I first met him with his boyish good looks. The thick thatch of brown hair, combined with his chocolate brown eyes and firm body, had reeled me in. But now the sight of him made me feel queasy. A rash of memories flashed by me as I thought of how he had branded me.
“I’m here to talk about the conditions at Werewolf Haven,” I said as I sat down in the black office chair Steve pointed me to.
Steve cocked his brow as he plopped down in his oversized swivel chair. “What conditions did you want to discuss, pretty one?” Steve grinned. “And did I tell you how beautiful you look today?”
There he went, laying the charm on thick. And he was good at it. He had certainly fooled me at first. “Cut the crap, Steve. We both know how you really feel about me. Anyway, I am not here to talk about me. I’m here to talk about how things seem to have gone downhill at Werewolf Haven since you took over.”
Steve’s smile turned to a frown. He leaned forward. “I really don’t know what you mean. The board is very pleased with me. I have slashed dining expenses, construction costs, and more. In fact,” he added smugly, “they are giving me a raise.”
“A raise! How do you deserve a raise?”
“I am doing the job I was hired to do—cut costs.”
“What good is that if the residents are unhappy? Nana says the food is always cold and barely edible. The front of the building has looked like a construction zone for weeks, and…”
“Oh get real, Alicia,” Steve growled, interrupting me. “This is a nursing home, not a five star hotel. Things are not going to be perfect. Ok, so maybe a few things are less than desirable—what do you want me to do; raise the monthly rate for residents?”
“Come on, Steve. The residents are not getting what they pay for now. And then there’s the matter of asking them for money to help pay the hospital costs for your girlfriend, Angel Sue.”
“You wouldn’t happen to be jealous that I had been dating someone else, would you?”
Hmm had been dating ? Were he and Angel Sue no longer together?
Well, it really didn’t matter. I ignored his comment and pressed on. “I understand Angel Sue has a lot of medical and other expenses, but it’s unfair to put the burden on these senior citizens. Many of them are on a very tight budget, just barely getting by.”
“Oh, but you know how they love helping others,” Steve said, “it makes them feel good. I’m doing them a favor.”
“Doing them a favor?” I gasped. “Yes, I know they like to help others and feel needed,” I shook my head. “But it’s one thing to ask for a one time donation, it’s another to constantly badger the residents with money requests and try to guilt them into giving more, which is what some of them say you have been doing.”
Steve squinted at me and clamped his jaw tightly. “How would you like it if I tried to tell you how to run your auction reseller business? Let me run my business my way, and you run yours your way.”
“But Steve…”
“Stay the fuck out of my business. What I do doesn’t concern you.”
My mouth dropped open. “What! Of course it concerns me. Nana lives here. I love her dearly. She’s the woman who raised me and I want her to be as happy as possible!”
“The board is happy with me. That’s all that matters. Let’s face it, no one really cares that much about a bunch of old folks that are going to die any day now anyway.”
Wow, I just could not believe what I was hearing. And to think that I had actually thought I might grow old with this man one day. How could I have been so blind?
“I think the board needs to know how you really feel about the residents,” I said, tapping my fingers on his desk. “I’m sure they asked you to cut costs, but I don’t think they meant for you to do it like this. And if the board doesn’t care, I bet the loved ones of the residents here do. I’m going to make sure everyone knows what you really think.”
Steve grinned.
“I’m here to talk about the conditions at Werewolf Haven,” I said as I sat down in the black office chair Steve pointed me to.
Steve cocked his brow as he plopped down in his oversized swivel chair. “What conditions did you want to discuss, pretty one?” Steve grinned. “And did I tell you how beautiful you look today?”
There he went, laying the charm on thick. And he was good at it. He had certainly fooled me at first. “Cut the crap, Steve. We both know how you really feel about me. Anyway, I am not here to talk about me. I’m here to talk about how things seem to have gone downhill at Werewolf Haven since you took over.”
Steve’s smile turned to a frown. He leaned forward. “I really don’t know what you mean. The board is very pleased with me. I have slashed dining expenses, construction costs, and more. In fact,” he added smugly, “they are giving me a raise.”
“A raise! How do you deserve a raise?”
“I am doing the job I was hired to do—cut costs.”
“What good is that if the residents are unhappy? Nana says the food is always cold and barely edible. The front of the building has looked like a construction zone for weeks, and…”
“Oh get real, Alicia,” Steve growled, interrupting me. “This is a nursing home, not a five star hotel. Things are not going to be perfect. Ok, so maybe a few things are less than desirable—what do you want me to do; raise the monthly rate for residents?”
“Come on, Steve. The residents are not getting what they pay for now. And then there’s the matter of asking them for money to help pay the hospital costs for your girlfriend, Angel Sue.”
“You wouldn’t happen to be jealous that I had been dating someone else, would you?”
Hmm had been dating ? Were he and Angel Sue no longer together?
Well, it really didn’t matter. I ignored his comment and pressed on. “I understand Angel Sue has a lot of medical and other expenses, but it’s unfair to put the burden on these senior citizens. Many of them are on a very tight budget, just barely getting by.”
“Oh, but you know how they love helping others,” Steve said, “it makes them feel good. I’m doing them a favor.”
“Doing them a favor?” I gasped. “Yes, I know they like to help others and feel needed,” I shook my head. “But it’s one thing to ask for a one time donation, it’s another to constantly badger the residents with money requests and try to guilt them into giving more, which is what some of them say you have been doing.”
Steve squinted at me and clamped his jaw tightly. “How would you like it if I tried to tell you how to run your auction reseller business? Let me run my business my way, and you run yours your way.”
“But Steve…”
“Stay the fuck out of my business. What I do doesn’t concern you.”
My mouth dropped open. “What! Of course it concerns me. Nana lives here. I love her dearly. She’s the woman who raised me and I want her to be as happy as possible!”
“The board is happy with me. That’s all that matters. Let’s face it, no one really cares that much about a bunch of old folks that are going to die any day now anyway.”
Wow, I just could not believe what I was hearing. And to think that I had actually thought I might grow old with this man one day. How could I have been so blind?
“I think the board needs to know how you really feel about the residents,” I said, tapping my fingers on his desk. “I’m sure they asked you to cut costs, but I don’t think they meant for you to do it like this. And if the board doesn’t care, I bet the loved ones of the residents here do. I’m going to make sure everyone knows what you really think.”
Steve grinned.
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