up with the demand of my new job it would put Ana and I in a great position. Wonderful medical benefits and more money than we had back in Texas. I could update her wardrobe a bit and take her out to see the sights. To get ice cream on the weekends and go see movies in the theater instead of waiting for them to be illegally downloaded from the internet.
I could give my daughter the quality of life I’d always wanted for her.
And I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Brewer.
The stranger I seemed to trust.
I headed back into the plant and quickly got to work. There was a two-hour seminar I had to do with a quiz at the end. Then, there was the formal tour of the place. I kept detailed notes on what every floor was specified to do and took notes on what I needed to study on to make sure I knew the ins and outs of the product being made. I was shown to an office that was apparently going to be mine and I was ecstatic. At my job in Texas, my ‘office’ was a desk in the corner of what people used as the break room.
This place had an actual office. With a door I could close and a phone only I was designated to use.
I was walked through all the systems they used and the responsibilities I would be taking on at the job. I flipped through the electronic files of the people in my care and tried to memorize as much about them as I could. One of the things that made a great manager was a manager’s ability to care about his or her workers.
I wanted to make sure I did a good job caring about their lives.
I got my credentials up and running and got my picture taken for my identification card. I was shown around the floors and shook the hands of the people I would be working with, then I was escorted back to my office. I got to work on the schedule of my workers, trying my best to abide by the times they absolutely couldn’t work. Then I added in the odd hours I would be expected to work for the next few weeks, finalized my first schedule at my new job, and was given critiques.
Thankfully, there weren’t that many.
But unfortunately, that was the extent of my training.
I spent the next five hours attempting to muddle my way through things. Learning by trial and error and hoping I didn’t mess up the structure of the place too bad. The schedule was done, but then there were things like payroll. Checking to make sure overtime was registered correctly if someone worked overtime and making sure proper shifts had been covered if someone called out sick. Then there was all of the paperwork the previous manager had fallen behind on and updating the systems and tweaking them to fit a more familiar standard I was used to.
I still hadn’t yet asked if someone could take me home after everything was all said and done.
Seven thirty rolled around quickly and I locked my office. I threw my purse around my shoulder and dug for my phone, then groaned when I found it was dead. I had no way of calling Brewer to let him know I had to be picked up, nor did I have a way of calling for a cab.
“Miss Price?”
I whipped around at the sound of my name and saw one of my workers headed for me.
“Yes! Mr.… Duncan?”
“That’s right, ma’am.”
“How can I help you?” I asked.
“Ya look a little lost. Need help?” he asked.
“I’m actually trying to figure out how to call a cab with a dead cell phone,” I said.
“I can do ya one better. You live around here?”
“Down the road about ten miles, take a left, and go past the elementary school a little bit.”
“Ain’t far from where I live. Want me to give ya a ride?”
I smiled at the older gentleman as a wave of relief crashed over me.
“I would really appreciate that. And I’ll pay for the gas in your car.”
“Nonsense. You’re the nicest manager to come into these walls in a long time, I should know. Been working here for forty years.”
“Forty years?” I asked.
“Yep. My father worked here, too. And my grandfather.”
“That’s… incredible, Mr. Duncan.”
“You were nice to us, so you deserve that kindness back. You just let me know where to turn.”
So, I followed the man to his truck and guided him towards my house while we talked.