“Alright, Pamela,” he said quietly, picking up his heavy canvas toolbox by the leather handle.
Pamela looked entirely delighted with herself, offering a triumphant smirk as she crossed her arms over her linen blouse. “I am so glad we could reach an understanding without making things uncomfortable.”
I stood there utterly humiliated and confused, wondering why my proud father was letting this arrogant socialite treat his livelihood like garbage. Dad motioned toward the side gate with his chin, walking along the gravel path toward his work vehicle without offering another syllable.
I hurried behind him, kicking up little bits of landscaping rock in my rush to catch his long strides. “Dad, wait a second, you cannot just let her walk all over you like that!”
“Not out here in their driveway, Paige,” he answered softly, tossing his tools into the metal bed of his pickup truck.
We climbed into the warm cab of the truck, and the moment the heavy doors slammed shut, I turned toward him in total frustration. “Why did you back down so easily when she just threatened my entire career over a routine pool bill?”
“Because I do not need to wrestle with pigs in the mud when the legal fence is already built,” he replied, turning the ignition key as the engine rumbled to life.
“She practically told you she was going to have Gregory fire me if you insisted on getting your money, and you just stood there smiling at the water!” I yelled, throwing my hands in the air.
Walter backed smoothly out of the long circular driveway onto the suburban street, keeping his eyes on his rearview mirrors. “Tomorrow morning, both Gregory and Pamela are going to discover precisely why I insisted on getting both of their signatures on that legal authorization.”
“What are you talking about?” I demanded, staring at the side of his weathered face. “They signed a basic project quote, Dad, that does not stop Gregory from making my life miserable at work.”
“It authorized considerably more than a pump replacement, honey,” he said with another maddening grin. “Just set your alarm, drink your coffee, and head into your office like nothing happened tomorrow morning.”
“Are you honestly going to leave me hanging like this without a single real explanation?” I groaned, leaning back against the worn vinyl headrest.
“Yes, ma’am, because some lessons are much better understood when you see them unfold with your own eyes,” he replied cheerfully.
Sleep proved almost impossible that night as my mind raced between fears of losing my apartment and anger at Gregory’s family. My alarm was set for seven in the morning, but my cell phone began buzzing violently on the nightstand at precisely twenty minutes before eight.
“Paige, you need to drive over to Gregory’s house immediately,” my dad instructed the second I pressed the green button against my ear.
