Yes, just like that. You feel so good, Molly. So, so good.
My face felt warm, and I kept my gaze steady on my boss.
Beatrice leaned back in her chair and set her hands in her lap. "You're right," she said after a long moment of silent regard. I didn't say anything, but inside, I was deflating with heady relief. "A good employee will do what's required. A great employee will find ways they can benefit the company they work for beyond what's asked of them. And you admitting this is a sign that you're a great employee."
"Thank you," I answered meaningfully.
Already, I felt the burden lift off my shoulders, the one I'd been trying to figure out how to carry ever since Noah walked out of my bedroom in the early morning hours.
"Which is why I hate that my mind immediately tries to connect your request with the timing of Rick ignoring me."
My brain jerked to a halt as I processed her words.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"I'm going to ask you this once, Molly. Did something inappropriate happen that Rick doesn't want me to know about? That you don't want me to know about, which is why you don't want to be present for the filming anymore? If someone tried something or has made you feel uncomfortable, then I want to know about it."
I shook my head, stunned at the turn of the conversation. "I promise you, I'm not asking because anyone is making me feel uncomfortable."
"So the contract hasn’t been violated?"
My mouth opened. Closed. If I admitted what happened between me and Noah, everything I'd worked for, that he'd slowly started creating here, would be gone in an instant. "No, Beatrice."
Oh, shit. It was out of my mouth. My stomach curdled dangerously, but she seemed to believe me.
Her face was hard, but her eyes were kind as her shoulders relaxed. "I’m sorry that I have to ask this, and that this is the culture we live in, but I understand what it's like to be a young woman surrounded by powerful, influential men. The absolute last thing I will tolerate is someone taking advantage of your desire to gain my approval."
And that only made me feel worse.
Guilt was so much more insidious than you realized before the lie slipped out of your mouth. It promised that everything would be fine. She'd never find out, and everything was better this way.
But instead, I was faced with the realization that she wasn't pushing it because she didn't believe me. She wanted to make sure I was safe.
I held up a hand. "Beatrice, please, I promise you that I would never put up with the kind of treatment you're talking about. If anyone under this roof so much as looked at me in a way that was disrespectful, my brother would rip their head off."
By the downturn in her mouth, maybe that wasn't the best answer, given what her initial opinion of me was, but it was the truth.
"And I know this gains me no favors, but I won't deny it either. A lot of the veteran players have known me for ten years. They were rookies when Logan retired, and now he's their coach. They all love me like I’m part of their family. And Allie Sutton-Pierson is my sister-in-law’s best friend. Trust me, not only do I have about as good of a work support system in this place that anyone could ever ask for, but I know how to put my kneecap between any guy's legs in a way that would have him singing soprano for a month."
Beatrice exhaled a restrained laugh and relaxed a bit as she let her smile fall. "I get it. And you're right, it's hard for me to get over the fact that you're so entrenched into the fabric of this place, but …" She shook her head. "But I know now that you don't use it as a crutch. You're a hard worker, Molly. And I'm proud to be your boss."
My eyes burned, my throat swelling with emotion. "Thank you."
"Please don't cry," she said dryly.
I laughed. "Yes, ma'am."
"I may have handled you wrong from the get-go, Molly, and I can't promise that I won't make more mistakes."
"You didn't handle me wrong," I argued. "You had every right to be wary."
"No, it was unprofessional of me to start off on that foot, and even worse when I ambushed you about your past with Noah."
A rock sank heavy in my gut, slicing neatly through the pride and warm happiness I'd felt just moments earlier, my skin going cold and prickly as it did.
She kept going. "Obviously, certain situations warrant a strong warning, but this isn't one of them."
My lips stretched in a tight smile. "Obviously."
"If you're telling me that this request to shift your schedule isn't born from that, from some situation that you don't want anyone to know about, then I'll trust you. Because you've earned that."