Disclaimer: I still own nothing. Well wait I do own Devlin and a couple of new minor characters you meet here.
A/N: Thanks for still reading. You're still hearing things from Penny's POV
I'm just about to go into my manager's office, when I hear him tell a young girl they just weren't hiring right now. I take a breath and step through the open the doorway.
"Penny, I'm almost done here." He says clearly annoyed with me..."I'm sorry Steve, but I wanted to tell you I'm giving you my two week notice. So you do have an opening."
The green-eyed brunette turned and looked at me mouthing thank you.
"I do have just a couple of requests though. First I'd like to work all night shifts the remaining time and you let me train..." I look at the brunette waiting for her to give me her name..."Oh I'm Penelope and no one calls me Penny." She tells me glancing back at Steve. Who just shakes his head at us.
Jesus, I think to myself, is life shoving me in a new direction or what? Could the hints get any louder?
"I train Penelope. I want to make sure you have one waitress who won't screw up Dr. Cooper's burger order. Matter of fact she can have my pay if it makes it any easier for you. I'm good on the money side. There is one other thing I'd like, please don't mention to anyone that I'm leaving.
I'd like to tell people my own way." Naturally Steve and Penelope both agreed to keep quiet about my leaving.
For the next two weeks I ran Penelope ragged. I had her bring me dozens of Sheldon's favorite burger. For those two weeks I made sure I was as annoying as Sheldon. By the time the last night came I was sure I was leaving Sheldon and the Cheesecake Factory in good hands.
On the last Tuesday night, I worked, I had Penelope stay in the kitchen while I took the guys orders. Brother did I get interrogated as to why I was never home, why wasn't I answering any messages sent by anyone. Sheldon finally flat out asked me, was I avoiding Amy for some reason.
He almost got his lemonade in his lap for that one. I finally said I had a new man in my life, I'd been working all night shifts and frankly I just didn't have the time. Not a lie, Mr. McCade is the new man in my life, just not the way a crest fallen Leonard and an eye rolling Sheldon think.
I went to a club with a couple of my, acting friends that night. Having no urge to return to my apartment. Sadly I nursed a club soda while they got blitzed. I'd volunteered for the designated driver role. While they danced, I thought back to the day I'd met Mr. McCade, to look at a place he thought I might want to move to.
I'd pulled up in front of a four story brick warehouse. There were five moving vans in the parking lot. Three had Evans Moving on the side of them and two said McCade's Costumes. I grabbed my purse and got out and walked over to where Mr. McCade was standing by the entrance.
"Hi Mr. McCade, I thought we were going to look at an apartment?" I asked as he opened the door and gestured for me to walk in.
"We are, but first I want you to see where, you'll be spending a lot of your time working."
I suddenly stopped and looked around. Mr. McCade's hands landed on my shoulders keeping himself from knocking me over.
"Better close your mouth Blondie before you catch flies in there." He said with a chuckle as I snapped my mouth shut. The walls were lined with bolts of fabric, there were walls lined with sequins of every imaginable kind. Four sewing machines were set up in the middle of the floor. Mr. McCade put one his hands at the small of my back. Then he guided me over to a cork wall with dozens of appliques pinned to it. Each with a number on it.
"You need an applique you come over here find it on the wall. The number next to it tells you what drawer you need to look in to find it." A long set of built in drawers were lined up under the board with corresponding numbers. He moved me further down and the wall went from appliques, to jewels, to rhinestones, to needles, and threads. All the same every color, shape,and size with numbers telling you where they could be found. This was organization that even Sheldon couldn't find fault with.
I walked around in awe as he explained how one day he hoped to have at least 50 people sewing for him. While he knew it would take a while he hoped I'd stay for the long haul.
"Let's go see the other three floors." He said pulling up a gate to a service elevator. I learned the second floor was for storage not even a quarter filled yet but he hoped one day it wouldn't be big enough. Then we by passed the third floor and went up to the fourth. We stepped out into what was for lack of a better word a huge penthouse. It was absolutely stunning.
"This is mine. Let me show you around." Three bedrooms and the master suite each having it's own bathroom. Another room twice the size of my apartment, that was his office. A living room with a massive fireplace, a formal dining room that if I counted right could easily seat twenty people. A kitchen I'd get lost in. I don't think there was a single appliance that kitchen didn't have. The decor had a very elegant western theme to it. Which for some reason didn't surprise me at all.
"Come on you're gonna flip when you see the roof top." He took my hand and led me up a single staircase in one corner of the living room.
Flip was the right word. While it wasn't an Olympic size pool it was damned close to it. A couple of umbrella tables and loungers scattered around it.
"You put some palm trees up here Mr. McCade and you could start charging people to use it."I said as I stepped away, crouching down to run my hand through the inviting blue water.
"Well, if you accept my living conditions, you can put all the palm trees you want up here."He said stepping closer to me.
That was when I realized what I was about to get myself into. I shot up like a rocket and was about to push the jerk into the pool, when someone joined us.
"Jesus Devlin, I told you to be careful how you phrase that. She's about to shove your dumb-ass into the pool." I jerked my head around to see a man almost as tall, and not that I could have thought it was possible, but actually better looking then Mr. McCade.
Mr. McCade turned to look at me and I said..."Your friend is right Mr. McCade and no thanks, I'm no one's well paid whore."
I was about to stalk away when the man stepped in front of me taking my hand in his and said..."Hi, I'm Jarrod Evans, this jerk's better half. He forgets that he projects such an image of straight male, he can easily confuse a stunning woman he wants something from."
I dropped his hand, as my mouth dropped open at the same time. My brain finally grabbed a hold of what Jarrod was saying. I looked over to a blushing Mr. McCade and said..."You're gay?" at his nod I couldn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth..."What a waste!" I slapped my hand over my mouth as the two men burst into laughter.
"Well Blondie that's a matter of opinion." Jarrod said smiling softly at me.
"I apologize Mr. McCade. I shouldn't have thought you were inviting me into your bed." This time I was the one who was blushing.
"No apology needed. Jarrod's right, I'm so used to doing straight for business, I forget how easily I can fool someone. Jarrod warned me, someone as beautiful as you, probably gets offered roles for the wrong reason." I nodded in agreement, giving him a small sad smile.
"Well let's go see that third floor now." As I followed the two into the rooftop elevator, Mr. McCade said to me..."Blondie, if you call me Mr. McCade one more time I'm going to turn you over my knee. My name is Devlin."
We stepped out on to the third floor a minute later. This one was in the middle of construction. Walls were up, the floors were done but waiting for whatever was going to cover them be it carpet, tiles, or wood.
"This is exactly like ours. It just needs someone to pick out the paint, the floors, appliances etc,etc." Devlin said..."If you like it consider this part of your signing bonus. Just so you know. When we work here in the building, no one works after 5:00PM and no one starts before 8:00AM. We have weekends off. If we're on location that's different, but here at home I insist on a regular time table."
Jarrod grabbed a stack of catalogs off what will be a kitchen counter handing them to me.
"Pick out anything you like. The sooner you let me know what you like, the sooner this can be done. It's basically all cosmetics now. It can be done and ready for you to move in, on your two week time schedule."
I stood there and flipped through the catalogs..."Furniture too?" I asked, as I started to drool at the pictures.
"Yup. When I say completely furnished I mean it. Just in case you were wondering. If you find out you don't like the job, you wont be immediately homeless. I'll have it written into your contract you'd get 90 days to move. So what do you say Blondie?"
I say..."Do you know where I can get rid of some well used furniture and a collection of Care Bears?" That's how I started down the new road life was giving me. I just had to say good-bye to my old one.
A/N: Sadly next time Penny says good-bye.