[COMPLETED] When down on her luck, Abby Redding lands a position as the personal assistant for wealthy businessman Alex Carter, her first assignment is to fix up his new cabin in a remote town.
Things don't go as planned when an unsolved murder and...
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Present Day
The waiting room of Pathways Center for Victims of Abuse smelled like burnt pencil erasers. At least that's what Abby Redding thought as she sat in one of its uncomfortable wooden chairs. She didn't bother to read the outdated Good Living magazines spread out on the plastic coffee table. Seeing recipes for food she couldn't afford and directions on how to make pointless crafts like cinnamon centerpieces always left a bitter taste in her mouth. Pamphlets for local counseling centers, sexually transmitted diseases, and abortion clinics were prominently displayed near the receptionist's window. Above the display was a banner that read: Time Heals all Wounds.
Abby smirked. Time never healed any of her wounds. If anything, it left her with some gnarly-looking scars and severe anxiety.
Abby fidgeted in her seat as the door to the waiting room's entrance swung open and an emaciated blonde walked in wearing a red tank and cut-off shorts. Her left arm was covered in random seemingly meaningless tattoos unless she had an affinity for Hangul, spiders, and Care Bears. She signed in and groaned as she sat across from Abby, who felt overdressed in her black suit and cheap Payless heels. She wondered if the blonde refused to wear make-up or simply chose to display her unattractive hickeys and matching black eye.
Abby's tongue felt thick in her mouth and a queasy feeling started to spread in her belly. She touched a wooden bead of the bracelet she always wore.
I'm alive.
Her fingers deftly moved to the next bead.
I have a roof over my head.
"Ms. Redding," the receptionist behind the bullet-proof glass called out. A door next to the receptionist opened wide, revealing a heavy-set woman with short dark hair. She gestured for Abby to follow her. Abby's heels clicked against the linoleum floor as she disappeared behind the door and down the corridor to her caseworker's office.
The case worker's chair squeaked with her weight as she opened Abby's file, glancing at the name. "Ms. Redding?" she asked absently, making sure she was talking to the person who matched the file in front of her. The question irked Abby who had been in this office numerous times before.
"Yes," Abby answered, swallowing her irritation.
"Right. You're here because of the job interview this afternoon. Sorry for the short notice but you're one of the few clients I have who has a college degree and still looking for a job."
Without thinking, Abby touched a bead from her bracelet.
I'm college-educated.
"I hope you know how lucky you are to get this opportunity. You're going to flip when I tell you who it's for." The caseworker licked her sausage-like lips in anticipation. "Alex Carter!"
