He could keep her.
Desks lined the walls of the trailer in a u-shape. Switch boards, computers, monitors and walkie-talkies littered the battered tabletops. A few plastic chairs, a lawn chair and several armless black office chairs roamed about the room. Only two of the chairs were occupied.
A pair of mismatched brown and green eyes glanced up at her. The woman had a pointed nose and chin in elfish proportions. She hung up the phone and stood.
“Who’s this? A new phone operator?” She looked Michelle up and down.
“Yes. I want you to be nice to this one.” Youssef glowered.
“I’ll be nice if she’ll be nice. And if she knows the difference between taking calls and sitting on her ass. The last one you brought me didn’t.” She blew a bubble with her chewing gum and popped it on one side of her mouth.
“She has lots of experience. Be nice to her.” His glower turned into a menacing stare.
Michelle took a step forward. “Hi. I’m Michelle.” She extended her hand.
The other woman looked at her through narrowed slits. “Mandy. This here is Connie.”
Connie was busy cursing out whoever was on the other end of the line. Michelle winced as a particularly colorful phrase echoed off the linoleum floor.
“I have six years of experience at the Adopt-a-Family hotline for the homeless. Now I’m the program manager full-time. I just need a part-time job for the weekends.” She folded her hands in front of her and waited. This was the real interview.
Mandy’s eyebrows rose. She shrugged. “When is she starting?”
Youssef turned to her.
Her mouth dropped open. “Well…I can start tomorrow and work on Saturdays if you need someone for that day.”
Mandy snorted. “Honey, we need someone for every day.”
She swiveled in Connie’s direction just as the older woman hung up the phone. “Connie, we’ve got a new one.” Mandy jerked her thumb at Michelle.
Connie surveyed her through choppy black bangs. “Well, it’s about time. What shift is she taking?” Connie took a gulp from her coffee cup.
“Saturdays. Do you mind working nights?” Mandy looked at her.
She shook her head. “No. I can do Saturday nights.” No use going out on Saturday nights if you don’t have the money anyway.
“Good. I’ve got an appointment with an Italian Stallion. This job’s been eating up all my free time.” Connie licked her lips.
Mandy rolled her eyes.
“Then we’ll see you tomorrow.” Youssef beamed.
“Yes, thank you.” She shook his sweaty hand.
The trailer door popped open. A long shadow fell across the entrance. It materialized into a man. Tall and broad-shouldered, he ducked his head to enter.
Michelle held back the gasp on the tip of her tongue. Her surroundings bled away, leaving her alone with the man in the doorway. She didn’t want to be alone with him. He was too handsome, too beautiful. She might do something stupid, like giggle or trip over him, or stare at his chiseled jaw.
Coffee brown eyes met hers. A little tremor ran down her spine to tickle her stomach. Michelle was stuck, her heart racing. She couldn’t move a muscle.
His perfectly formed lips curled up under a Greek nose. White teeth stood out against the cinnamon of his skin. The smile was lazy, confident. Like a lion stalking around his pride.
He spoke. Michelle blinked at him. Her addled brain tried to make sense of the words before she realized that he was, in fact, speaking a different language. Youseff responded to him, and that brought Michelle back to the present and the trailer full of stale cigarette smoke and people staring at her.
“Michelle?” Youseff frowned at her. It took her a beat to realize that Youseff was introducing her to the Greek god.
“I’m sorry. I was lost in thought.” She fumbled for the man’s hand.
The moment his warm palm slid over hers, she knew it was a mistake. She didn’t want her hand back. He could keep it. He could keep her. All of her.