{RILEY}
I don't understand," I murmur into the phone, trying to remain calm. "I didn't receive any other notice about this increase."
"I know, Miss Le Fay. We only received the instructions two days ago, which is why I'm calling to inform you of the change."
I swallow the lump in my throat. Four hundred dollars more a month. I need to pay four hundred dollars more.
"Did you hear me, Miss Le Fay?"
"I'm sorry—could you repeat what you said?"
"I said the new fee structure begins as of the first." I glance at the calendar. That is two weeks away. "Is this even legal?"
The woman on the phone sighs in understanding. "It's a privately run home, Miss Le Fay. One of the best in the city, but they also make their own rules. There are other places where you could see about moving your aunt—ones that are government run with fees set in place."
"No," I insist. "I don't want to do that. She's so well cared-for and settled."
"The staff is the best. There are other rooms, semi-private ones you could move her into."
I rub my head in frustration. Those rooms don't have a garden view—or a space for Penny's easels and art books. She would be so unhappy and lost. I have to keep her in her private room, no matter what.
Mr. Hayes walks in the office, staring at me. I hesitate before saying anything else, unsure if he will stop, but he keeps walking, enters his office, and shuts the door with a quiet click behind him. He doesn't acknowledge me, not that he ever does, unless it is to yell or curse, so I can only assume the strange call he me make had been acceptable.
"Miss Le Fay?"
"I apologize. I'm at work, and my boss came in." "Do you have any other questions?"
I want to scream at her and say, "Yes! How the hell am I supposed to come up with another four hundred dollars to give you?" but I know it is useless. She works in the accounting department; she doesn't make the decisions.
"Not at the moment."
"You have our number."
"Yes, thank you." I hang up. They certainly had my number.
I stare at my desk, my mind going a mile a minute. They pay me well here at Anderson Inc.—I am one of the highest salaried PAs because I work for Mr. Hayes. He is horrible to work for—his dislike of me obvious.
However, I do it because it makes me extra money, which all goes to care for Penny Johnson.
I trace my finger along the worn edge of the blotter I keep on my desk. I already live in the cheapest place I could find. I cut my own hair, bought my clothes at second-hand stores, and my diet consists of ramen noodles and a lot of cheap peanut butter and jam.
I splurge on nothing, using every opportunity to save a little. Coffee is free in the office, and there are always muffins and cookies around. The company pays for my cell phone, and in the warm weather, I walk to and from work, to save the bus fare. Every so often, I use the kitchen at the home to bake cookies with the residents and bring some in to work to share. It is my silent way to make up for the goodies I snag. If an unexpected expense arose, there were days those cookies and muffins were all I could afford to eat. I checked to see if there were any in the break room before I left at night that I could put in the small freezer in my apartment.
I blink away the tears that are building. How am I going to come up with another four hundred dollars a month? I already lived from paycheck to paycheck. I know I can't ask for a raise.
I will have to get a second job, which means I will have less time to spend with Penny.
The outer door opens and Ruzek came in, his face like thunder.
"Is he in yet?"
"Yes."
"Is he with someone?"
"No, sir." I pick up the phone, surprised when Mr. Hayes doesn't answer my buzz.
"Where was he?" he demands.
"As I told you this morning, he didn't tell me. He said it was personal, so it wasn't my place to ask."
He scowls at me, his beady eyes almost disappearing. "This is my company, young lady. Everything that happens here is my business. Next time you ask. Understand?"
I bite my tongue so I won't tell him to go fuck himself. Instead, I nod, relieved when he marches past me and slams into Mr. Hayes's office.
I sigh.
That door gets slammed so often I had to get maintenance to rehang it almost every month.
A few minutes later, Ruzek slams back out, cursing under his breath. I watch him leave, an anxious sensation building in my stomach. If he is in a bad mood, it means Mr. Hayes will be in a bad mood.
That means only one thing: soon he'll be yelling at me for whatever mistake he thought I'd made today.
I hang my head. I hate my life. I hate being a PA. I especially hate being a PA for Mr. Hayes. I have never known anyone so cruel. Nothing I do was ever enough— certainly not enough to warrant a thank you or a grudging smile. In fact, I am certain he has never smiled at me the entire year I've worked for him. I can remember the day Ruzek summoned me to his office.
"Ry,"—he looked hard at me—"as you know, Lee Stevens is leaving. I am going to reassign you to another account rep—Chase Hayes."
"Oh." I had heard horror stories of Chase Hayes and his temper, and I was nervous. He went through PAs quickly. However, reassignment was better than no job. I had finally found a place for Penny where she was happy, and I didn't want to take her out of it.
"The pay rate is higher than what you're making now and that of the other PAs." He quoted me a figure that seemed enormous, but the amount meant I could give Penny her own room.
Surely, Mr. Hayes couldn't be that bad.
How wrong I had been. He made and still makes my life hell, and I take it— because I have no other choice.
Not yet.
My intercom buzzes, and I steady my nerves. "Mr. Hayes?"
"I need a coffee, Miss Le Fay." "Anything else, sir?"
"A few moments of your time."
I shut my eyes, wondering what was about to happen. "Right away."