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“I am too, but it’s taken me three years to get to this point. We’re in the home stretch. In a few months, JOS will be the most talked about athletic apparel brand with a new state of the art facility. Employees will be happy and communities will thrive. In a small way, that makes up for the shit.”
“And let’s not forget, you’re insistence to have an outside firm help. It led us to one another.” I smile, trying to lighten the mood.
“Bella, one way or another, I’d have found you. No doubt. You mean everything to me. Now can you understand why I want you protected at all times?”
The pleading look in his eyes tells me not to argue. “Okay, but can you get me one of those hot bodyguards? You know the ones with the tattoos and piercings?” I giggle but he’s not amused.
“Don’t test me, Stella. That’s not funny.”
“Honey, I’ll be fine. Promise to stick close to my guard and be aware of my surroundings.”
His tight squeeze tells me he approves. We finish getting ready in silence, both lost in our own thoughts. My mind races with this new information and my hatred for Edward Hurst grows deeper.
Max seems just as lost in his own thoughts and surprises me when he slips a handgun out of his bag and into the back of his pants.
“What the hell is that?”
“Purely precautionary. I’m fully licensed to carry.”
There?
??s not enough time for me to even get into his reasons for needing a gun, but my gut turns with unease.
“I love you, Stella. Don’t clam up on me now. I need you to help me get this done.” His voice pleads with me.
My fear dissolves and I straighten my shoulders, sucking in a breath. “Let’s do this.”
“There’s my girl. Come on.” He leads me out of the room with a firm grip.
I make the decision to do my job and help the people of this community. But when we get home Maxwell and I are going to have a long talk about bringing me down here blindly.
“I think that went well. The older kids seemed to grasp the concept better, which is understandable.”
Vicki nods in agreement. “They want to get through school. If we can get this program off the ground, it can be used as the prototype around the area. We can implement in other schools and hopefully have a diverse workforce that covers generation gaps and provides for leadership involvement.”
“Who’s handling the enrollment?”
“The students interested will complete the paperwork and it will flow through my office. We’re going to hire a full time associate down here to run the whole program. I’ll have to send one of my employees here for a few months to train, but that’s not a problem. There are seven volunteers already.”
“I can’t believe it’s really coming together.”
“It’s a great program, Miss Sullivan. We’ve had ideas for years to improve our business practices but Mr. Hurst never listened to anything unless it turned a profit. Things have been different with Mr. McCoy.”
My face beams with pride at not only the compliment, but also the recognition of Max.
“Excuse me?” a male voice calls from behind us.
We turn around to see a young man running towards us. My bodyguard instantly steps in front of me and holds out his hand to stop the boy. His eyes grow wide and he stalls immediately. “I just wanted to talk to the ladies about the internship program.”
Vicki and I both nod our head at the bodyguard and he drops his arm.
“How can we help you?” I ask gently.
“I’m really interested in working at the factory and was wondering if I had to apply through the internship program?”
“Yes, all students must go through the school to ensure the proper credits are applied,” Vicki answers him.
He looks around nervously and twists his hands. “What if I don’t want school credit, just a job?”
