"No, but Beatrice’s contract is different. It's separate from that." I swallowed. "It was a stipulation that Beatrice specifically added to my job description, which hinges on the relationship with Amazon."
Logan glanced at Allie. "So she's right?"
Allie shrugged. "I'm not involved enough when it comes to those types of situations, but"—she nodded—"I think she's right. And not only that, as long as Beatrice isn't firing her for any discriminatory reasons, Washington is an at will employment state. She can fire her at any time without providing a reason."
"That's dumb," he said sullenly.
"You sound like Emmett," I told him with a reluctant smile.
My brother wrapped his arm around me. "I'll take that as a compliment, kiddo."
Allie watched us with a sad smile. "Do you want help with your desk?"
I shook my head. "I'd rather do this alone, if that's okay with you guys."
"Of course." She met me in the middle of my office and gave me a tight squeeze. "You're a rock star, Molly. If there's anything I can do moving forward, let me know, okay? We're always looking for help at the Team Sutton Foundation."
Another job I'd get without blinking because of my last name. I smiled at her all the same. "Thank you, Allie. I will."
Logan took longer to convince, but after three more hugs and five more offers to stand outside my office while I cleaned up to make sure whoever came from HR was nice to me, I all but shoved him out of the room that wouldn't be my office anymore.
He was just beyond the corner when I called his name. His head popped back through the open door. "Yeah?"
"Not a word to Noah."
Logan opened his mouth to argue.
"No." I pointed a finger at him. "It happened weeks ago. I am an adult, and so is he. You don't get to interfere this time."
He narrowed his eyes. "Define interfere."
After a second, I ticked off the most obvious answers on my fingers. "No yelling, no telling him what happened, no threatening, no embarrassing him or me in front of the guys, because Logan Ward, if you march back in that practice and get in his face about this, I am the one who is embarrassed. Do you understand me?"
Paige had these scary eyes that she used on my brother when she went from I'm serious to I will end you if you cross me. I'd seen them often over the past ten years, and I gave it my best attempt. It must have worked because he grimaced. "Fine."
"I mean it."
He held up his hands. "I promise! Geez. You're as bad as Paige," he mumbled before he left.
I was grinning as he went back to practice. And given the current situation, that was pretty impressive. Everything after that went as smoothly as possible.
I signed some papers. Filled two file boxes. And the security guard who walked me out started tearing up because I'd known him since I was five.
"Ain't right," he said under his breath.
I wrapped my arm around his thin waist and gave him a squeeze. "I'll be okay, Rod, I promise."
He hugged me back, wiping at his face with the sleeves of his shirt after he took my security badge from me. Before I walked out the door into the parking lot, my eyes watered up again as I stared at the red and black logo of the wolf tossing its head back in a howl.
I let out a slow breath and left the building.
Everything held a surreal quality as I walked numbly to my car. Like when you have a cold and your head feels disconnected from your body. Or everyone around you is moving at a different speed. There were boxes in my hands, but I hardly felt them, like someone else's arms were holding them up.
My car was right where I left it, and I set the boxes on the hood so I could dig my keys out of my purse. With the trunk opened, and the boxes set carefully inside, I couldn't get over the strange sense of detachment I felt.
Later, I'd probably cry again at the loss of a job I loved.
I'd probably cry at the knowledge that I wouldn't see Noah anymore. Then I snorted. Please, I hadn't seen him in eight weeks unless it was on a TV screen.
That was when I heard him. "Molly?"
The sound of Noah's voice sent chills racing down the length of my spine, one after another, tumbling on top of each other to see which could go faster. They were powerful enough, those racing, chasing chills, that I shivered. Just once.
For the past eight weeks, I'd fought against every impulse to show up at his door some night. To catch a glimpse of him after a game or when he was sweaty after practice. But I'd been right to stay away. Because I knew, I knew so deep in the darkest, most vulnerable part of my heart that I couldn't go to him. Not this time.