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Taylor

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“I don’t need to ask you how your weekend went, do I? Judging by that silly grin you’ve been wearing since you got here, your hottie turned out to be a prince, not a frog,” Jackie remarks, a few hours into my shift at the bar.

I have no idea how I managed to act normal with Mrs. Marshall today, after spending the entire weekend with her grandson. I’d die of embarrassment if my boss found out.

“He’s not exactly a prince, but it was way more than I expected.”

“My suspicion is confirmed, Taylor. You really have fallen for the doctor.”

“How could I avoid it, Jackie? William is everything a woman could dream of.”

“Once it’s happened, there’s no going back. Now it looks like you’re completely wrapped up in him. The time to run away has passed. But I disagree with something you said: for him to be everything a woman could dream of, he’d have to want commitment, which clearly isn’t the case.”

“Who’s the smart guy who doesn’t want commitment?” Todd cuts in, souring my mood instantly.

Ever since I got here, he’s been making snide comments about me saying I was tired on Friday—yet went clubbing with Jackie. When I asked him how he knew, he said he overheard me telling the cook we went dancing. His answer only cemented the fact that he’s seriously unhinged.

I’ve kept my distance all day, not caring if I come off as rude, promising myself that if he keeps harassing me, I won’t just go to the manager—I’ll go straight to the bar’s owner.

But my plan went up in smoke half an hour ago, when I caught him fooling around with our boss in a back room.

God, the last thing I need is this creep becoming our manager by doing “overtime” with the bar’s owner.

“It’s none of your business,” I reply, making no effort to hide my dislike. Jackie’s eyebrows shoot up so high they nearly touch her hairline.

He plants himself between us, his back to her, his face just a few inches from mine. “You got a real attitude overnight, Taylor. What’s behind this change?”

“I tried to be nice to you, but if you can’t grasp that I’m not interested, I have no choice but to clear things up.”

“And you think I’m interested in you?” He gives me a once-over. “I don’t go out with sluts, redhead.”

I stare at him, too stunned to speak for a moment, but my anger quickly rises.

“Get out of here, jerk, before I use your head as a cushion for this bottle,” Jackie snarls, shoving him. “Are you out of your mind?”

I gesture for her not to get involved. I plan to talk to the bar owner because I refuse to accept such disrespect—no matter whether Todd’s her lover or not. But I don’t want Jackie risking her job for my sake.

He walks away laughing, and she looks even more infuriated. “What was that? That bastard went too far.”

“Calm down, Jackie.”

“Calm down, my ass, Taylor. He can’t talk to you that way. There’s nothing I hate more than a sore loser who can’t handle rejection.”

“He’s having sex with Mrs. Videon.”

“What?”

“Yes, you heard right. I caught him and our boss in the storage closet.”

“Jesus, that explains why that jerk’s so full of himself.”

“Exactly. And please, don’t lose your job on my account.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to tell her how he treated me. I wasn’t raised to bow to a man.”

“There’s a chance she might take his side, Taylor. If she’s married and hooking up with Todd, she might be really into him.”

“I know the risks, Jackie, but even so, I refuse to put up with verbal or sexual harassment and stay quiet.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No, please don’t. If the worst happens, at least I still have my job with Mrs. Marshall. You’ve only got this bar.” I take off my apron.

“You’re going to talk to her right now?”

“Yes. I can fake it pretty well, Jackie. I may seem sweet, but I’ve got a terrible temper. I’m not letting this slide.”

“Whatever happens, come talk to me afterward.”

“Yeah, I will. Wish me luck—or not.”

“What does that mean?”

“If Mrs. Videon sides with him, that’ll be my cue to leave. I’m not sure I want to work for someone who lets her employees be mistreated on any level. My dad taught me something, Jackie: respect is either there or it’s not. The moment you let someone treat you like trash, it becomes a habit.”

* * *

Half an hour later, I’m thanking God I’m not a man, because if I were, I’d be back downstairs, smashing Todd’s face.

I didn’t even get a chance to speak. The moment I walked into the office, Mrs. Videon said she was just waiting for me to finish my shift so she could fire me, and I’d made her job easier by coming in. She had the nerve to tell me to my face that she “knows” I was hitting on Todd, and because I wouldn’t take a no from him, I disrespected him.

I hate playing the victim, and I rarely let myself cry, but I’m so angry that I’m sobbing as I head to the employees’ bathroom.

Jackie shows up out of nowhere. “I heard what happened. I’m quitting too.”

“Don’t do that.”

“I am. I just can’t do it immediately because I’ve got bills, but tomorrow I’m starting to look for another job. My offer to have you move in with me still stands.”

She looks like she’s about to cry, and I feel terrible.

“I have to get out of here. I’m suffocating. Can we talk more calmly another day? I need to clear my head.”

“All right. Just let me know you got home safe.”