She, the Kingdom (She #1)(7)

“Of course I would wait until your children were asleep.”

“You’re insane.”

“I know how this sounds, Ms. Clarke, but you truly are the best candidate. You don’t orgasm during oral sex, you’re single, and you need a job.”

“Because of you!” I yelled, standing. “I’m not a prostitute!”

“No, no… please understand. This isn’t for sexual gratification—for you or for me.”

“Get out!” I yelled, pointing to the door.

He stood up, cool and calm, tucked his tie back into his vest, and nodded. “I’m sorry to have offended you, Ms. Clarke. If you change your mind, please don’t hesitate to call.” He handed me his card, a blank, charcoal-colored rectangle with rounded edges. It was thicker than a regular card, almost like driver’s license.

“This doesn’t have anything on it,” I said, flustered.

“If you just,” he reached toward my hands, and I pulled away. He paused, patiently waiting for me to consent. He reached again, and I let him turn my hands until the light caught the embossment. Just ten digits in the center—no name, no address, no email. Just the number.

“Out,” I said again, this time quieter. “And take the money.”

He picked up the fist-full of cash, and then folded the paper I’d signed, holding it up for a moment, a silent reminder of my contractual obligation. He tucked the paper away and nodded. “I know my way out. Truly, my apologies for any offense. That was not at all my intention.”

*

There was a crack in my bedroom ceiling, near the corner. It was beginning to brown, showing signs of water damage. Calling the plumber was just something else on my list of things to do that I couldn’t afford. The dresser was upside down, as my head hung over the foot of my bed. Amelia turned to look at me, her face red, her eyes glossy from the blood pooling in her capillaries.

“I’m bored,” she said.

“Me too.”

“How many jobs have you applied for?”

I stared at the brown veins in the corner. “Two. Substitute teacher, and they’re looking for help at Shelton’s Gas & Go.”

“Oh, stink on that,” Amelia said, sitting up. “Do either of them pay even close to the hospital?”

“Not even half.”

She shook her head. Amelia was laid off, too, but she was at my house to brainstorm for me, not her. Her job was just Jimmy Choo money, as she called it.

“John is floored. They didn’t offer me half salary because they knew I’d have given them the finger, but you? You took it, and they still gave you the boot. Even John said it doesn’t make sense.”

I sat up, frowning. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” she asked, her head turning to the side like a confused puppy.

“Use your husband’s opinion instead of your own, as if it means more. It doesn’t. If you’re floored, and it doesn’t make sense to you, it has just as much weight.”

Amelia sank back, deflated. “You’re right. When did I start doing that?”

“I don’t know. The important thing is that you stop.”

She nodded once. “You’re right. Just because he’s a doctor doesn’t mean he knows more than me. I have my Bachelor’s in accounting.”

“Exactly,” I said, nodding once for emphasis.

“It’s just that… John knows Max a little, and he’s having a hard time believing that he would do that. Not that you’re lying. He just can’t believe he passed on the offer to keep you on at the hospital at half salary. Everyone knows you’re great at your job, Morgan.”

“Max fired you, didn’t he? And you’re Dr. Heathington’s new wife.”

Amelia waved her hand. “Yes, but it was more the board who voted on that than Max. And I wasn’t as great at it as you were. You were great.”

“Not great enough.” I thought about what Max had said, that he’d overhead Amelia and me on our lunch break. Maybe I’d said something else to upset him. But that didn’t explain why he’d come straight over to my house to offer me a new job. Something much more personal that required trustworthiness and reliability. “I don’t think anyone knows Max Kingston that well.”

“Maybe not. The few times I’ve been around him and his wife… it’s strange. Very tense. They’ve been married for almost ten years and don’t have any children.”

“Not everyone wants children, Amelia.”

“No, but you should see her with kids. She’s everyone’s favorite aunt.”

“Oh.”

“What?”

I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling nervous. “I just pictured her as a villain who hated children. I’m not sure why.”

“Sophie? Oh, no! She’s sweet! She’s just very strange around Max.” She leaned in, even though no one else was around to overhear. “I think their marriage is probably over. Now,” Amelia said, tapping her finger to her perfectly lined lips, “who is hiring…”

“If I don’t find something in the next few weeks, I’m screwed,” I said. “I only have enough in savings for one month’s rent and bills. I have to buy school supplies for the kids…” My mind kept returning to that wad of hundred dollar bills Max had tossed on the table. He’d nearly left without it.