Chapter 79 Extra hour

Chapter 79 Extra hour
~ Tyra ~

“Ready to go,” I announced as I waltzed into the kitchen, where Claire was still eating her breakfast even though she had already finished getting ready for work. I adjusted my clothes and gave her a bright smile. “Wish me luck.”

“Luck?” Claire repeated, turning her attention to me. “What other luck do you need? You’ve already gotten the job and have already started,” she pointed out, looking at me as if she genuinely could not understand what more I expected.

“Luck to impress the director so I can get a promotion quickly and start making more money.”

The words left my mouth with such seriousness that Claire immediately shot me a disbelieving stare, her mouth hanging open for a few seconds.

“You’ve only been working for one week. Take it easy, Tyra,” she said, shaking her head at me.

I burst out laughing at the expression on her face and the seriousness with which she had delivered her warning.

“I really can’t wait to get mama out of there and finally have some peace. Anyways, I’ll see you in the evening. Have a great day at work,” I wished her, waving goodbye as I headed toward the door.

“You too,” she called after me, her voice following me outside.

The moment I stepped out into the cool morning atmosphere, I drew in several deep breaths, allowing the fresh air to fill my lungs as I reminded myself once again that I was free.

I was finally building a new life for myself and my mother, and for the first time in a long while, the thought of the future did not feel completely impossible.

I had secured a job as a receptionist at a popular hotel and resort somewhere in town, and work so far had been going smoothly.

I was still trying to get used to everything, from the people I worked with to the responsibilities that came with the position, but I was grateful for the opportunity.

The only reason I still thought about Blazing Moon was because my mother was still there. That, and the small part of me that hoped Evander had already forgotten about me and was slowly moving on with his life.

“Morning, Tyra,” Sophie greeted me when I arrived, sliding behind the desk and settling into her seat.

She was my colleague and, without a doubt, one of the people who seemed to have a permanent disagreement with time. She was always late, but somehow, she was also kind in every sense of the word, which made it difficult to complain about her too much.

“Morning, Sophie. Overslept?” I asked, giving her a knowing look as I placed my things down.

“My body never disappoints.” She gave me a completely shameless smile before pushing a paper bag toward me. “Here. Morning snack.”

“You’re a lifesaver.” I flashed her an appreciative smile and reached for the bag, already knowing that whatever she had brought would probably save me from getting hungry before lunch.

The morning passed smoothly, and before I knew it, we were only an hour away from closing. Sophie suddenly began packing her things, carefully putting them away as if she had already decided that her workday was over.

I was about to ask her why she was packing that early when a customer walked in, forcing me to turn my attention toward him instead. I greeted him politely and attended to what he needed, barely noticing Sophie watching him from behind the desk.

The moment the customer finally left, Sophie's voice hit my ears.

“That one’s dick is bound to turn frail soon,” she remarked casually, her eyes fixed on the man’s back as he walked away.

“Sophie.” My eyes stretched, and I slowly turned to look at her, wondering if I had heard her correctly.

She was not just talkative. She had absolutely zero filter. In the short while I had been working with her, she had exposed me to words, conversations, and ideas I never believed anyone could be bold enough to say out loud, especially in a workplace.

There were times I honestly wondered where she got the confidence to say some of the things that came out of her mouth without even blinking.

“What?” She asked, completely unbothered by my reaction. “It’s true. You can never see him with one woman, and he’s always having sex. What do you think happens to things that are overused?”

“His body part is not a thing, and I doubt that body part can be overused,” I argued, trying to make her see how ridiculous she sounded.

“That’s because you haven’t seen frail dicks before. They look so worn out and lack the strength to rise and do what they’re supposed to do.”

My jaw dropped. I should have been getting used to her by now, but this girl was simply too raw.

“How many have you seen?” I probed, partly curious and partly enjoying the conversation despite myself.

“Enough to know what I’m talking about. You wouldn’t know anything about it since you don’t even have a boyfriend, but I’m going to change that pretty soon.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“Find you a boyfriend, of course. You’re too beautiful to be single and missing out on soul fluttering orgasms, especially the type that leaves you questioning all your bad choices and still not regretting any.”

My incredulous expression was all it took to send her into a fit of laughter. She threw her head back, laughing so freely that I could not help but laugh a little too, even though I was still trying to process the things she had just said.

“Anyways,” she continued once she had calmed down. “I need you to cover the extra hour for me. I have a date, and I need to leave early to prepare.”

I pouted, folding my arms as I looked at her. “Why do I have to be the one to suffer because your boyfriend is taking you out?”

“Not my boyfriend. This is someone else,” she revealed, completely casually.

“You’re cheating on your boyfriend?”

“It’s not called cheating. It’s called having fun and finding the right option. Don’t worry, I will reward you with the gist of how it went.” She winked playfully, gathered the remnants of her things, and walked away before I could even think of another argument.

Knowing I had to stay an extra hour, I picked up the office phone and called Claire.

“Hey, Claire, still at work?”

“Yeah, but I’m getting ready to close now. What’s up?”

“Nothing much. I’ll be staying an extra hour to cover for Sophie, so I’ll return a little later,” I informed her, settling back into my seat.

“That’s all right. I’ll be making apple pie, so come back home as soon as you can.”

At the mention of apple pie, the corners of my mouth turned down immediately.

“Why are you like this?” I scolded her. “Now I won’t be able to concentrate on work.”

She only let out a hearty laugh before ending the call, clearly amused by how easily she had managed to distract me with the promise of food.

By the time I finally closed for the day, the soft evening sun had already bathed everything around me in golden hues.

I gathered my things and started the short walk through the bushy path behind the hotel that led to the main road.

Today, the path felt rather quiet. Maybe it was because I was leaving later than I usually did, or maybe it was because I was walking alone. I usually walked this path with Sophie, which meant I always had someone beside me to gist with and distract me from the walk.

Without her loud voice filling the silence, every little sound around me seemed easier to notice.

I kept walking, my thoughts already drifting toward the apple pie waiting for me at home.

Barely five minutes into my trek, a heavy thud suddenly broke through the quiet and stopped me right in my tracks. My feet froze, and my head immediately turned toward the left hand side where the sound had come from.

For a few seconds, I simply stood there, listening.

Nothing.

I should have just minded my business and left immediately. Whatever had made that sound had nothing to do with me, and getting involved in strange situations was the last thing I needed after everything I had already been through.

But no. My instincts immediately screamed that someone could need help.

I hesitated for another moment before curiosity and concern won over caution. I turned toward the direction of the sound and carefully moved further into the field, my eyes scanning the area as I tried to figure out what had happened.

“Hello, anybody there?” I called, my voice carrying into the quiet surroundings.

There was no response.

I took a few more steps, my eyes moving across the grass until I finally saw something lying ahead.

A man.

He was lying completely motionless on the floor of the field.

My heart immediately began pounding as I hurried closer, my earlier caution disappearing beneath the sudden concern that something could be seriously wrong.

“Oh my God. Are you okay, mister?”