Chapter 42: Just Temporarily
- RAYA -
The offer to move into Dex’s guest house is such a generous one. The problem is Lawson. Dex inviting an intern to move onto his parents’ property is just the kind of thing that Lawson would probably love, because on the surface it could be made to seem very scandalous.
If I’m no longer interning at Mobius Media and I do actually quit, then I suppose it wouldn’t be impossible to take Dex up on the offer. It’s not like I have to stay in the house long. I can find a new place. The problem is having money for a deposit and rent when I won’t even have the internship anymore.
"You can think about it," Dex assures me and then takes another bite of the croissant.
I can’t even imagine living in a place where I might be lucky enough to run in to him on a daily basis. That could be very dangerous. I should definitely say no. But Moira Rose is already in his truck...
"Just temporarily until I find a new place?" I ask, glancing at my dad to see what his reaction is to all this.
Rather than the grimace or expression of worry, he seems to be fighting a smile. He’s staring at the floor to hide it. Geez, he must really like Dex if this doesn’t bother him at all. Either that or he’s just relieved not to have to worry about housing me himself.
Dex nods. "Of course. I’m actually going to be looking for a new place too when I have time. We could look for a place together." Then he catches himself. "I mean, not a place together. Together, but just looking. You know, looking together for separate places."
Now I’m the one smirking, because the way he is fumbling with his words does not seem like him at all—the heir of Mobius Media with his trendy French sweater and perfect... everything. "We will probably be looking at very different places," I add.
He nods again, taking the final bite of his dessert and licking his finger and thumb when he’s done.
"Okay." I fidget with Huggie in my lap, nervous at the prospect of going straight to a new place after this, but there’s also a kind of peace that starts to take hold and spread at the idea. "If you’re sure. But do you think your father would mind? It’s his property."
"I already called him. When I explained that you were in an accident and there was an issue with your apartment, he said it was no problem. Honestly, it’s our fault for not paying you more so that you can afford a better place. If you decide to stay on with the company, you won’t have to worry about that again."
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- DEX -
I didn’t call my father. That was a lie. This isn’t something I would bother him with right now when he’s in the middle of testing and appointments with different health specialists. It’s also probably the case that I didn’t call him because I’m worried that he might say it’s a bad idea.
My father might offer to put Raya up in a hotel room until she finds a new place. That keeps her safe and makes the company look caring and compassionate when it comes to its employees while also maintaining a professional distance.
But I know that a hotel room will make Raya uncomfortable, because it costs money. She will be in a hurry to get out, and when there are so many other things that she has to worry about, I don’t want to add another one. Having her rush to quickly find a new place might just land her in another bad situation.
The guest house is furnished. It has everything she needs, including privacy. And if something were to happen health wise after her operation that she needs help with, I’ll be close. Not to mention the fact that I can give her a ride everyday instead of her having to rely on the city buses.
"This is really generous of you. Thank you." Raya smiles softly, now keeping her head down. She’s embarrassed to need help, unfortunately. That’s not something I can fix.
"It’s no problem. Others have been there for me and my father when we needed it. We haven’t always been in a position to offer help, so this is paying it forward. The world needs more of that, don’t you think?"
Raya’s father grunts and nods in agreement. At least there is someone here other than Raya and I who can attest to the need for this arrangement. It’s not just me being a creepy boss and offering to have her stay with me. Will is my witness that this unusual set of circumstances warrants the offer.
"If someone else in the company were in this position, say Jay for example, I would offer his cat a place to stay as well," I add with a grin.
Raya chuckles. "You know Jay?"
"Of course I know Jay. Short guy with a mustache who has a flair for suspenders and floral shirts?"
That makes her laugh, too.
"Jay is so nice. He’s hilarious, too. He helped show me the ropes at Mobius when I first started," she smiles.
"Well he stopped me on the way out of work today to make sure you were okay. Apparently Lawson had everyone sign a card without giving them much information about how you were. So he was worried. And," I add, "Laurel wanted to make sure you knew that your job would be waiting for you."
Raya screws up her face. "Wow, really?"
"Yep. She seemed worried as well." I want to add that the gruesome accident really shook everyone up at the office, but I don’t want to give Raya’s mind an excuse to go back there.
If there’s one good thing about this crazy shit at her apartment, it’s that it’s taken Raya one step further away from the despair she was in yesterday since there’s something else for her to focus on. Hopefully that’s the case, anyway. Hopefully it doesn’t add to it. But that’s also why Will and I thought it would help to have her favorite food as a back up.
"I thought Laurel would jump at the chance to fire me," Raya scoffs and squeezes the bear in her lap.
"I’ve known Laurel for several years, too. And she can be a tough one. But there’s a good, genuine side to her beneath the cold persona. I just think it’s hard for women in this business, and sometimes the result is that they seem hard and uncaring."
"Because the stigma is that women are too sensitive and caring," Raya says. "Yeah, I guess I could see that. I’ll never treat anyone that way, but I get it."
"Well, I was going to show you the project I had in mind for you, but maybe we’ll save that for another day? I should probably introduce Moria Rose to her new home."
Will seems to be enjoying our conversation very much, because he is smiling to himself with his arms crossed, simply observing.
"Thank you so much, Dex," Raya says with her eyebrows pinched together and tears threatening again.
"No worries, Raya. Will, do you need a ride?"
He glances at his watch. "No, Patty will be getting off work soon. I’ll have her pick me up. Thanks for everything, Dex." And then he shakes my hand. "You’re a good egg."
