Page 9

Bailey

I wake up early to the sound of a loud engine on the street out front. Well, noon isn’t early, but when you’re up until past three in the morning the night before, it definitely feels that way. I blink against the bright light streaming through the windows and shield my eyes with my hand.

I get up and take my time showering, applying a little makeup before dressing in a pair of shorts and a black tank top.

I’m just sliding on some shoes when my phone buzzes on the night stand.

It’s not a number I recognize, but I decide to answer it, anyway.

“Bailey?” a familiar voice asks.

“Charles?” I ask, surprised that Mr. Coulter would be calling me so early. Instantly, my anxiety takes a turn for the worse and it’s everything I can do not to chew on my fingernails.

“Hey, sorry to bother you. Are you busy? ”

“No, not at all,” I say, stepping out of my room and out to the courtyard. It’s a nice day out, but hot in the eighties, already.

“Well, I hate to ask you this because I know you already agreed to work tonight and you’re probably tired from yesterday . . .” his voice trails off and I chuckle.

“Do you need help? I can come in.”

Charles lets out a relieved sigh.

“Thank you. Star is sick and Mani is gone, so Bruno needs help.”

I pause. “Mani is gone?” I stutter, looking to Charlie’s window. He’s not there, of course, but I had hoped his temper would have calmed down by now.

“Yes. Charlie called me last night and we came in early to watch the cameras. I’m truly sorry that happened. We don’t like that kind of thing around here, especially when it’s not consensual.”

I should be relieved that Mani is gone, but instead all I can think about is that Charlie went in early after walking me home the night before just because of that. I thought a slap on the wrist would be the most they would be willing to do. Losing one of their cooks just because he groped the new fill-in is crazy to me.

But I’m grateful. One thing Drew taught me is that I’m sick and fucking tired of men doing whatever they want to me.

“Well, when do you need me?” I ask, changing the subject.

Charles chuckles on the other end of the receiver.

“Whenever you can get here.”

“I’m on my way.”

One outfit change later and I’m walking in the back door at the restaurant. Charles has his office door shut and I can hear Charlie’s voice. He sounds pissed, like they’re arguing. I want to ask him why he fired Mani, but I also don’t want to go anywhere near him after seeing how angry he was the night before.

It’s not that I’m . . . afraid of him. After years of him being the world’s biggest ass, seeing how he was the night before threw me for a loop. He felt powerful, dangerous. Maybe I have a death wish?

“Thank you so much for coming in, Bailey,” Bruno sighs when I walk to him. Sweat dots his brow, as the kitchen has already reached past uncomfortable from the heat outside.

“Wouldn’t miss the chance to work with you, now, Bruno,” I joke, taking the apron he’s holding out to me and tying it around my waist and neck. “How’s Star?”

He shakes his head, turning back to the potatoes he’s chopping into small squares.

“She woke up this morning sick to her stomach. I had to fight with her to get her to stay home.”

He holds out a large knife to me and slides the large bowl of potatoes in between us.

“I’ll peel, you chop. Doesn’t matter what they look like because they’ll be mashed potatoes by four.”

I nod and start cutting.

“How long have you two been seeing each other?” I ask to break up the awkward silence.

“Since she started working here, two years ago. She made me her grandma’s special pot pie and I was hooked.”

I laugh, depositing the potatoes in another large bowl .

“She’s a nice woman. Are you going to marry her?” I ask, peeking at him.

He grins. “Already thinking about it. What do you think? Is that too soon?”

I shrug. “I don’t think so. If you really love the person, there’s no doubt in your mind. My mom and dad got married after three months.”

Bruno whistles out through his teeth. “Damn, and they’re still together? They must really like each other.”

I grimace. “They divorced, unfortunately, but only because both of them were too hard-headed to meet in the middle.” I let out a deep sigh. “Now, Mom’s married to a sleazy lawyer and Dad’s been gone for twelve years.”

Bruno pauses. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

I wave him off. “It’s okay. Those things happen.”

We fall silent, me chopping, him peeling. I enjoy the easy silence that comes with Bruno. I don’t feel the need to make small talk.

“Can I ask how it happened?”

“Of course. It was a car accident. We were coming home from a movie. A semi driver fell asleep, ran across the highway, and hit our car.”

“How old were you? Were you hurt?”

I lift the corner of my shirt and show the scar on my side.

“I was fourteen. I don’t remember much, just the noise of them cutting the car open to get me out.”

Bruno shakes his head, setting the potato peeler down.

The back door opens behind us and Lionel walks in. He catches my eye, grinning .

“Bailey, baby girl,” he cheers, taking me and spinning me around to Brandy that plays on the small radio in the corner. “What are you doing here so early?”

I laugh, dizzy and stumbling as he twirls me in a circle.

“I came to help.”

“Prettiest girl this side of the Mississippi,” he jokes, batting his long fake eyelashes at me.

Sudden electricity seems to crackle throughout the room and we both pause. Charlie stands in the doorway of the now open office, his eyes narrowed on me. A chill runs down my spine, forcing a shiver to coast through me.

I read the message loud and clear. We all disperse and I go back to slicing potatoes while Bruno disappears into the walk-in cooler in the back. I can feel Charlie’s gaze on me, burning a hole through the center of my back. A bead of sweat trickles down between my shoulder blades and I’m suddenly very thirsty.

“Why are you here?” Charlie asks, his voice cold and harsh. He steps up to the counter beside me, his arms folded across his chest, the bands of his muscles bulging. Looking at his face, his eyes are dark, clouded with complete disgust. I could swear he hates me more than a piece of chewed gum on the bottom of his shoe.

“Your dad asked me to come in and help,” I shrug, looking back down at my task. I had thought I’d made a little bit of progress with him last night, but now I can see that he’s still the same, loathing asshole he’s been since I arrived. “That not alright with you?”

“You really want to work from open to close, be my guest. ”

He turns to walk away, but I stop him with a hand on his arm. He looks down at me like I’ve burned him. Anger flashes in his eyes and he pulls his arm away. I ignore the small jab to my self-esteem.

“Thank you for dealing with the Mani issue. I appreciate it.”

His face softens, but only for a moment, before he turns without a word and heads out to the bar.

I release a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. As far as dirty looks go, Charlie Coulter has cornered the market.

Monica Parker 1:10 pm: Your sister has taken up knitting something she calls bralettes.

Monica Parker 3:42 pm: Do you think Spike is mentally unstable? Should I be worried about Savannah? I think he’s a devil worshipper.

Monica Parker 4:27 pm: Mason called. You would think he would be married, by now. You too.

Jesus Christ. You would think I’m my mother’s diary with the things she texts me. I know she’s bored, probably at home most of the day, but I don’t have time for this. Sometimes it’s like having a teenage daughter to worry about.

I must be grimacing at my phone when Lionel slides up to the window and sets a plate of food down that’s not for one of my tables.

“Why the scowl, cheré ?”

I roll my eyes. “Nothing. Just the stupid things my mother texts me.”

He gives me a strange look for a moment and I almost think I upset him.

“Your mom do that, too?” I ask, laughing nervously.

He doesn’t look at me. “Nope. Died before cell phones were a big thing.”

Shit.

“Oh, Lionel, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He waves a hand at me, busying himself by readying up plates.

“I’m not upset. We all want what we can’t have. You want silence. I want stupid texts from my momma.”

He finishes my tray and sets it up on the counter in front of me.

“Order up.”

As much as I hate to admit it, Charlie is right. Working open to close was a mistake. I’ll never tell him that, though. I’m not sure we’d be able to fit his ego behind the bar.

I steer clear of Lionel for a while and he’s quieter than usual. I text my mom back when I get a chance, more than just my usual one-word answer because what Lionel said to me has left me with a sinking feeling in my gut for hours.

Charlie lost his mom. Andi lost her’s. Lionel. I still have mine, but she drives me crazy so much that I forget to be thankful that I still have her.

Fuck.

Andi shows up around six, right as I’m being forced to eat a burger made by Bruno. I can tell she was up most of the night crying. Her eyes are puffy, but she’s done a good job of hiding it under concealer.

“Well, hello,” I wave cautiously as she slides on to the bench on the other side of me. “Everything alright?”

“I’m sorry Dad asked you to come in, again,” she grumbles, laying her head on her arms.

I hold a fry out to her and wag my eyebrows. “Grease is good for the soul.”

She rolls her eyes, but chuckles quietly and takes the fry anyway.

“So, how was it last night?”

I groan and quietly relay everything that happened between me, Charlie, and Mani the night before. Her eyes grow wide while I’m explaining the story to her.

“I knew he was a creep. I’m glad Charlie was there. He’s a good guy.”

I grimace. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

She eyes me, a weird look on her face.

“Give him time. He likes to play big, tough guy.”

“Is that right?” I murmur, finishing off my food. “So, what about you? What happened last night?” I ask, hoping to change the subject. I’ve had enough of Charlie Coulter and his impossibly hateful looks from across the room today.

Andi shrugs, playing with a loose string on her purse.

“We just got in an argument. His mom doesn’t like me. ”

My stomach turns sour. “I know that feeling.”

Drew’s mom hated me and she made that clear from the very beginning.

Andi nods, meeting my gaze. Small tears cling to the corners of her eyes. “She’s told him all kinds of things. Like I’ve cheated, I’m only with him for his looks. That I’m selfish and self-centered. I took her dress shopping and she threw a fit because I asked her not to wear white.” She takes a deep breath. “ And she keeps bringing up Cecelia.”

I wince. Cecilia is Tom’s ex-fiancée. I’ve never met her, but I’ve heard stories about her “undying love” for Tom and her lack of regard for Andi and Tom’s impending marriage.

“Well, fuck her. She doesn’t know you. And Cecilia’s just holding onto something she can’t have. It’s pathetic.”

Andi looks up at me, shocked by my foul language. She giggles, covering her mouth with her palm.

“You saved me. You asked me to come down and help you, but I know you just wanted to help take my mind off things at home. Fuck whatever she says and if Tom wants to believe those things and entertain his shitty ex, then fuck him, too.”

Andi jumps from her seat, coming around the side to pull me into her arms. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I don’t think I tell you enough.”

I hold her close. “Ditto.”