Love at Last Call by M. Ullrich

Author:M. Ullrich [Ullrich, M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635551983
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2018-05-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Lauren didn’t sleep a wink after returning home from Jennifer’s. She mostly tossed and turned, but she also spent too much time dodging Rebecca’s incessant questions about her new girlfriend. Lauren didn’t have any answers because she loathed to admit she didn’t have a new girlfriend—at least to Rebecca. She was still tired when her five o’clock shift started at the Dollhouse. She shuffled sluggishly through the back door into the stockroom. She was grateful to hear an acoustic band playing, conjuring the memory of Berit mentioning an acoustic night coming up. Lauren’s memory had been suffering from stress-induced lapses, something she hoped would fade soon. She needed to relax.

“Hey, Lauren.” Berit’s voice was a little too loud for Lauren’s exhausted mind. She cursed her body for feeling like it was hungover when all she had was a glass of wine the night before. Emotional hangovers were a thing, apparently. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just really tired. I had a hard time staying asleep last night.” Lauren turned in to the small employee room and tucked her purse into the small cubby designated just for her belongings. She clocked in, but she could feel Berit’s eyes on her as she moved about.

“Acoustic night isn’t shaping up to be as popular as I had hoped.”

Lauren laughed lightly. “It’s only five. How many songs have been played? Two?”

“We’re covered out there if you need time, that’s what I’m trying to say.” Berit stepped closer to Lauren and touched her forearm gently.

Lauren looked at Berit’s hand, and Berit pulled back.

“I know it can be hard to adjust to the hours,” Berit said quietly. “I don’t want you to run yourself into the ground. I can always work the schedule around to make sure you’re okay.”

“And get special treatment from the boss?” Lauren joked half-heartedly. She did mean it. The last thing Lauren wanted was for her coworkers to think she was treated differently. Berit’s eyes bored into her, her kindness a chokehold. “I’ll be fine.” Lauren stepped around Berit and walked out of the employee room. She subconsciously touched her arm where Berit had laid her hand.

“I would do the same for any of my girls.”

“Your girls?” Lauren said, turning around so fast her hair flipped over her shoulder. “Is that what they are to you?”

Berit’s eyebrows rose.

“Those women are not yours. They are very hardworking employees.” Lauren stepped back. Her eyes widened as her mind caught up with her mouth and was thoroughly embarrassed by her outburst.

Berit took in a slow breath, her face impassive. “I know you don’t think very highly of me as a person,” Berit said. Lauren’s heart sank instantly. “But I’m positive I’ve never given you a reason to think I treat my staff unfairly or inappropriately.” Berit’s tone was unlike anything Lauren had ever heard. She sounded tense, thoughtful, and a little hurt.

Lauren’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, you’re right. I don’t know what’s gotten into me today. I’m so grumpy.”

Some of the warmth returned to Berit’s smile.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.