You are Hired

Aurora POV:

I woke up with a summat stuck to my gut. I remember sleeping with a rejuvenated hope, but the hope was no where to be found again. I was in touch with reality again. I had told myself I could secure a job easily,Actually, that wasn’t quite the case. Jacobsville was a small town. There weren’t that many office jobs available, because most people lucky enough to get them worked in the same place until they retired.

There was one hope though. Leo Jordan, an extremely wealthy local rancher who had a real war going with Mr. Angelo. Rumors says he couldn’t keep a secretary neither, perhaps worse than Mr. Angelo. He was hard, cold, and demanding. At least one secretary leave his employment in tears every month. His wife had left him for an unknown reason, along with their young son, and filed for divorce. He consistently refused to sign the final papers, which had led to a furious confrontation between himself and Mr.Angelo. The fistfight escalated until Chief of Police Cash Grier had to step in and break it up. Mr Leo Jordan threw a punch at Cash, missed the chief and landed in jail. There was certainly no love lost between Leo and Michael. Perhaps I could use that to my advantage.

I gulped hard at the prospect of working for someone like him after almost suffering a mental meltdown for Working for the Devil's Advocate, but I had no choice. He was one of the few ones whose wages could keep up with Mr. Angelo.

With that Idea and gathering up courage, I picked up the Phone and dialled their work number before my mom woke up.

His deep voice was recognizable the instant he spoke.

"Mr.....l..leo? It's Aurora Hardy" I stammered hoping he'd remembered me. We once met at an event and he seemed to take a liking to my personality. But people like him meet a lot of people everyday, my existence was most definitely insignificant to him.

There was a surprise pause at first. " Yes Miss Hardy?" He replied.

Yes! He remembers me, I yelped inside.

“I was wondering if you needed any secretarial help right now,” I blurted out, embarrassed almost to tears just to ask the question.

There was another pause and then a chuckle. “Have you and Michael parted ways?” he asked with glee.

“In fact, yes, we have, I quit.” I said flatly, trying make most of the situation and swing the odds in my favor.

“Great!” He said so gleefully It caught me off guard. I knew they hated each but, the enormity seems almost ludicrous.

“I can’t get a secretary who doesn’t see me as a romantic prospect,” he said

I felt my cheek reddened, unsure if the comment was meant for me with my past history of falling in love with my boss. His workers falling in love with him was no surprise, I have seen him a couple of times to know how handsome he was, perhaps way hotter than Mr. Angelo. I remember almost struggling to breathe that time I was in his presence. He carries an air of charisma and an aura of superiority wherever he goes. It was no news just like Mr. Angelo he wants nothing to With women. It was amusing how similar both of them were, yet they are sworn enemies.

“I certainly won’t,” I replied without thinking. My whole life depend on this, I was not going to mess this up. I can't fall in love with someone like him.

"I'm sorry" I added, after realizing how arrogant I sounded.

"Don't Apologize" he said firmly. "How soon can you get here" he asked

"An hour" I replied brightly

“You’re hired. Come in right away. Be sure and tell Michael, who you’re working for, will you?” he added. “It would make my day!”

"Yes sir, I definitely would" I replied. I know I won't, there was no way I would ever call Michael to tell him such.

"sir. And thank you very much! I’ll work hard, I’ll do overtime, anything you want!" I exclaimed euphorically

"Well, anything within reason.” I added consciously

"Never mind about that, it would never come to that" he replied harshly

He hung up before I could reply.

I had a job! U didn’t have to tell mother I was out of work and we wouldn’t be able to afford rent payments and my car payment and food. It was such a relief that I sat staring at the phone blankly until I remembered that she had to go to work.

I walked to my Mom's bedroom, she was still sleeping. I tap her gently. She opened her pale hazel eyes.

"Good morning mom" I said

"Good morning dear, off to work already?" She said with a smile

" Yes Mom , I'm unsure when I will be home, mom. But i will try as much as possible to be home early” I told her gently, bending to kiss her forehead. It felt clammy. I frowned, standing erect.

“Are you okay?” I asked

"Just a little headache darling, certainly nothing to worry about. I'd tell you if something was wrong"

I relaxed, but only a little. I love her, she meant the whole world to me. She was the only one in world who loved and I can't bear to lose her. I had frequent unspoken terrors about losing her. It was always scary.

"I'm okay dear" She emphasized

“You stay in bed today and don’t get up and start trying to do cordon bleu in the kitchen. Okay?” I said

She reached out and caught my hands. " I don't ever want to e a burden on you darling " she said softly "That was never what I intended.”

"You are not a burden mom, you will never be a burden to me"

"I'm...sorry..dear. I'm so sorry.." she broke off, tears brightening her eyes

“Mom, you can’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t help,” I said softly

There is always a melancholic feeling in my gut whenever I look at her in this state. Despite trying so hard to be happy, she never really had an exciting life. My father hadn’t really loved my mom, and it showed to everybody except her. It always seem like her never did, I always wondered why he married her then, i always thought there was a certain behind their wedding but neither will tell me about it .

She was forever doing things to help other people. Until her illness, she’d always been active in the community, baking for fund-raising sales, working in her church group, taking food to bereaved families—anything she could do. My Dad, a very successful Certified Public Accountant, went to work and came home and watched television. He had no sense of compassion. In fact, his mind was foreverhimself, and what he needed. He and I had never been close, although he hadn’t been a bad father, in his way.

But this isn't the time to talk about all that, instead I bent and kissed my mother's temple again.mother. Instead I bent and kissed my mother’s temple again.

“I love you. It’s no burden to take care of you. And I mean that,” I added, smiling

“You tell that Mr. Angelo that I’m very grateful he gave you the job. I don’t know what we’d have done if he hadn't..”

I sat back bedside my mother.

"I have something to tell you mom"

“You’re getting married?” she teased,, with bright eyes and a smile. “He’s finally realized you’re in love with him?!”

“Yeah, he realized it,” I said, tight-lipped. “And he said I’d get over it quicker if I was working for somebody else.”

I watched enthusiasm sucked out of her face. “And he seemed like such a nice man!” she said sadly.

I held her hand immediately "You don't have to worry yourself mom, I've gotten a new job" I said quickly before she starts worrying "I'm going to start the new work today and it would be great" I added

"Start where? Whom will you be for"

"Jordan"

She raised an eyebrow "I thought both of them hated each other"

"Yes, and I use that to my advantage. It will pay just as well as Mr Angelo did and I will have peace of mind"

"Excuse me?" She asked confuse

"Never mind Mom. It will all be fine"

"I'm unsure about this, I heard Leo Jordan has quite a temper. He can't stand women around him and make his secretaries cry"

"He can't be as bad as Mr. Angelo" I muttered

"I will be fine mom, I promise"

She pressed my hand again. “If you say so. I’m sorry, darling. I know how you feel about Mr. Angelo"

"Since he doesn’t feel the same way, it’s for the best if I don’t go on working there and eating my heart out over him,” I said realistically. "I’ll find other company, someone who doesn’t think I’m too fat…” I stopped at once and flushed, realizing the mistake I made.

My mother looked furious. “You are not fat! I can’t believe Mr. Angelo had the audacity to say something like that to you!”

“He didn’t,” I lied at once. “He just…insinuated it.” I sighed. “perhaps He’s right. I am fat. But I’m trying so hard to lose weight!”

She held my hand tighter

"Listen to me, darling,” she said softly. “A man who really cares about you isn’t going to dwell on what he considers faults. Your father used that same argument to me,” she added unexpectedly which caught me off guard “He actually said that he went to that other woman because she was slender and well-groomed.” she said with so much hurt my heart broke

“He…did? He said that? You know he was cheating on you? Then why did you stay with him Did he ever love you?"

She grimaced. “I should have told you. Your father never loved me, Aurora. He was in love with my best friend and she married somebody else. He married me to get even with her. He wanted a divorce two months later, but I was pregnant with you, and in those days, people really gossiped about men who walked out on a pregnant wife. So we stayed together and tried to make a home for you. Looking back,” she said wearily, lying back down on her pillows, “perhaps I made a mistake. You don’t know what a good marriage is, do you? Your father and I hardly ever did anything together, even when you were little. But I had to pretend I was happy with him for you not to notice."

I pushed back her dishelved hair

"I love you very mom, so do a lot of people because you are a wonderful person. It was my father's loss if he couldn't see how special you were." I said

“At least I have you” came the soft reply, with a smile. “I love you, too, darling.”

I fought back tears. “Now I really have to go,” she said. “I can’t afford to lose my new job before I start it!”

My mother laughed. “You be careful!”

“I’ll drive under the speed limit" I said