Chapter Three

They’d fired her. It was less humiliating than Dana expected it to be, especially since she didn’t have enough stuff at her desk to carry the iconic box out, but she could feel the anxiety swelling inside her as she stood on the sidewalk outside the office. People bustled by her and shot her dirty looks as she stood in the way, but she had no idea what she was going to do.

Fired. There’d be no paychecks to save her. First, she’d be evicted. Then she’d turn into one of those homeless women who stood on the sidewalks with a sign, begging for help. By the end of her horrible prediction, she’d lose her mind. She’d collect trash off the streets and call them her precious things. She’d carry them around in a shopping cart and defend them with her life.

Get a grip, Dana. She wouldn’t be able to fix anything if she spent her time predicting doom and gloom. She was a positive woman. She’d put all that positivity out in the air and believe that it would come back to her.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and focused. I am a capable woman. I will find a way to solve my problems. I am a good person, and good things will return to me. I…

“Get the hell out of the way, lady!”

With a shriek, Dana stumbled off the sidewalk as someone angrily pushed her. Irritated, she shouldered her bag and started walking. She had no idea where she would go. Home wasn’t a great option. She’d just hide behind a locked door and pray that her landlord didn’t come searching for her. That kind of fear wasn’t conducive to creative thinking, and she’d need to get creative to figure out a way to get some quick cash.

Turning the corner, she walked without purpose until a familiar smell wafted passed her nose. The delicious and comforting aroma of coffee. The Coffee Pit Stop sign from her favorite coffee cart was like an oasis in the desert. That’s what she needed. Coffee.

Five steps toward the cart, she froze. Coffee cost money, and if there was one thing she should not be doing, it was spending her money. Gripping the strap of her bag, she bit her lower lip and stared.

A battle waged inside her.

You need the coffee to fix your problem.

You need money to fix your problem.

Coffee will help you get the money.

Coffee will make you spend your money.

She was so torn that she almost missed the familiar face walk by her. Cole Parker didn’t even look her way as he made a beeline for the cart. Rather than waiting in line, he sidled up next to an attractive blonde and murmured something in her ear. The people behind him exchanged disgusted looks at the man who had cut in line, and the woman laughed loudly. As the barista handed her the coffee, she gave Cole a look of disbelief and walked away.

Narrowing her eyes, she stiffened her spine and headed straight toward him. “I guess your good looks don’t get you everything, huh?”

Slowly turning his head, he didn’t even register surprise as he stared at her. “Excuse me?”

“I’m guessing you thought that you could flirt with that woman and cut in front of all of these people. Apparently, she wasn’t buying what you were selling. The question now is whether you plan on staying in line and pretending that it was your spot all along, or if you’re going to have the decency to get at the back of the line so all these people who are clearly on their lunch break don’t have to waste any more time waiting for you.”

The people behind her started to chuckle, and Cole visibly set his jaw. “Do I know you?”

Anger swelled inside her. “Are you kidding me? You just got me fired, and you don’t even remember me?”

Rather than look embarrassed, he relaxed and even had the balls to smirk. “That’s right. The woman who couldn’t remember to put the name cards on the table and created chaos at an important press event. I’m afraid your incompetence got you fired, my dear. Not me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to order.”

The barista leaned over the cart to take his order, and Dana stepped in front of him. “You really shouldn’t serve him. He just cut in front of at least five people.” Turning her head, she surveyed the line. “Oh, it looks like the line has grown since then. Are you going to encourage that kind of behavior?”

The barista frowned at Cole. “Sir? Is this true?”

“Are you kidding me?” Cole muttered. “I’m here three times a day to get coffee!”

“So am I,” the man behind him snapped. “I don’t walk around with an inflated sense of self-importance and fuck over the people around me. My lunch break is going to be over soon!”

Dana watched with satisfaction as other people chimed in. The barista shook his head and waved his hand. Grumbling under his breath, Cole had no choice but to step aside. “I won’t be back here again,” he said nastily.

“Don’t blame the barista for enforcing the rules! If you want to blame someone, blame yourself,” Dana hissed.

He grabbed her arm. “Like the way that you’re blaming me for getting you fired when it was you who kept fucking up the job?”

“First of all, you don’t know jack ship about what you’re talking about,” she began as her cheeks flushed with anger. The people in the line started to watch them with obvious curiosity. “You couldn’t see anything other than what was right in front of you, and you didn’t even have the decency to investigate the situation before you had me fired. It was Paula’s job to put the name cards down, and I actually tried to remind her several times to follow through, but she cut me off every time. She blamed her incompetence on me, and you believed her!”

Cole raised an eyebrow, but she wasn’t done yet. “You’re Cole Parker. You’re so important. You run a whole company, but you don’t care a fig about your employees! I’m going to lose my apartment because I can’t pay my rent now. I’m going to be homeless, and it’s all your fault! So, think about that next time you decide to muck with someone else’s life!”

Satisfied that she’d had her say, she whirled around and stomped away. It wasn’t until she was around the corner that the panic attack set in.

She’d just yelled at Cole Parker. In front of people. In front of a lot of people. He was a powerful man, an influential man. One phone call from him, and she’d never find another job in the city.

Tears pricked her eyes. So much for focusing on positive energy. She’d just put a whole lot of anger out there, and it was probably going to return and smash her to bits.