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Jeremiah Hamilton:
Near the end of Val's next shift after her late-night call-out, Jeremiah swung by her station in the kitchen with a polite smile but a hint of concern in his eyes. "Hey. You got a minute before you head out tonight? You're not in trouble or anything, before you ask."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
Val was wiping down her station, and looks up.
"Uh, sure, yeah. Lemme finish cleaning up and I'll be right with you."
She finished up quickly, but made sure her station was spotless anyway, untied her apron, and nodded to him, wherever he went.
"I don't gotta clock out till I leave though, yeah?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Right. Wouldn't screw you out of money like that." He nodded with a smirk, leading the way into the cafe office and motioning for her to claim a seat while taking one of his own. "One of the things I strive to do here is keep an open line of communication between me and my employees, to make sure they know they can trust me if they need someone to confide in or something personal happens. In return I take care of my people, keeping an eye on them so I know if they need help."
He sat back in his seat, watching her for a moment. "After you texted me the other night and it got cut off I was concerned, and I did some of the magic I can do to check on you to make sure you weren't in danger. Nothing invasive, just to get eyes on you and make sure you were in a safe place."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
She follows along, sitting across from him. Her face starts in a smile but fades, more RBF currently than a scowl.
"And... how much did you see?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"You talking with Vincent about what happened, primarily." His own expression was calm, the concern in his eyes still clear to see. "I understand not wanting to talk about being accosted like that with someone you're still getting to know, but the fact that you lied to me about why you needed the time off concerned me as much as the fact that the incident happened."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
Val's face now reaches a scowl.
"You spied on me Jay. That's the issue here. You spied on your employee's personal life. Do you know how many people know? I want you to guess how many people I trusted with that cause that's a very personal thing, dude."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I did, and I apologize for that invasion of privacy. It was done out of concern, but that doesn't make it right."
"I would guess just Vincent."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Vincent and Olivia. I haven't told Guy, I haven't told Tommy, and I haven't told either of my parents, one of whom is a licensed medical perfessional."
She crossed her arms.
"So yeah, I lied cause I wasn't ready to tell you. And that should be allowed. You're my boss. You're a good one, I appreciate you, but there's a difference between what I tell my boss and what I tell my best friend of 7 years and my girlfriend."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
He nodded quietly, taking the chastisement in stride. "Very true, and I wouldn't - and don't - expect that same level of access to you and your daily life. What I do hope for, though, is for you to not feel like you have to lie to me if you have something going on that you can't talk about. Whether it be personal matters or supernatural business if you can't share details that's completely fine, but just be honest with me."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
Her eyes flick a tad to the side, then back at him.
"You're my boss, the truth is I don't want you to know all my personal matters. Asking that of me makes me less want to trust ya. If I need time off for any reason, I'll let you know, not try to fake a story cause now I know you'll look into that story and not trust me."
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"I'm not asking for that information from you, apologies if it came across that way. Olivia can attest that I usually don't ask questions when it comes to why she can't be here, because I know things with her people can take her away for a while. I did in this case with you because of the way things cut off suddenly and I was concerned for your well being."
He let out a quiet breath, looking her over. "I do trust you, as hard as that may be to believe at the moment. If I've damaged your trust in me because of this, I'm more than willing to do what I need to do to restore it."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Sometimes phones do fucky things...I do still feel kinda betrayed. Look...I was scared at the time and knew I needed time off. If I do ever need you to check in on me, how bout we set up a word or somethin, aight? My mom, dad, and I used to have one of those. I'd ask if we could have broccoli for dinner and they'd immedietly come get me, cause I fuckin hate broccoli. Would that work for you?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Sounds like an idea. Got a preference?"
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Uh... what's something we don't carry here for health reasons?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Hmm..." He sat back in his seat, mulling for a moment. "We don't use peanut oil in case of allergies, that might work."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Done. Ill ask if we have any peanut oil in stock, and you'll know to check on me. That work?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Sounds good." He nodded, watching her briefly before offering a small smile. "Again, I am sorry for crossing your boundaries. Glad we were able to talk it out, though."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"I'm not mad, just kinda disappointed honestly. Am I good to go?"
Jeremiah Hamilton:
"Mea culpa, it won't happen again." He nodded. "All set. Have a good night."
Valeria Rolan-Ruiz:
"Thanks Jay. Take care, have a good night."
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