Give Up On Me Read Free Page B

doctor about it. Hopefully, he wasn’t developing arthritis. Another idea might be to get him a gift certificate for a massage. If she didn’t force him to go, he wouldn’t.
    When she was alone in her office, Janae took a seat at her desk, and pulled up the report she had been working on before her father interrupted her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t concentrate. While her dad had given her food for thought, she still felt confused and most of all scared.
    A text came in over her cell, and she checked the screen.
    “Honey, what do you think of Paris for a honeymoon?”
    “I thought you were giving me time to think?”
    “I just got out of a meeting, and I couldn’t stop my fingers. Would you like me to wait until later to talk?”
    She wanted him to tell her how a man who spent most of his time in meetings could type like a demon. Her speed was okay, but texting, he might as well be one of the teenagers who could burn up a cell phone texting so fast.
    “Paris, he says.” She grumbled under her breath, although there was no one in her office who would hear. At one point, Janae had a plan to save up enough money every year to start taking some trips before she got too old.
    After her dad’s company hit a few harsh bumps, she had taken a pay cut to try to reduce the impact to the employees. Unfortunately, she was one person. Her dad barely drew a salary. His house was paid for, and all he did was work. His bills were minimal, so he could slice and dice his pay in order to give more to his people. Janae admired him for that and felt good about her own money decision. Paying her own way to Paris was out of the question. Leaning on Matt for his money, no way.
    “Paris sounds nice, but I need to stay close to home, and I haven’t decided about the other thing.”
    “The other thing?”
    She grunted. “Getting married.”
    “I’ll wear you down.”
    “Oops, got a meeting. Talk to you tonight.”
    “Okay, just let me know.”
    She laid her cell phone down and leaned back in her chair. The numbers on her computer screen blurred. Unbidden, an image of herself slid into her mind, of her and Matt standing at the altar. She could almost feel the weight of the ring he glided onto her finger, and she hugged herself, dispelling the vision.
    A knock sounded on her door, and she walked over to open it. George Gonzalez stood there, one of her dad’s men. He had been with her dad from the beginning, and Janae knew him and his wife and kids. About her dad’s age, George looked just as beat down, but she wasn’t surprised. He probably worked just as hard. What Janae loved about him was that he was fiercely loyal to her dad and the company. Last year, when Janae had to tell her dad everybody’s salaries had to be cut by ten percent, he baulked when it came to George.
    “The man has four kids and a wife, Janae. We can’t do that to him.”
    “I understand that, but Dad, we’re in the red, and nobody will get a penny if we lose the company altogether. Besides, it would get out if you show favoritism. Suck it up, and do what you have to do.”
    He had looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Who is this woman I raised?”
    She had shoved him out of her office. “The one that’s going to save your hide.”
    In the end, George had taken the news well, but Janae sometimes saw worry in his eyes that mirrored her dad’s. She didn’t like that look. Later, there had also been rumors of George getting another part-time job. He already worked like an animal. She didn’t know how he did it.
    “George, come in.” She stepped back, opening the door wider. “Was there something I could do for you?”
    Janae led him to the visitor’s chair near her desk and took her own seat. He dropped into it a little heavily and rubbed his hands over worn pants. “I was looking for your dad. Do you know when he’ll be in again?”
    “No, he had an important meeting, but I thought he was working with you guys on the apartment complex.”
    His