“You have the psychological training to read people, to calm them, and to solve their domestic issues before they become my problems.”

“I am offering you a position as an administrator.”

He slid a fresh document across the polished wood toward me.

“This is the contract,” he said.

I looked down at the paper, my eyes instantly finding the salary figure.

The number was larger than anything I had ever imagined earning.

It would pay off all of James’s debts in a matter of months.

It would buy a safe apartment for Lily, with enough left over to put her in a good school.

“You will have a private office here, full health benefits, and twenty-four-hour security for your home,” Dante added.

“And what happens if I want to leave?” I asked.

“You can leave whenever you like,” he said. “But you will not want to.”

I looked at the pen resting beside the contract.

The yellow eviction notice on my kitchen table flashed in my mind.

I had forty-eight hours before Lily and I were put out on the street.