The Inheritance (Forever Bound #1) by Bree Callahan Page A

know, and I don’t want to put you off, but I don’t have the money right now. Please, just give me a few more weeks.”
    “Here’s the thing,” he started, “I want to be able to help you out, and I think that I might have a solution to your problem.” He lifted his hand and brushed it against her cheek. She froze in place. “I know how you enjoy spending time with the guys. I’ve seen what goes on here.”
    Her mouth opened. “You’ve been watching me?” she asked.
    He smiled. “Observing…that’s all. The point is…I would be willing to give you all the time in the world if you provide me a little action. What do you say, Babe?”
    She put her hand to her face and knocked his hand away. “I say that you’re a disgusting pig, and you better get out of my apartment before I call the cops.”
    He laughed. “This is still my apartment complex and frankly…you are running out of time and options. If you sleep with me, then you don’t have to worry about being thrown out on the street.”
    “Are you threatening me?” Charity asked.
    He shook his head. “Promising. Think about it!” He turned away and left the apartment. Charity stared off in disbelief. She didn’t care what he said, she would not stoop to his level. She would figure out another way. She hurried out of the apartment building and got in her car. Richard stood on the sidewalk, and his eyes followed her, but she made sure not to give him a second look.
    She practiced her speech over and over, as she contemplated what she would say to Bill. “I’m a hard worker, and I will diligently work day and night if I have to. Please, just give me the chance to show you that you won’t be disappointed.” She pulled into the parking lot of the diner and took a deep breath. She grabbed her purse and jumped out of her car, continuing to practice her spiel. When she got in the diner, she waved at Tina and pushed her way through the backroom. She spotted Bill at his desk, and her mind went blank. “Think…think…” she muttered under her breath.
    She knocked on his door, and he looked up and greeted her with a smile. “Good afternoon, Charity.” He put his pen down and put his attention on her. “What can I do for you?”
    “It’s what I can do for you.” She cringed; that sounded so cheesy. He chuckled softly, and she sighed. “I just really need to talk to you.”
    He smiled. “I gathered that. What’s up?”
    “I was wondering…I was hoping, actually, that we could discuss the possibility of getting more hours. I can work day…night…every weekend. I just really could use the extra money.”
    He looked down at his desk. “I was waiting for you to come in here to talk to me.”
    “You were?” she asked.
    He nodded. “People talk and I have crunched all sorts of numbers, and I have looked into whether I could offer raises. I have tried to work out a schedule that I feel is fair, but the fact of the matter is…everyone could use some extra hours, and I just don’t have any to give.”
    “What about Stella? She wants to go visit family. You could give her a vacation and those hours would be up for grabs.”
    He nodded. “True, but we’re looking at a couple weeks. It wouldn’t be forever, and you would be back to where you started off. Plus, I can’t work you sixty hours in a week. You’d be burnt out and resenting me.”
    She hadn’t thought about that, but he was right. She needed something more permanent that would offer more benefits and more money. “I don’t want to look for another job.”
    “I don’t want you to look for another job, but in this economy, I would completely understand. You have to do what’s best for you and maybe down the line, I would have more to offer, but at the moment…I don’t. I hope you understand.”
    She didn’t want to show her disappointment, but she couldn’t lie about the fact that it wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. “Thank you for hearing me out.”
    “Anytime,