Chapter 9

"Thankyou for shopping with us and have a Merry Christmas!" I tell the woman and her son as they grab their bags and leave. She turns her head slightly and flashes me a half smile. I know it's because my tone isn't very convincing.

This is my favorite time of the year and I'm just feeling meh today. It"s not just today honestly, I"ve felt like this for almost a week. Five days ago, I went on the best date of my life and got the soul sucked out of me in a dark alley, and yet I can't find it in me to text or call him.

It's not for his lack of trying, either. He's called and texted every day since that night, but I've been avoiding him. I know that makes me a shitty person. I agreed to be his, to let him treat me like a king, and I want that, I really do. But I can't seem to forget how that man drew back and winced in fear of Steel, or how easily Steel just explained it away.

I know I"m risking him showing up here and demanding an explanation, but I don"t have one for him. That might even push me farther away. My mind is a mess and I don't know what I'm going to do.

"Hello, Ignatius," a male voice interrupts my inner panic.

I look up and see Barron Howard himself standing on the other side of my register and take a deep breath. Holy shit. The owner and CEO of Howards is here greeting me. My stomach churns and I can feel the clamminess in my hands already.

"Mr. Howard. How can I help you? Is everything okay?"

"Please, call me Barron. Mr. Howard is my father. I took it upon myself to comb through the applicants for the Philanthropy Management position and I saw that you applied. If you have a moment, I'd love to speak to you about it. That is, if you're still interested?"

This would happen today, of all days. The day that I'm having the hardest time figuring out what I'm doing with one Mr. Steel. Speaking of him, I should have asked what his legal name is. Surely it can't be Steel. Probably something super mainstream like Ryan or Theo.

"Ignatius. Are you alright?"

I shake my head and chastise myself for losing track of my thoughts again today. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. I'm just in shock that you came to speak to me yourself. I'm still interested and as long as I have coverage, I'm free."

He smiles. "Well, this position is very important to me now that I'm in full control of the company. So I wanted to go over and interview the applicants myself. I already have Susan here ready to cover your department while we chat." He waves his hand over to the entrance and I see one very pissed-off-looking Susan glaring at me.

"Are you sure?" I ask him, trying not to gain any more of Susan's wrath. "I could ask another associate to cover."

"No. It's fine. Covering is part of Susan's job description if the department head needs to leave or take a break. Didn't you know that?"

"No, sir, I didn't," I tell him truthfully. I've never seen Susan on the floor working a day since I started here. I always have to get another associate to cover my breaks, which has always been odd since I'm the head of the children's department and the people who cover for me are just retail associates.

"Follow me, please." He gestures for me to remove myself from behind the register.

I give him a small smile, close my drawer quickly, and sign out of the POS system. No way am I letting that bitch near my money. Not when she looked thrilled to be covering my shift.

We go to Susan's office and he sits behind her desk while I take the chair by the door. The same one I sat in not that long ago when she scolded me for selling Steel those jeans.

Barron wrinkles his nose. "I hate to be unprofessional, but does it smell funny in here to you? Maybe I should call someone to come check the room over for any issues."

My right hand covers my mouth as I try to contain my laugh. "Yes. It smells funny, but you don't need to call anyone. It"s Susan's lunch. She brings tuna and sauerkraut casserole every day for lunch."

He says nothing but his lips downturn just slightly. "Okay, so tell me about yourself and why you want this position. Also, why, with the qualifications you have, are you only the head of the children's department?"

"Well, I wanted the Philanthropy position when I saw it open before I started. I knew that you only promoted from within the company, so I started as an associate and worked my way up to department head. I've been biding my time until there was an opening once more."

"That's drive. I respect that you saw what you wanted and went for it no matter that you had to start at the bottom, as we say. You are more than qualified with your history and qualifications. Why this job? Why is philanthropy so important to you personally?"

I smile because this is the easiest question he could ask. "It's the start of social change. I think of it this way. If we donate a wardrobe and money to the local homeless, they might be able to go out and get a job themselves. They become successful and do the same for someone else needing help. Charity has a ripple effect, and I want to be the one who creates that first wave."

When I make eye contact with him again, he has a huge smile that crinkles his eyes at the corners. "Well, Iggie, I think I found the right man for the job. Also, I must admit I love your holiday spirit with your outfit choice. Do you dress for every holiday or just Christmas?"

"Just Christmas. Susan has made it very clear that no other holiday has rules about it in the handbook, so we can't dress up. She's very firm on the December first start date for Christmas wear."

"We might have to change that. I'd like you to start right away if that works for you. We have charities lined up already for donations on the national level. I, however, would like to do more right here in our own town. Do you think you can throw something together locally before the holiday?"

"Yes, Sir… I mean Barron. I have ideas ready to go. I just need to implement them." I bounce slightly in my seat. I'm so excited that I'm getting my dream job and I will get to start right away.

Oh God, Susan and Nancy are going to flip their shit when they find out I'm no longer under their thumb. I now answer directly to Mr. Howard and I couldn't be happier.