She's fine." Darci's thoughts flew back to her daughter sticking needles in her. "Where were you?" she asked, forcing herself to focus.
"It was so cool, Darci, I went to a tarot card reading."
"A what?"
"Tarot cards. It was a genuine reading from a psychic. She told me all kinds of things, like I was headed for great things and a change was coming soon to my life."
"Did she say anything about your boss killing you?" Darci interrupted the recap of generic predictions. "Because you were supposed to be at work hours ago. That's not cool, Monica."
She could hear Monica sigh on the other end of the line and Darci could picture her rolling her eyes. She was ready for Monica to come back with a lame excuse about how the psychic told her she didn't have to work, or something equally flaky but there was no response.
"Monica?" Darci's irritation grew and she tapped her foot, trying to keep her calm.
"Look, Darci." There was an edge to Monica's voice that Darci hadn't heard before. "I was scheduled to work today at noon. I got here fifteen minutes early for my shift, just like you always tell me to."
"But you said-"
"And that's what I told Felicity, when she called."
A tingle of fear, and something else Darci couldn't pin point, ran down her spine. "Felicity?"
"She called looking for you."
"When?"
"Oh, I don't know," Monica said. "About an hour ago. I told her I hadn't seen you at all and that the store was locked when I got here." Darci couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Monica was very much enjoying relaying the events to her.
"And what did you say?"
"I already told you."
"Monica-" Darci was going to remind her that she'd agreed to cover and the store had only been empty because she hadn't shown up the way she said she would. But she stopped. There was no point. The responsibility was Darci's and they both knew it. "Okay," Darci said. "I'll call Felicity and explain what happened."
"Oh, there's no need for that." Monica's sing-song voice floated through the ear piece.
"What do you mean?"
"Felicity called a staff meeting for tonight. Eight o'clock."
Darci flicked through her mental calendar. Taylor would be getting ready for bed at the hospital. It shouldn't be a problem. "At the store?" she asked.
"Yes, right after closing."
"I know when closing is," Darci snapped before she could stop herself. She couldn't be sure what was going on with Monica, but she did know that she wouldn't feed into it. "I'll be there."
"Great. I'll tell Felicity."
"I'm sure you will." Darci hung up before she said anything else. She really didn't need to get into it with Monica. Not yet.
She tucked her phone back into her pocket and leaned back against the wall. She couldn't afford to have her job questioned. Not with Taylor in the hospital. Not with all of the expenses that were sure to come. But surely Felicity knew that if she wasn't at the store, there was a perfectly good explanation. Darci slid down the wall, as she tried to explain away the situation in her head. She knew if she just told Felicity what was going on, she'd understand. After all, Taylor was in the hospital.
But would she understand? Darci couldn't be sure. Her boss didn't have children of her own. She'd always prided herself on being a strong independent business woman who didn't need a man to lean on. And not having a man translated to not having a family. Darci respected and cared about Felicity, but she'd known from the very beginning of their relationship, that her boss had a very low tolerance for women who let their families get in the way of their careers.
Darci had talked her way into the job shortly after Ryan's accident, when it became clear that his life insurance would barely cover the cost of his funeral, let alone any of their living expenses. Felicity had been a life line to her when she needed it the most, and Darci had paid her back by working hard and never letting her family business come between her and running the
"It was so cool, Darci, I went to a tarot card reading."
"A what?"
"Tarot cards. It was a genuine reading from a psychic. She told me all kinds of things, like I was headed for great things and a change was coming soon to my life."
"Did she say anything about your boss killing you?" Darci interrupted the recap of generic predictions. "Because you were supposed to be at work hours ago. That's not cool, Monica."
She could hear Monica sigh on the other end of the line and Darci could picture her rolling her eyes. She was ready for Monica to come back with a lame excuse about how the psychic told her she didn't have to work, or something equally flaky but there was no response.
"Monica?" Darci's irritation grew and she tapped her foot, trying to keep her calm.
"Look, Darci." There was an edge to Monica's voice that Darci hadn't heard before. "I was scheduled to work today at noon. I got here fifteen minutes early for my shift, just like you always tell me to."
"But you said-"
"And that's what I told Felicity, when she called."
A tingle of fear, and something else Darci couldn't pin point, ran down her spine. "Felicity?"
"She called looking for you."
"When?"
"Oh, I don't know," Monica said. "About an hour ago. I told her I hadn't seen you at all and that the store was locked when I got here." Darci couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Monica was very much enjoying relaying the events to her.
"And what did you say?"
"I already told you."
"Monica-" Darci was going to remind her that she'd agreed to cover and the store had only been empty because she hadn't shown up the way she said she would. But she stopped. There was no point. The responsibility was Darci's and they both knew it. "Okay," Darci said. "I'll call Felicity and explain what happened."
"Oh, there's no need for that." Monica's sing-song voice floated through the ear piece.
"What do you mean?"
"Felicity called a staff meeting for tonight. Eight o'clock."
Darci flicked through her mental calendar. Taylor would be getting ready for bed at the hospital. It shouldn't be a problem. "At the store?" she asked.
"Yes, right after closing."
"I know when closing is," Darci snapped before she could stop herself. She couldn't be sure what was going on with Monica, but she did know that she wouldn't feed into it. "I'll be there."
"Great. I'll tell Felicity."
"I'm sure you will." Darci hung up before she said anything else. She really didn't need to get into it with Monica. Not yet.
She tucked her phone back into her pocket and leaned back against the wall. She couldn't afford to have her job questioned. Not with Taylor in the hospital. Not with all of the expenses that were sure to come. But surely Felicity knew that if she wasn't at the store, there was a perfectly good explanation. Darci slid down the wall, as she tried to explain away the situation in her head. She knew if she just told Felicity what was going on, she'd understand. After all, Taylor was in the hospital.
But would she understand? Darci couldn't be sure. Her boss didn't have children of her own. She'd always prided herself on being a strong independent business woman who didn't need a man to lean on. And not having a man translated to not having a family. Darci respected and cared about Felicity, but she'd known from the very beginning of their relationship, that her boss had a very low tolerance for women who let their families get in the way of their careers.
Darci had talked her way into the job shortly after Ryan's accident, when it became clear that his life insurance would barely cover the cost of his funeral, let alone any of their living expenses. Felicity had been a life line to her when she needed it the most, and Darci had paid her back by working hard and never letting her family business come between her and running the
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