Page 31 of Angels Fall

“…saw him hanging around outside too.”

I shake myself back to the present and say, “Outside? What the hell are you talking about? Outside here? Like… is he stalking me?”

“Do you think he’s stalking you?”

I have no answer for that. I just stare at my boss, lost. I am not having this conversation.

Oh, he’s back, baby! my angel says. He’s back. And you’re gonna make up with him and ask him for help. Like you should’ve, instead of kicking him to the fucking curb!

I laugh. My angel just said fuck.

“So you owe Carlos Castillo a hundred and seventy-six thousand dollars…”

“Look, honestly, I don’t owe him anything. But that’s not how he sees it.”

“I’m sure.”

“He hired me to plan his daughter’s wedding, gave me the money for it, and then she went off and got knocked up with some other guy’s kid after I paid everyone for the ceremony,” I explain.

Pete sighs and nods. “Yeah. And if you can’t come up with the money? He make any type of… alternative arrangement with you?”

“Um, kind of? He tried. How do—Do you know Carlos Castillo?”

Pete doesn’t answer. Just goes back to looking at his computer.

“I’m gonna pay him back, OK? I just need a break. That’s all. And you could give me a break, Pete. You could just… help me out a little by giving me this extra responsibility.”

“Doesn’t matter if you pay him back or not. You’re in Castillo’s orbit now. There’s no getting out of it.”

“I’ll figure something out. I always do.”

“Or,” Pete says, looking up at me from the top of his glasses, “you could just ask your friend Tyler for help.”

“No,” I huff. “No. Believe me when I say this, OK? He cannot help me. He’s not that kind of guy.”

“Seems like he can,” Pete says. “Seems like he is. He’s got money. Hell, gave me five grand just to tell him where you live.”

“Yeah. I know. Thanks for that, by the way.”

Pete shrugs. “Point is it sounds like he really cares about you and he’s in a position to make your problem go away.”

Cares about me? “Pete,” I start, trying to keep my temper in check, “I appreciate it, but Tyler Morgan isn’t the person to help me. I’m the person to help me. I’m the only one who can. Know what I’m saying?” Pete’s got kind but tired eyes that look like they’ve seen more than I can know, and I hold my steady gaze on them until he speaks again.

“Yeah. I respect that,” he says. I breathe out a little.

“I mean, look, Pete. I didn’t come up here to talk about Tyler.”

“Or your Carlos problem, but you did.”

“Just forget about both of those people. OK? I just need the job. Please? I’m a really good manager. I am. And I have a degree in business, so that pretty much—”

“Everyone’s got a degree in business, Maddie. Even Candy has an MBA.”

“Really?” Candy has an MBA? Next thing you know, he’s gonna say Raven’s not just some washed-up stripper. “Can I have the job, Pete? Just give me a try for a few weeks and see how it goes. And if I don’t have this place running in tip-top shape, you can say forget it. How’s that sound?”

“Are you working for free?”

“Free? Like… no. I need the money, remember?”