The Girl He Needs Read Free Page A

sure. Today it must suck to be him.
    “I told you that you were taking on too much.” Vann snaps the laptop cover closed and smiles smugly at his brother.
    McRae punches him in the arm, causing Vann to flinch and rub the spot on his bicep that took the impact.
    One simple interaction—a sentence from one sibling to another—and I’m left feeling a loneliness I’ve managed to push aside for the last two years. I was never close with Stuart but Will... I drop my eyes to my lap and remember how Will made everything wrong in my life right. It was Will who covered my back and got me through those terrible middle school years, who made me feel normal and not like a grade-skipping freak who had no business existing, much less messing up the grading curve.
    The sound of a phone being dialed grabs my attention. Pushing aside the constant ache for what I’d lost seven years ago when Will left, I wait, dare I say excitedly, for the dumpster-fire drama happening before me to continue.
    The call goes straight to an answering machine and at the beep, McRae starts in. “Mel, it’s Brinn. I just heard from the office that you walked out. I’d like to talk to you about it. I don’t think there’s anything that requires union involvement. I know you’ve been unhappy with the work schedule and—”
    “Hello,” Mel says over the line.
    “Mel, it’s Brinn.”
    “Yeah, I know. Listen. There’s nothing you can say that’ll make me change my mind. I’m gonna file a grievance.”
    “For what?”
    “My list is endless. Work place conditions, heck, it’s almost like harassment.” Except he says harassment like hair-s-ment.
    “Harassment?” McRae looks at me in disbelief, as if I have any clue whether that statement’s valid or not.
    “My wages are a disgrace; my last performance evaluation was a farce—”
    “None of that’s harassment, Mel.”
    “But it’s discrimination. Against an old man who’s close to retirement. You’re trying to chase me out instead of doing the right thing.”
    “How so?”
    “Giving me grief about my doctor appointments. Asking me if I thought the work would be too much when you brought in the other pilot. For what it’s worth, I ain’t nobody’s Pops and I’m offended y’all call me that. I asked you to stop.”
    “Now listen here, Mel. This is bullshit and you know it. Don’t be a dumbass.”
    It’s clear McRae’s about to get on a good roll and light into this clown, but before he can continue I lunge across the console, reach across his shoulder, and disconnect the call.
    “What in the hell? Why did you do that?” He twists in his seat, his glare swinging between the road and me.
    “You were saying way too much. You need to shut up and involve the company lawyer, quick.” I sit back in my seat and pull the seatbelt across my body before producing a notebook from my purse. Funny, mother wasn’t lying when she said geometry wouldn’t come in handy with my day-to-day life, but my Yale law degree would. Score one point for demanding, cold-hearted mother and zero for wayward, disappointing daughter.
    “I don’t see how this is any of your business,” he shouts, before looking back at the road.
    “You’re right, it’s not.” He watches me in the mirror and I meet his gaze. Usually the winner of all stare downs, I relent, instead concentrating on what I want to get on the paper, only looking up briefly when the truck shifts into the other lane and bears down on an exit. He’s totally going to ditch me.
    “There’s no company lawyer. Wouldn’t getting one make things worse with Mel?” Vann asks as he turns and I feel his attention on me.
    Writing furiously, I answer without looking up. “Mel already has a lawyer. I’d say things have already taken a turn for the worse.”
    “How could you possibly know that?” McRae asks.
    I know he’s bright. I know he’s running a company, maybe second in command, and it has gone to shit on him in only a handful of minutes,