Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 21170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
My dad taps his toe a bit, thinking.
“I guess you have a point, sweetheart. You’re so smart, Penny, and I never thought of hairdressing as having a social services function. But you know what? You’re right. I get my haircut at Old Tom’s Barbershop over on Main Street, and it’s fun seeing the guys and talking sports. I guess it’s the same for women too.”
I nod my head vigorously.
“It’s definitely the same for women. There’s a community at the shop, and we watch out for one another. I like it there. I feel like my customers appreciate my efforts, and they appreciate me as a person, too. It’s a good place Dad, and they’re good people.”
Harold nods and smiles, going over to the front door.
“Well, be ready at nine a.m. tomorrow morning bright and early okay, Pen? I want to take you to Lancaster Industries just once, so that you can see how an office runs. Maybe you’ll like it, maybe you won’t. But just humor your old dad this once, okay? Bye, and have a wonderful day sweetheart.”
With that, my dad leans forward to press a kiss to my cheek before waddling down the front lane to his car. Our house isn’t much. The yellow split-level is saggy and droopy, with a few shingles coming out of the roof. I sometimes work in the garden, but our front yard isn’t much to see either. The grass is brown and dry since we’re trying to save on the water bill, and the small gate lets out a rusty creak as my dad swings it open before opening the car door.
“Bye honey!” he calls over his shoulder. “I’ll see you later tonight!”
I raise my hand in a cheery wave and then shut the door before turning back to the kitchen and staring at the leftovers from breakfast. It’s been my job, ever since my mom died, to make breakfast for Harold every morning, and I haven’t missed a single day. But now, I need to get this place spic and span before the first bell rings for high school.
Quickly, I drop the dishes in the dishwasher and run a rag over the table. Then I push the chairs in so that the kitchen looks neat, and quickly mop the floor so it’s gleaming. It’s a little overboard to be doing this so early in the day, but I like to come home to a neat and tidy kitchen after working at the salon, so it’s become a habit of mine.
After watering the houseplants, I head upstairs to get ready for school. It’s still a little early, to be honest. It’s only eight a.m., and I don’t need to be on campus until about eight thirty. As a result, I take the opportunity to look up my dad’s company on my phone. To be honest, I’ve never been that interested in what Harold does for a living. I think he’s a salesman of industrial tools? To be honest, I’m not even sure what that means.
But quickly, my fingers fly over the keyboard as I type in “Lancaster Industries.” Lancaster has been based in our town only for the last two years. They moved their headquarters here after the taxes in their old city got too onerous. Evidently, Gainesville offered them a nice package to relocate, and soon the company came, with the offer of jobs.
Harold was one of the lucky ones who got a job right away. Before, he’d been languishing a little. He had a job already as a door-to-door book salesman, but let’s be honest: everyone reads e-books these days, and no one really wants to buy a huge Encyclopedia Britannica set for their kids. Not when you have Google on your phone. As a result, my dad showed up the first day of Lancaster’s job fair, and started almost immediately.
But I’ve never been that interested in office jobs, which is why I don’t have a clear grip on what my dad does all day. In fact, I have no idea what anyone does all day at an office job. Do they make copies? Sort file folders? Highlight and staple? It’s a mystery to me.
Quickly, I skim the first page of Lancaster Industries’ website, and then hit “About Us” for fun. That’s when I gasp with surprise because a photo of the CEO pops on screen, and he’s gorgeous. I’d been anticipating an eighty-year-old wizened man with wrinkles and white hair, but instead, the CEO is young: maybe about thirty or so. Plus, he’s got thick, night-black hair, blazing blue eyes that jump out from the screen, and a strong jaw with an appealing cleft. Who is this guy, and where did he come from?
My eyes skim his bio quickly. Evidently, Patrick Lancaster is the grandson of the founder. He started working at Lancaster straight out of college, and was instrumental in turning his family’s company into a billion-dollar concern. He led expansions of Lancaster into Saudi Arabia and Japan, but is currently based right here in Gainesville.