Flip (Next Level Book 2)

I’m on cloud nine as I pull up to the building, twenty-four minutes early and ready to slay this interview. My mood is high and energy big. Looking at that house with Trey was a blast. Even on the way here, I’ve come up with a ton more ideas I can’t wait to share with him when I get home.

After a quick touch up in the bathroom, I head to the third floor and march over to the reception desk to give her my name and let her know I’m here for an interview. Then I sit down and all the confidence I had five minutes ago spills out of me.

What if they hate me? What if I’m not a good fit? What if I botch this up somehow?

I text Trey and he’s right there with all the right things to say.

Trey: You’re going to nail it.

Erin: Then I’m going to nail you.

Trey: I love your authoritative tone. But I’m the one holding the reins here.

Erin: I’m not a horse!

Trey: Does that mean I’m not a stallion?

Erin: You’re probably bigger than a stallion. God, what do you feed that monster?

“Erin?” A man calls out and I drop my phone on the floor.

Picking it up, I smooth my dress down and shake hands with not one, but three members of the Violet Realty. 

What the hell kind of name is that for a company?

I follow three white-haired old men into a conference room, and something makes me feel uneasy as they close the door. Now is not the time to have insecurities. I know my way around an office like this. I also know quite a bit about real-estate, even if I didn’t get my license. All because this is a lower-level admin position I’ve applied for doesn’t mean I won’t climb the ladder. And I know firsthand that a company this size can’t operate without people like me on the ground floor doing all the paperwork.

“We’re waiting on one more to join us, but I think we can go ahead without him,” says the owner of the company.

Yeah. The owner. No pressure there.

They start firing off questions and asking me all kinds of things that I have brilliant answers for. Then they dive into my resume, and I shine for a while until I don’t.

“You didn’t go to college?”

I should be used to this question by now, but I’m not. Lots of people don’t go to fucking college and still have great jobs. Not having a stupid degree doesn’t mean I’m not qualified, or over-qualified, for this position. “No, I didn’t.”

“Sorry I’m late,” a man says behind me. He rushes around the table with files in his hand.

It takes him a moment to settle in his chair and look up at me but when he does, the floor falls out beneath my chair and I drop into a black hole.

“Erin, this is Stanley Kutcher. He’s head of our HR department here at Violet Realty.”

We gawk at each other and I’m not sure who’s more shocked, me or him.

I pull my shit together fast. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I lie.

He doesn’t offer to shake my hand. I can tell the misstep earns him a glare from his boss.

“Violet is such an interesting name,” I say, clearing my throat. I need to buy time until my head is back on straight. Had I known I’d be interviewed by my son’s sperm donor, I might have not bothered dressing so sweet and approachable.

I’d have worn better armor.

“Violet is my daughter’s name,” the owner says. For the life of me, I’ve already forgotten his name. It’s like all my panic and anger is narrowing down on Stanley’s stupid fucking face and I want to crawl across this conference table and choke him to death.

“That’s a lovely name,” I manage to say with a modicum of honesty. It is a nice name.

Annnnd now I know why I feel so heavy and the air’s been sucked out of the room. Violet is the name of Stanley’s wife.

He works for her daddy.

“Here at Violet Realty, we pride ourselves on being more than a company. We’re a family.”

I can’t breathe.

“Loyalty is important to us. As is spending time with our loved ones at home. In this packet, you’ll see the layout of benefits, including three weeks paid vacation for all new employees, which will increase one day per month after your first year. Plus, we have—” he pauses for a moment. “Stanley, hand her the papers.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

My heart clogs my throat as this cocksucker stands up and holds the files by his side. “The position has been filled.”

“Oh!” His father-in-law gets flustered and I almost feel bad for the man because he has no clue what’s really going on.

I could ruin Stan’s life if I spilled the beans right here and now.

But I won’t.

Not for his sake, but for my son’s. Brendan’s never asked to meet his real father but I’m sure he will one day. Until that time comes, I’m not putting myself, or Brendan, in a position where Stanley can have easy access to us or leverage on me by saying I ruined his life by spilling his secrets.

“I’m so sorry to have wasted your time,” the man says. “Stan, you should have made us aware. Instead, we’ve all wasted time here.”

“The decision was only just made. It’s why I was running late.”

Liar.

Stan’s easy to read. His ears turn bright red, and his cheeks get all splotchy when he lies.

Beetle’s the same way.

I keep my composure and stand first. Then I reach over the table and shake the owner’s hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

I say goodbye to everyone, then I’m out the door first, heading to the elevators so fast, it’s a miracle I don’t trip. I’m so mad. So sad. So fed up and frustrated.

The elevator door opens, and I practically jump into it, then hit the close door button a million times. Click-click-click-click-click-click. It’s almost shut when a hand slides in to catch it.

Why couldn’t the door have severed Stanley’s hand off? In horror movies, it happens. Why can’t it happen in real life, damnit?

He stalks into the elevator with me and the door closes. “What the fuck are you doing here, Erin?”

“I applied for a job and got called in for an interview. What do you think I’m doing?”

“I think you’re here to fuck with me.” He gets in my face. “I think you came to see what you can get out of me now that you know I’ve moved back to town and make a lot of fucking money.”

I spit in his face.

So unladylike, I know, but I’m not a lady.

I’m Erin.

And I’ll be damned if I let this piece of shit intimidate or belittle me. “I didn’t know you worked here, and for the record, I don’t care if you’ve moved back or how much money you have, I want nothing to do with you.”

He has the nerve to laugh. “Yeah, right. This company is worth millions. And you knew I married the owner’s daughter. You keep tabs on me.”

I only caved and looked into him once on social media in ten years. It’s how I found out he has three kids and a wife named Violet. It was enough to set me off, and I never did that to myself again. “Watch your tone when you speak to me, Stan.”

“Get out of here before I call security,” he growls as the doors open.

I step out but before I walk away, I rethink things. Spinning on my heels, I shove my hands on the elevator door to keep them open until I’ve said my peace. “I hope you know what you’re going to say.”

“Excuse me?”

“One day, Brendan’s going to ask who his real father is. He may even want to see him. And the thing about my parenting style is I never lie to him. So if, and when, he asks me about you, I’ll tell him everything. I’ll tell him you didn’t want him. That you threw money at me and told me to get rid of him. That you knew where he was all this time and never bothered to meet him.”

No, I won’t.

I’m not a heartless bitch.

I’ll tell Brendan that his biological father was young and scared and didn’t think he was ready to be a dad. I’ll never speak about how he treated me then or how he’s treating him now. Brendan can find out Stan’s an asshole on his own if he chooses to meet him one day. I won’t need to tell stories about his behavior, the bastard’s actions speak for themselves.

“But what are you going to do?” I ask, seething. “When Violet asks why you never told her you have another child. Family is of utmost importance to the company, right? I’m sure your father-in-law will be thrilled to hear you have a child you’ve never met but have known about all along. And that you lied at his mother’s interview and didn’t offer her the job she’s more than qualified to fill.”

Stanley’s cheeks turn brilliant red. He clenches his jaw, and his hands tighten into fists at his side.

“We’ve never needed you,” I hiss at him. “And we never fucking will.” I shove my face back into his. “Don’t you wish you knew what it was like to have a fucking spine like mine?”

I do what it takes for the ones I love. I’ll never stop being an amazing mother to my son. And I’d rather eat dog shit than work for this bastard or anywhere near him. There’s something better for me out there. I’m worth taking a chance on myself and finding it, taking it… mastering it.

“I don’t need this job,” I say with confidence. “But you do. What’s going to happen when your father-in-law finds out you’re a liar and a snake? What’s Violet going to do?”

He pales instantly. “You can’t tell them.”

My heart sinks knowing he’s choosing to save his ass over doing the right thing. Then again, that tracks for this jerk. He did it the day I came to him, scared shitless, and told him I was pregnant. He probably does it every day at work. I always knew I was better off without him, and today just solidified that not only am I better off, but so is Brendan.

It makes a switch flip in my mind—the one that sometimes wondered on my darkest nights, what it would have been like if things were different, and Stanley had stepped up all those years ago. Back then, I saw a guy who had his dreams within grasp, and he pushed me away and ran from the consequences of our actions because he didn’t want to be tied down or locked in with someone like me.

But someone like me is amazing and anyone would be lucky to have a woman by his side who isn’t afraid of facing challenges and who loves with her whole heart. Confidence steels my spine and a smile spreads across my face.

“Have the life you deserve, Stanley.”

I let the doors close while he’s still turning the color of a tomato.

Then I leave the office and head home to my amazing family.