Chapter 5 - THE OFFER EMILY REFUSED
Three weeks after Christmas, David asked Emily to meet him in his office.
She sat across from his desk.
"I don't want charity."
"I haven't offered anything yet."
"You have that face."
"What face?"
"Rich man about to solve something with money."
David almost smiled.
Then slid a document toward her.
"A full-time position."
Emily stared.
"Facilities coordinator."
"It's not cleaning."
"No."
"I don't have a degree."
"You've managed teams before."
"At a diner."
"You coordinated six people, inventory and vendor schedules."
"How do you know that?"
"I read your employment file."
She frowned.
"That's creepy."
"Fair."
He pushed the document closer.
"The salary is almost double what you make now."
Emily didn't touch it.
"Why?"
"Because you're qualified."
"No."
David sighed.
"What answer would make you believe me?"
"The truth."
He considered her.
"Fine."
He leaned back.
"After Christmas, I reviewed compensation across our building services contractors."
Emily waited.
"It was terrible."
"That's news?"
"To me, apparently."
That surprised her.
David continued.
"We outsourced work to the lowest bidder. I never looked at what that meant for workers."
"And now you feel guilty."
"Yes."
The blunt answer disarmed her.
"But guilt isn't why I'm offering this job."
"Then why?"
"Because when everything went wrong, you kept functioning."
She looked at him.
"You protected Lily, handled police interviews, identified project records and remembered details everyone else missed."
He shrugged.
"I need people who notice things."
Emily finally read the offer.
Health insurance.
Paid leave.
Retirement plan.
Stable daytime schedule.
She thought of Lily.
Then she pushed it back.
"No."
David blinked.
"Why?"
"Because everyone will think I'm sleeping with you."
The silence was brutal.
David coughed.
"We haven't—"
"I know."
"I wasn't going to—"
"I know."
He looked almost embarrassed.
Emily folded her arms.
"People already talk."
He knew she was right.
"So what do you want?"
"I'll apply."
"What?"
"Post the job."
"Emily—"
"Post it. Interview people."
"You want to compete?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"So if I get it, it's mine."
David stared at her.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
Thirty-seven people applied.
Emily assumed she had made a terrible mistake.
She studied for the interview after Lily went to sleep.
She learned software.
Facilities codes.
Vendor management.
Scheduling systems.
Two weeks later, David called her.
"You got it."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Honestly?"
"You were the second choice."
She stared.
He smiled.
"The first candidate accepted another offer."
Emily burst out laughing.
"You're horrible."
"You wanted honesty."
She took the job.
Their relationship changed.
They saw each other daily.
Not romantically.
At first.
David stopped being a billionaire in Emily's mind.
He became the man who drank terrible black coffee.
Who forgot lunch.
Who hated elevators despite owning a skyscraper.
Emily stopped being "the cleaner" to David.
She became the woman who challenged invoices.
Who remembered everyone's birthdays.
Who never accepted easy answers.
Lily remained Lily.
She adored him.
One afternoon, David attended a school art show because Emily couldn't leave work early enough.
When Emily arrived, she found him sitting on a tiny plastic chair while Lily explained a painting.
Something inside her shifted.
She didn't like it.
She liked it too much.
That evening, she told David they needed boundaries.
He went quiet.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No."
"Then?"
"Lily lost her father."
"I know."
"She gets attached."
David looked toward the window.
"So do I."
Emily's breath caught.
"David."
"I'm not asking for anything."
"Good."
"But I'm not going to pretend I don't care about her."
Emily stood.
"That's exactly what scares me."
She left.
That night, an envelope appeared beneath her apartment door.
No return address.
Inside was a photograph.
David and Lily leaving the school.
Across it, someone had written:
HE COULDN'T PROTECT HIS WIFE.
May you like
HE WON'T PROTECT YOUR CHILD.
Richard Cole was back.
