“I find lots of women for my business in many different places, and I’ve heard good things about you from a contact of mine over at your former shelter. If you don’t want work, fine. I won’t waste my time. If you get tired of living on the streets, come see me.”
The woman tossed a card at Jewell and then walked away, leaving only the sound of her heels clicking across the cement floor. It was too dark without the woman’s flashlight to see the card, so Jewell just clutched it in her hand and waited for dawn’s light to stream in through the broken windows of the old building.
When morning finally came around, she looked at the small piece of card stock and her brows furrowed. “What is Relinquish Control?” she said aloud.
Did it really matter? She’d promised Justin she’d do whatever it took to bring him home, and that was exactly what she was willing to do. Whatever it took.
Chapter Four
When Jewell stepped in front of the unremarkable building, she double-checked the address. It didn’t have a business sign, didn’t have anything indicating it was a business. Walking up to the front door, she wasn’t sure whether she should ring the doorbell or go on in. Since there was no Open or Closed sign, she decided to go the doorbell route.
A year ago — heck, three months ago — the place would have seemed too sketchy for her and she would have turned around and walked away. But she no longer had the luxury of doing that. She needed another job and she needed to get money saved so she could ensure she would gain custody of her brother. Plus the woman had come to her, asked her to interview. So that was a very good start.
Jewell hit the buzzer next to the door and waited for what seemed like forever. A striking woman answered at last, but said not a single word. She just looked Jewell over with a swift sweep of her eyes before meeting her gaze.
Whatever this woman was looking for, Jewell had the feeling that she’d come up short. Was this the same person who’d given her the business card? Jewell had no idea, because the woman hadn’t spoken yet. She was wearing at least five-inch heels, doubtless an intimidation tactic. It was working to a degree, though nothing really mattered anymore except getting work. Still, Jewell wouldn’t cower. She was going to paste a smile on her face and make these people want to hire her, no matter what the job entailed. There was no way she could suffer the disappointment of seeing another door close in her face.
“Hi. I’m Jewell Weston, and I’m here to apply for employment. I was handed a card and told to come by.” Her voice came out strong, determined, positive. Amazing.
“I see you decided that you could do better than living on the streets — or in abandoned buildings.” The woman’s distinctive voice, with its low, sultry tone, was certainly the same one she’d heard a few hours earlier.
“Yes. I want the job.” She didn’t add that it didn’t matter what the job was. That would sound too desperate.
“Come inside.”
There was nothing in the woman’s words or her voice to indicate whether she was interested or not. Maybe she was just bored with what she did for a living. She could at least introduce herself so Jewell didn’t have to think of her as the woman. But, hell, she’d call the lady anything she wanted to be called as long as she provided a much-needed paycheck.
“What can you bring to us here, Jewell?”
They were now in a small room with a table and two chairs. The woman didn’t gesture for Jewell to sit, so she stood there awkwardly.
“I went through four years of college and finished with honors,” Jewell replied without hesitation. “I’m bright and always eager and willing to learn.”
“That’s a must,” the woman said with a cryptic smile.
“Well, then, you have your employee,” Jewell told her with a raised chin. “You may as well quit looking anywhere else.”
“Hmm. We’ll see.”
The woman gathered papers from a file in the corner and then sat down at one end of the table, still without offering one of the chairs for Jewell to take. Should she sit? Was this some sort of test? The walls were bare, with nothing on them for Jewell to focus on to make her feel less uncomfortable, but she was determined not to look nervous.
“Where did you attend school?” The woman wasn’t even looking up as she asked this question.
“I went to UC Berkeley on a full scholarship.” Jewell was quite proud of that.
“Very impressive. So you are certainly smart.” The frown between the woman’s eyes suggested that she wasn’t particularly pleased.
“I’ve always been at the top of my class, which is why I excel at any job I take on.” Jewell had to close her lips to keep from saying more. Some potential employers wanted a lot of talking, and some didn’t. She had the feeling that, in this case, the less she said, the better.
“Please have a seat, Jewell.”
The tone of her voice indicated she was pleased Jewell hadn’t sat down before she’d been asked. Good. Jewell was doing something right in this freaky interview. If only she knew what she was being interviewed for.
“Thank you,” Jewell said. “Might I have your name?” She was through waiting for the woman to introduce herself.
“I apologize. I should have told you that already,” she replied with a slight laugh that didn’t reach her eyes. “McKenzie Beaumont.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Beaumont.” No, it wasn’t.
McKenzie’s hands had long, slender fingers, and Jewell noticed she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.
For the next hour, Ms. Beaumont asked all sorts of questions that Jewell had never been asked before in a job interview, but the longer they sat in the small, stark room, the happier Jewell became. If she’d blown the interview completely, the woman wouldn’t continue wasting her time, would she?
“Do you have family, Jewell?”
This question made Jewell pause. Should she lie? What if the woman thought her personal life was too much of a hindrance and then didn’t give her the job? With a pang in her heart, she spoke. “My mother passed away a couple of months ago. I have no family left.” It felt like acid traveling up her throat as she denied the existence of her brother to this woman, but she had no choice. There was no need for her potential employer to know about Justin.
“And friends? Do you have close friends?” What a strange question to be asked, Jewell thought, but she didn’t care. On this subject she could easily speak the truth.