Soldiers of Pearl 2: Healing Souls (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Read online

  She felt the hand on her shoulder and stepped back. She was embarrassed as she smiled at Smith, who looked concerned. She wouldn’t dare look toward her sister or the others. They worried about her.

  “Thanks, Smith,” Cora said, and he winked at her and took the seat right next to Arabella. Smith kissed Arabella on the lips, and Arabella smiled as Liam giggled.

  “So what type of part-time work would you be interested in? Waitressing? Working at one of the clothing stores or boutiques? Maybe one of the business in the offices in town?” Smith asked her.

  “I don’t know,” Cora said then took a sip of sweet tea from the glass Rex poured her.

  “You’re really good at numbers and organizing things. Maybe in an office would work well,” Arabella said.

  “Problem is finding something available in Pearl. Jobs don’t open up all the time, and you don’t want to start traveling into Keanter or further,” Rex said.

  “No. Definitely not,” Cora told them. They knew as well as she did that she wouldn’t be comfortable leaving town to work. She didn’t even like to be too far from her babies when they were in school. Her weaknesses needed to be handled in steps. First get used to being socially adept. Then gain more self-confidence and be able to function without fears of anxiety attacks. A new slate. A new beginning. This was her agenda and she needed to stay focused no matter how fearful she was.

  “Hey, how are you with the office skills? Like scheduling appointments, correspondence, placing orders for supplies, and speaking to customers over the phone? Is that something you could handle?” Brock asked.

  “Well, I don’t have a lot of practice in it. Just some basics, but I’m good with people. Well, at least I used to be,” Cora said and then felt that defeated feeling again.

  “You’re great with people. Just more cautious now and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Arabella said, trying to cheer her up.

  “What are you thinking, Brock?” Rex asked him.

  “Well, Blade gave me a call a little earlier. Seems him and the guys need a better method of organizing in their office. Both Blade and Beau ordered the same thing for a job they had and wound up with double the order. Plus Blade claims that Beau has terrible organization skills,” Brock told them.

  “Shit, those two mess with one another all the time about who is more organized,” Rex added.

  “What exactly are they looking for?” Smith asked. Cora swallowed hard. Blade was one scary older man. He always had this dark, predatory look on his face and acted like he didn’t trust anyone. Beau was even worse, and always wore black. He hardly ever spoke to anyone. In fact, it didn’t seem like the man knew how to smile. She couldn’t work with them. She couldn’t even handle being alone in a public place with them, never mind in an office.

  “I don’t think that would be a good job for Cora,” Arabella said.

  “Why not?” Brock asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  Arabella looked at Cora, and Cora felt embarrassed. Did Arabella think Cora wasn’t capable of handling that type of work? She knew that she had spent most of the last six years taking care of Liam and Julia while also answering to Anthony and his damn rules and side jobs. Cora had finished most of her degree and was going to complete it here in Pearl thanks to the computers in the library and Camille’s help. Did Arabella think she was stupid?

  “I just don’t know those men. Cason, even though he’s a deputy in town, he has a chip on his shoulder. Blade looks like he has anger issues, never mind Beau who looks ready to explode. Avery and Asher, well, they’re the most outgoing, but not by much. My sister doesn’t need to be around such over aggressive men. She needs to feel safe.”

  “Arabella, they’re good men. I can vouch for Cason. He’s a great deputy and he talks plenty. I trust him,” Rex said, and Reno nodded his head in agreement.

  “I think that Blade and Beau are fair men. They run a good business, a professional one, so a personal assistant would be a great job for Cora. I don’t know the particulars, but I think she may enjoy having her own career,” Brock said, still staring at Arabella.

  “I just don’t know if it’s a good idea,” Arabella said, and Cora started to really feel angry. Did her sister truly think she was so weak and stupid that she couldn’t work for a professional company as a personal assistant? Maybe this was the kick in the ass Cora needed. But as Cora tried to build up the confidence to fight for this possible job that could surely be a huge mistake, Rex chimed in.

  “Hey, no one asked Cora if she would be interested in this type of job,” Rex said, and they all looked at Cora.

  I can do this. Today was turning into a day of opportunities to show her new attitude toward life and her future. Be strong. Be tough. Be a different Cora.

  “I may be. I think working, doing my own thing would be good,” she said and looked at Arabella.

  “I don’t know if you’re ready for that. You don’t even know these men. So what that Cason talks friendly in the park and wants to be friends. I don’t think you can handle their type of dominant, behavior in an office setting.”

  Cora swallowed hard.

  “You don’t know if I can or can’t.”

  Cora’s voice cracked, giving away the fact that her sister insulted her and she was hurt.

  “Honey, I’m not trying to be mean. I just worry about you. You don’t even sleep well at night.”

  “I haven’t slept well in years, Arabella.”

  “Why don’t you let her meet with Blade to see what exactly him and Beau are in need of? It could be a good start to getting noticed by someone else in the community looking for a personal assistant or office manager,” Smith added.

  Arabella pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

  “What do you think?” she asked Cora, which surprised Cora. It seemed the men were having an influence on Arabella and helping to pull back those protective strings.

  “I’d like to learn more. Could you call him, Brock, and set something up to discuss the particulars?” Cora asked, and Brock gave a wink as he pulled out his cell and held her gaze as he made the call.

  She glanced at Arabella, who looked concerned to say the least, but Cora felt the need to do this. She had to start grabbing the bull by the horns and getting her shit together. Her kids needed a mom who worked, made money, and showed them that even when times were tough they had to push on. She wanted Julia to know that she didn’t need a man to succeed in life or to guide her though it. Sure, it would be nice to have that support and masculine protection, but Cora wasn’t living a fairy tale, she was a survivor, and survivors were strong.

  “I can vouch for her, Blade. Cora is very organized and easy to get along with. Yes, she takes orders well under pressure. Today? Sure, she can be there in an hour. Okay, she’ll be there in an hour. Thanks.”

  Brock disconnected the call and gave Cora a smile.

  “Well, sweetheart, you have an interview in an hour.”

  “That’s great. Awesome, Cora,” Smith said.

  “Do you want me to drive you? I can call Mom and we can drop the kids off to her first?” Arabella began to say.

  Cora felt her heart pounding inside of her chest. She was nervous, so badly she thought about allowing Arabella to go with her, drive her, perhaps remain by her side while she attempted to take on this new endeavor, but she needed to do this solo. Cora knew that she needed to make some necessary changes and stop living in the past. Remaining on guard at all times because of Anthony was something she couldn’t change. Other things she could with strength and with determination. She wanted a real life. A job, her family around her, a future, and being timid, afraid to take any chances or try new things, wasn’t going to make her dreams a reality.

  “I’ve got this, Arabella. I’ll drive back to the house, have Mom watch Liam and Julia so I can change and then take the car. I just need to know Blade’s address,” she said to Brock.

  “It’s a little tricky and you might think you’re headed
into nowhere, but their road is half a mile long before you get to the estate,” Brock told her.

  “Estate?” Cora asked as she felt her hands begin to shake. There were only a handful of estates, or mansions, in Pearl. Most of them on the outskirts of town, she thought. She had a feeling that Blade was a very successful businessman just in the way he presented himself and his whole demeanor. She hoped that she could handle this.

  “Honey, just so you know, Blade is retired military. Him and his team moved out here from Salvation, where a lot of retired soldiers live. He can be quite intimidating.” Rex seemed to be warning her, and she appreciated that.

  “I don’t know about this,” Arabella said as Smith stood and placed his hands on Arabella’s shoulders. Cora knew what Arabella was thinking. Cora had that fear imbedded in her from Anthony’s abuse. But she learned from living in Pearl that not all military men, and law-enforcement men were like Anthony and Kever. She had to believe that Brock wouldn’t steer her wrong or place her in any danger. He knew her story, her fears, and the fact that Cora still was in counseling. She could do this.

  “I’ll be fine. Brock wouldn’t put me in any danger, and I need a job. Something steady and something I can be proud of for the kids’ sake. I’m all they have as their provider and when they get older and I can explain about their dad, and our lives back in Chicago, I can feel proud to say that I was able to raise them well and that we survived.”

  “You sure can, honey,” Reno said and winked.

  “One thing, sweetheart, you also have all of us as a support network. Never feel that you’re alone. We’ve got your back,” Smith said, and Arabella smiled as she squeezed Smith’s hand that remained on her shoulder.

  “Okay then. Let’s wrap this up so I can bring the kids back to the house and get ready.”

  “Do you know what you’re going to wear?” Arabella asked.

  “Oh, brother, here we go,” Rex teased, and Cora and Arabella chuckled.

  “Mommy, we go see grandma now?” Liam asked. Cora stood up and helped to wipe his mouth then turn him in the seat to face her as she bent down.

  “Mommy is going on an interview to try and get a job,” she told him, his blue eyes sparkling.

  “A job? Your job is mommy,” he told her, and they chuckled.

  “It always will be. This is more like a day job for when you and Julia are in school.”

  “Why?” Julia asked as she got down from her chair and stood by Cora. She felt her daughter’s little hands caressing her hair and pulling Cora’s long brown hair into a ponytail.

  “Because Mommy needs to make some cookie money,” Cora teased then tickled Liam, making him laugh as Julia hugged her from the side.

  “I love you guys, you know that, right?” she asked them.

  “We love Mommy, we love Mommy!” Liam cheered and they all laughed.

  Cora held them tight and knew she needed to do this. She had to provide for her family and start putting her fears aside. This was going to be another step in the right direction. She hoped.

  Chapter 2

  “Well, I didn’t like her. She was staring at us practically drooling as if she had a chance to sink her claws into us, and she didn’t know shit about how to even use the copier. She didn’t even try,” Beau stated in annoyance.

  In a matter of two hours they interviewed four women and each of them were worse than the next.

  “Are we finished yet? I’ve about had it.”

  “No, there’s one more person. Brock recommended her and we kind of know her. At least from town anyway,” Blade stated as his cell went off again. “Shit, Calvin wants copies of the blueprints and pictures of the different types of material we’ll be using on the site. Damn it, where the hell did I put that shit?”

  “Who is the person?” Beau asked, but Blade was too busy trying to find the file with the pictures and blueprints for Calvin’s job. This was why they needed a damn personal assistant. He wondered who would show up next. The only reason he answered the door was because the woman came recommended by Brock and they trusted Brock.

  As he approached the large etched-glass front door in the main entrance, the first thing he saw was a petite woman with long brown hair. Something clicked inside of him, and as he opened the door he was shocked to see Cora.

  The woman was gorgeous, sweet, and petite and always seemed so sad and distant. She gulped and then looked up at him, her head tilted back to nearly her shoulders, and she gave a small smile not even a quarter filled with confidence.

  “Hello, I’m here to interview for the job with Mr. Reynolds.”

  He had to pull his shit together. He couldn’t believe that she was here. Beau had watched her from afar, knew that she sat in the park every day while her two kids were in school.

  “Come in. Blade is just taking a call,” he said in an abrupt tone. He couldn’t help it. Beau was a hard-ass and he didn’t ever smile. Everyone knew he was ornery, mean sometimes, and quiet. He got his shit done and had no time for anything else. He didn’t want anything else.

  “Okay, I can wait outside,” she said. Obviously he intimidated her a lot.

  “No. Wait here and I’ll see if he’s done,” he said, barking at her, and she looked at him and turned away quickly. He was being a dick. Well, a bigger dick than usual.

  “Cora?” Blade’s voice echoed in the large entryway as he approached from the office.

  “Hello, Mr. Reynolds,” she said as Blade reached out his hand and looked Cora over. She was dressed very conservatively, but Beau could tell she was well endowed. She seemed sweet, but perhaps she was like the others and was hoping to land a wealthy man or five? The thought made his gut clench with guilt. She wasn’t like that. If anything, knowing what happened to her, he thought she was more like a mouse than a lioness ready to pounce. He watched her like a hawk.

  “Why don’t you follow us into the home office. We have some questions to ask,” he said, and they walked toward the office together. Watching her walk, Beau saw her shapely ass and perfect posture. The woman was not skin and bones, nor was she flaunting her assets. The others who came today looked fake and easy. Not Cora. She looked nervous, and like she was trying to act confident. He wondered if she even knew anything about being a personal assistant.

  “Oh my, this is…a mess,” she said aloud, and Blade saw his friend’s eyes darken.

  “A mess?” Blade said, and Cora cleared her throat.

  “Sorry, it’s just that what little I saw of your home is so neat and organized, but this is like chaos in here,” she added as she looked around the room. Blade leaned against his desk, crossed his arms, and looked Cora over, making the woman practically shake. He gave Beau a look, and Beau could tell that Blade liked her already.

  “I’m going to be honest, Cora, we’ve been interviewing women for this position all afternoon.”

  She nodded her head.

  “I’d like to know what experience you have working as a personal assistant.”

  “I really don’t,” she said, and Beau felt his stomach drop for some odd reason. Why was he reacting to this woman this way? No one affected him. He was unemotional about everything.

  “Well, that’s not good,” Blade said and was about to end the whole interview.

  “Well, Mr. Reynolds, I’m in need of a part time job. To be honest with you, I’ve had to organize lots of things and take calls, negotiate deals, under confidentiality of course.” She was stumbling through this and Beau didn’t know why, but he was intrigued. One look at Blade and he could see that he was too.

  “Go on. What types of deals have you helped negotiate?” Blade asked her.

  “Well, I really can’t say specifically, because of the confidentiality clauses, however the deals involved thousands of dollars, required a lot of planning and setting up to have people in the right places at the right times, and were quite stressful. These were high-profile clients, an enormous amount at stake, and if I made an error my boss could lose the job.”
r />   “Interesting. And where was this position you held?” he asked, arms crossed, and Beau knew that stance. He wasn’t totally buying her story. Neither was Beau.

  “In Chicago, sir. Like I said, I can’t really divulge the person I worked for or the specifics of the products they developed and sold, but the fact is I have some experience.”

  He stared at her, and Beau could see her begin to shake.

  “Do you know how to use a copier?” he asked.

  She nodded her head. He pulled the folder off the table.

  “Here, I need copies faxed from the printer to this number. Let’s see if you can handle something as simple as this.” He handed her the folder, and Cora took it then looked around the room for the copier. She spotted it immediately, which was a plus from the last woman who was here for an interview.

  Beau locked gazes with Blade, who kept a straight face but did let his eyes roam over Cora’s ass as she walked toward the printer. Now it seemed that Blade was checking her out too.

  * * * *

  Cora was shaking so badly she could hardly get her mind to work on figuring out how to use this state-of-the-art all-in-one printer. Blade Reynolds was one badass, intense man. Both he and Beau were so tall and just so damn big that she felt like such a peanut. Their demeanors were one more intimidating than the other’s. When Beau answered the door she nearly had a stroke. The way he looked at her was intense and unnerving, but she held her own. She needed this job, and seeing the blonde in the tight, short skirt leaving the house and eyeing her over almost made Cora get in her car and take off. If these men were looking for some office eye candy she wasn’t getting this job. She needed to prove to Arabella and to herself that she could be assertive, not weak. She improvised and adapted. She was good at that.

  Cora began to set up the machine, figuring out pretty quickly how to use it. She nearly dropped the folder her hands were shaking so hard, but then she took a deep breath and pushed on. After all, she basically bullshitted her way through Blade’s first set of questions. She wasn’t really lying, just bending the truth so he wouldn’t know her past. So what, that the deals she helped negotiate and the calls she took, the planning she helped set up revolved around drugs and other illegal activities? Anthony forced her to do a lot of shit, but it was just like being a personal assistant. She wanted this job so she could make her kids proud and she could feel good about herself for once in her life.