Alpha Billionaire Series

BROOKE

As much as I was beginning to hate having an apartment on the third floor, I had to admit it was doing great things for my b**tand my legs. I didn't need to join a gym; I had my very own Stairmaster between the front door of the building and the front door of my apartment.

With a sense of relief having made it to our floor, I slid the key in and opened the door. I was home. After our first few weeks here, it was already starting to reflect our personalities. It was far from luxurious, but it was ours. I looped the strap of my purse on a hook and tossed my keys on the small table by the door.

“You look exhausted,” Angela said, looking up from her laptop as she sat studying on the small table we had by the window. The table and the chairs were a brand-new purchase while the couch I flopped on was new to us. It had been a rather unattractive old brown floral design. We threw a bright blue slipcover over it, and it changed its appearance completely, as well as brightened up the mood of the room. One of the tenants moving out as we were moving in asked us to help them haul it to the dumpster. Instead, we asked if they would mind helping us haul it to our apartment, which they did so happily I propped my feed up in the upholstered tuffet, a thrift store find that we used as a coffee table and looked around our livin room. Between thrifting and a side trip to Ikea, we had successfully furnished the place. It looked like a real home and not some glorified dorm room. We incorporated a few old dorms decorating tricks, specifically using cinder blocks and pine boards to create long low shelving that we put Angela's large screen TV on. I brought up one of Rhys's old X-Boxes so we could stream internet channels and play DVDs.

The once blank white walls were now covered in art prints, and a full spider plant hung from a ceiling hook in the corer by the window.

“I am exhausted. But I got some good news today,” I announced.

It was nice to have a place that felt like home and not like I was living in somebody else's house. This was my place; my nam was on the lease. I had to admit I experienced a sense of fulfilment almost every day that I came home. I was an adult. I had my own place. I may have been an adult, but I was tired and whiny most of the time.

“Oh, yeah? Tell me." Angela shifted in her chair to face me.

“I quit my job!”

The truth was I had been looking for another job as soon as we had gotten somewhat settled. I didn't like the idea that my parents had contacts at the hospital. I felt like I was being watched. It was a paranoid reaction to my own guilt. I had run away from home because I was pregnant. Sure, I wanted to discover what life on my own was like. But I couldn't face the constant disappointment of my mother. And I definitely knew I wasn't going to be able to deal with the constant attempts to get me to confess who the father was.

I had to get away. Mark would know this baby was his. Even if I managed to keep the secret, I had no guarantee that he wouldn't out himself as the father. I needed another job away from the hospital. It was the only way I would feel like I had taken a full step away from the control of my parents.

“Brooke, what the hell are you thinking? Do you have another job lined up?”

I'shook my head. “I don't need a job,” I announced.

“Excuse you, what? Did you suddenly win the lottery or something?”

“I got accepted into the hospitality program,” I said excitedly. I even did a little shimmy dance where I sat. When I received the email announcing my acceptance into the program, I had done a real dance.

“Are you serious?”

Classes for the MBA program had already started when I discovered the school offered a hospitality mentorship program within the umbrella of the MBA. Not only did this program provide a paying job, it offered hands-on real-world experience a every level of running large hotels and resorts.

“That's fantastic” she said. “I remember you were bummed that you had to apply separately to that when we were looking a classes. I didn't realize you applied.’

“I sent the Dean an email to ask a few questions. They suggested I see about transferring in since there was still time. An opportunity presented itself, so I figured why not. And 'm in"

I didn't want to keep working in a hospital. Hospitals were my dad's thing. Hospitals reminded me too keenly of Mark. I rested my hand on my tummy. I had enough reminders of him as it was.

Working at a resort hotel sounded fun and exciting. This program was a good career strategy. It was going to provide the king of work experience and job skills I could take anywhere. As long as there were hotels, I should be able to find employment. This was high-end large hotel resort management training. I would start off doing the grunt work, working in housekeeping, and waiting tables. After several weeks in each department, I would rotate into a different area of running a hotel. After cycling through the different departments, I would revisit each one, but from a different level of employment.

In my first time in housekeeping, I might be scrubbing bathrooms and making beds for two weeks. The next time I went back to housekeeping I would be learning about organizing, scheduling, ordering, and all the other aspects of how that department would run. I would do the same thing with guest services, food services, and catering. By the time I completed the program, I would have experience in all aspects of running a large hotel, including grounds and building maintenance. There were so many options available to me all under the single roof of the hotel. I could manage staff and never have to deal directly with guests, or I could be front and center of guest management. I could keep the property running smoothly, o I could be a party planner.

“Good for you. You normally take so long to make decisions. How long did it take you to decide on a major? And now look at you.”

“I know, right? Look at me making major decisions in record time.” I had never been the type to be able to make snap decisions. One of the reasons it took me so long to finish my undergraduate studies was I couldn't commit. More than once I didn't make a decision until it was too late, and I would have to wait another semester or two before the same opportunity would be available again. But now, I was applying to graduate school, moving, and switching programs and jobs, all within a short time span.

“Have you told your counselor yet?” Angela pointed and circled her finger at my belly.

I was just barely starting to show, and frankly, I couldn't wait to stop wearing scrubs. I looked more pregnant in them than I was in reality.

“I did, and come spring semester, I can take a hiatus from the hands-on stuff. ll spend the semester focusing on the classroom requirements and jump back in next summer. I could also just take the semester off and not have it jeopardize m; position in the program. They really want to keep me in it."

“Brooke, this is fantastic. How did work take it when you quit?”NôvelDrama.Org © content.

“I swear they were excited.”

Angela pulled her head back and scrunched her face up in dismay.

I lifted my hand and patted the air telling her to wait before she jumped to any judgmental conclusions.

“Those women are obsessed with cupcakes and parties. I've barely been there two months and when I told them I was leaving, and that I was pregnant they got all excited. I handed them the perfect excuse to have a little party and cupcakes.” “Do they know they don’t need an excuse to eat cupcakes? They can just do that whenever?”

I laughed. “The way we are all raised to not allow ourselves to have certain foods unless it's a special occasion is strong with this group. Anyway, they are already planning a little baby shower to go with the cupcakes. It's going to be around lunchtime and they told me I should invite you.”

“That's sweet, but I only get thirty minutes for lunch. There is no way I would be able to get there and back to work in time. You can save me a cupcake though. When's your last day?”

“Next Wednesday. I'm going to be exhausted now just thinking about next week. I have to start at the hotel on Monday. I barely have enough time to get from the hospital after work and get my b**t to the hotel on time. It's going to be three hellacious days doing two jobs."

“Won't the first few days at the hotel just be lectures and that kind of thing?”

“That's what my class this evening is supposed to be. We are hitting the ground running.”