Page 60 of Hale Damage
I let out an unladylike snorting noise. “Too bad he’s already married to his mommy. There was no room for me. And you’re right. He didn’t even try. All he did was pick fights with the therapist when Dr. Wallace would ask him things like ‘How do you think that makes your wife feel?’”
“Man-baby,” Aunt Lorraine mutters. “He’s such an immature little… well, I’m not sure I can even voice what I want to call him.”
“Caroline and Aubrey call him Twatface,” I supply, and my aunt lets out a bellow of a laugh.
“I do love those two.” She pushes her ash-blonde hair over one ear and regards me. “And I meant what I said. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want.”
I reach across and give her another hug. “Thank you, but I really want to get my own place and start living my life as a free woman.”
She strokes my hair, which I have pulled back into a loose chignonat the nape of my neck. “I understand, honey, but if you need money or anything, I’m here for you.”
“I have money, Aunt Lorraine. I’ve been saving for years, plus there’s still a bit left in my account from my inheritance.”
Her blonde eyebrows inch together. “That’s supposed to be for your bakery. I don’t want you to have to dip into your savings.”
“I’ll try not to,” I assure her. “There’s money in my joint account with Roger as well. Half of that is mine, so I wrote a retainer check to the divorce lawyer from that account. But the savings is there if I need it. Plus, I have some other news. Drumroll, please.”
Aunt Lorraine dutifully drums her hands on her khaki-covered thighs, and I swirl my hands with a flourish. “I got a second job too. At a bakery. I’ll be making their cookies-of-the-day every morning before I’ll hopefully be going to work at Hale Cosmetics.”
Her face is a mixture of pride and worry. “I’m happy for you, Mindy. I know baking is your one true love, but I don’t want you to overwork yourself.”
“Pssh, it’s fine. I’m barely thirty, and to be honest, I feel better than I have in years. It’s like I’m lighter or something.”
“Well, you recently lost a hundred and seventy pounds… and his name is Roger. That’s enough to make anyone feel lighter,” she says with a laugh, and I join in. I truly adore this woman with all my heart.
I’m literally trembling with excitement after hanging up the phone. Managing to control my fingers enough to dial my aunt, I wait for her to answer.
“Mindy, is everything okay?”
“I got the job,” I gush out. “I got the job at Hale Cosmetics. You are now speaking to the executive assistant to the CEO.”
“Ooooh, I’m so happy for you sweetheart. Hold on a second.” She pulls the phone from her mouth, but I can still hear her. “Reece Annette Hale, do not put that cat on the table.” She returns to me. “Sorry about that, Mindy.”
“No, I’m sorry. I know you’re at work, but I wanted you to be the first person I told.”
“I’m glad you did. I’ll make us a special celebration dinner tonight. How about my chicken cacciatore?”
“Sounds great. And good luck with Reece and the cat,” I say, a tease in my voice.
My aunt’s laugh trills across the line. “She’s a good girl, but she definitely keeps me on my toes.”
Aunt Lorraine is the nanny for Phoenix Hale, so she’s in charge of his six-year-old daughter during the day. Phoenix also happens to be the son of my new boss, Haywood Hale, the CEO of Hale Cosmetics. Phoenix works there too, but I’m not sure what his title is. I’ve never met any of the Hales other than Haywood.
When my aunt gets home from work that night, I frost the cake I made earlier while she cooks the chicken dish.
“Am I silly for making myself a cake?” I ask, piping a few yellow roses around the base.
Aunt Lorraine frowns at me. “Of course not, Mindy. Executive assistant to the CEO? Do you have any idea what a huge deal that is? You deserve to celebrate.”
Using a damp cloth, I clean up smudges of frosting from the clear crystal platter. “I’d love to work at a bakery full time, but this position pays more than I can turn down. It will help me to save up and reach my goal more quickly.”
“How much more do you need?”
“To buy all my equipment, lease a storefront, get supplies, and the million other things I have to do to open a business, I was hoping to have around $200,000 in my savings. Right now I have $150,000.” I wipe my hands on a dish towel. “Dad left us a pretty good chunk, but Mama used a lot of it to pay off their house and some debts.”
Aunt Lorraine lifts an eyebrow. “Let me guess. Gambling debts?”
“You got it. After he retired, it seemed like Dad was in Vegas or Atlantic City every other week.” I sigh and lean back, both hands on the countertop as she smears garlic butter on thick slices of bread. “The rest of it came from what I’ve been able to save and the sale of my car and Mama’s house. Minus her medications and hospice bills, ofcourse. We traveled pretty frugally, though I did splurge for first-class plane tickets on our last trip so Mama would be more comfortable. She started to decline pretty rapidly toward the end.”
