Alana
After five days of pleading,and promising that I wouldn’t do anything reckless, Alejandro had finally relented and allowed me to leave the house to go to work at the shelter for a few hours, under the watchful eyes of Hugo and Hank. Whilst I completely understood why he didn’t want me to leave the house with everything that was going on, I was going stir crazy being stuck indoors. Alejandro was working long hours. Lucia was back at school. I could do some work from the house, but I missed being at the shelter and working kept me feeling sane.
I’d arrived at my office ten minutes earlier. Hank wasn’t allowed in because he was so serious and grumpy he scared some of the women and children, so he waited outside. But Hugo was like my shadow and I imagined he would be for the rest of the afternoon. I was just about to make a fresh pot of coffee for us both when I got a message that Kristen was looking for me.
I walked down the hallway and popped my head into her office. ‘You wanted to see me?’
‘Alana! Yes, come on in,’ she said as a smile spread across her face. ‘An old friend of yours called by, and he’s presented us with an offer we can’t refuse.’ Then she looked at whoever must have been sitting across the desk from her but was obscured from my view by the door.
I stepped into the room and her visitor turned and gave me a huge smile too, showing off his perfect white teeth.
‘Bobby?’ I stammered. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Hey, Alana. I found out you worked at this place and I thought I’d stop by. I got chatting to Kristen here and I think we can do some business together.’
I stared at him, I had so many questions but Kristen was my boss and I didn’t want to look completely unprofessional in front of her.
I forced a smile and walked further into the room, leaving Hugo standing in the hallway. ‘What kind of business?’ I asked.
‘Well, first and foremost, I’d like to make a sizeable donation to the shelter,’ he said as he leaned back in his chair and flashed his eyebrows at me.
I wondered if I was supposed to be impressed by that. Probably.
‘Well, that’s very generous of you,’ I said with all the charm I could muster.
‘I’ve spoken to the board and my corporation would also like to fund your post for the next five years.’
Jackass!
‘I work for free,’ I said with a smile. ‘But that money will come in handy, I’m sure. There’s so many things we could do with it.’
Kristen sucked the air through her teeth. ‘Actually, Alana, having a full time fundraising co-ordinator post puts the shelter in a much stronger position. The money will be ring-fenced anyway, it doesn’t detract from the sizeable donation Mr Conroy is already prepared to make. Obviously, it goes without saying that the job is yours for as long as you want it. You know that. But if something happened to you, or you found another job, or decided not to work here anymore, I’d be stuck. This way, the post would still be funded, and you would also be under contract and that offers me certain protections.’
I sat down in the chair and blinked. ‘Seems like you two have this all worked out?’
‘Alana, I know that you have given your all to this place and I know that you will keep on doing so, but none of us know what the future holds, and I always have to have the center’s best interests at heart.’
‘I know that,’ I said. ‘It’s just …’
‘Just what?’ Bobby asked, his eyes burning into mine and the hint of a grin on his lips. He knew exactly what the problem was. When Alejandro found out that my ex-boyfriend was essentially paying my salary, he would go loco. I had a suspicion that was exactly what Bobby wanted.
‘Never mind. Whatever you think is best for the center, Kristen,’ I said with a smile as I stood up.
‘That’s not all though,’ Kristen said.
‘Oh?’ I frowned. What else did Saint Bobby have up his sleeve?
‘We’re working on an app that will assist abuse victims to record and report any assaults. It’s discreet and undetectable. It could be a game changer,’ Bobby said, puffing his chest out with pride.
‘And what does that have to do with us?’ I asked.
‘Bobby wants to trial it here for some of the women at the shelter or in the outreach programs.’
‘I’d love for you to work on it with me, Alana,’ he said with a smile.
‘I’m not tech savvy at all,’ I replied.
‘You don’t have to be,’ he fired back. ‘I’ve got that side covered.’