“Great, thanks,” he said, ignoring the blood pumping wildly through his veins.
“See ya later, sugar,” she said with a wave over her shoulder as she headed to the front door.
“Have a good night,” Jacob replied, stepping up to Al’s office and trying to calm his stomach. He swallowed back the nausea that was creeping up his throat and knocked on the door.
“Come on in,” Al called out.
Jacob took a breath and stepped inside the office.
Al looked up from his desk and a wide smile spread across his face. “Jacob! Forget something?”
“No, sir. I, um… I just wanted to say something about my application,” he explained, still hovering by the door in case he needed a quick escape.
“Oh, well, of course,” Al replied, sitting back in his chair and gesturing to the seat opposite him. “Please, come on in and have a seat.”
Jacob stared at the chair, deliberating whether or not it was too late to turn around and catch a cab back to campus. Swallowing his trepidation, he marched forward and took a seat.
“Um,” he began, clearing his throat and starting again with more feigned confidence. “Sir, I’m afraid I wasn’t entirely honest on all of the application questions,” he admitted.
Al’s eyebrows pulled together in concern. “I see,” he said simply, and Jacob’s heart pounded hard in his chest. “And which question were you not entirely honest with?”
Jacob opened his mouth to “um,” but thought better of it. He closed his mouth, took in a breath through his nose to calm his nerves, then started again. “It was the first question on the back page, sir.”
Al nodded. He shifted the files he had been looking through to the side and pulled out a single sheet of paper, turning it over to the back page and reading the first question.
Jacob’s anxiety was reaching peak heights, and he was beginning to feel the warmth of sickness rising in his throat. He closed his eyes covertly for a moment, taking careful breaths through his nose to dissuade the nausea.
When he opened his eyes, Al set the paper down and placed his intertwined fingers on the desk. His expression was more disappointment than anger, and that helped calm Jacob’s nerves a bit.
“Um… I can assure you, sir, I’ve never lied on an application until today,” he defended. “It’s just… well, with everyone around, and…,” he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. The point is, I shouldn’t have lied, and I wanted to clear that up.”
Al considered that with a nod.
There was a long minute of silence while Jacob tried not to fidget in his seat. Finally, Al spoke up.
“You know, Jacob,” he began, shifting to sit up straight. “The most important thing I’m looking for in an employee is someone I can trust,” he said.
Jacob’s heart sank.
“Yes, sir,” he nodded, rising from his seat. “I understand. Thank you for your time,” he said, turning for the door.
“So, when can you start?”
Jacob stopped in his tracks. Thinking his ears may have betrayed him, he turned around and appraised the slight grin on the man’s face. “What?” he asked.
His grin spread a bit wider. “It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong,” Al explained. “I’ve never been one to hold a man’s past against him. The important thing is what kind of a man you are today,” he declared, pointing a finger at him to seal his point. “And I can see that today, you’re a man with integrity. That’s the kind of person I’ve been looking for.”
Jacob’s shoulders relaxed and he let out the breath he had been holding for the last minute.
“But… you don’t care? That I lied to you? That I was… Why I was…,” he trailed off, struggling to say the words aloud to a near stranger.
“Like I said, we’ll give you a shot. See how it goes,” Al stated. “So, when can you start?”
Jacob stared at him, flabbergasted by the decision. When his senses came back to him, he shook his head. “Right now?” he chuckled.
Al’s eyebrows shot up. “You mean that? Because I’ve got a lot to get through tonight, and it’d be nice to be home before midnight for a change.”
“Oh,” Jacob muttered, still stunned by the incredible turn of events. “Yeah, sure. What do you need me to do?” he asked, sliding off his backpack and setting it on the empty desk chair.
“You know how to use Excel to make a spreadsheet?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Jacob answered.
Al smirked. “You can call me Al, remember?”
Jacob smiled. “Right. Sorry, s- er, Al.”
“I’ll go grab the drawer, and we can count up the profits for today. Help me punch ‘em into this here spreadsheet,” he gestured to the computer on his desk. “Why don’t you have a seat here, and I’ll be back,” he said, pulling out his own chair for him.
Jacob took the seat, feeling entirely out of place as he pulled up to the desk and opened an Excel document on the computer.
“Hey, uh… one more thing,” Al said, turning around in the doorway with a serious expression.
“Yeah?”
He took a moment, formulating his words. “As an employer, I don’t have any more questions for you at the moment. But… as an uncle,” he said, eyebrows pulling together.
Jacob sat up straighter, waiting.
Al met his gaze. “Jenna doesn’t know about this?”
Jacob sighed. “No, sir. I mean, Al.”
“That’s why you lied?” he asked. “You didn’t want her to see your answer?”
His cheeks were hot. “Yes, sir.” He didn’t correct himself this time. This was definitely a “sir” conversation.
Al nodded. “Do I have any reason to be concerned about your friendship with my niece?” he asked, the severity of a protective father figure clear in his voice.
“No,” Jacob answered quickly, shaking his head. “No, sir. Definitely not.”
The stout man nodded again, taking in Jacob’s response. “Well, okay then,” he said, the tension in the air dissipating. “I’ll go get that drawer.”
Taking a breath and relaxing his shoulders, Jacob turned back to the computer screen.
“Oh, and Jacob,” Al said, halfway out the door.
Jacob looked up.
“You know, Jenna… she’s been through a lot, and…,” he trailed off, pressing his lips together as he tried to think of the appropriate words. With kind smile and a twinkle in his eye, he said, “Well, she might be a bit more open minded than you’d think.”
THE JOB AT THE diner was a perfect fit for Jacob. All of the help Al needed with the books was able to be done at night, which meant that Jacob could still go to all of his classes and get his homework done before heading to work. The informality of the position suited him, as well, because Al seemed happy to have him there every night, regardless of how much or how little work there was to be done, and Jacob was happy to have the money.
He had been nervous, at first, about spending so much time alone with someone who knew about his past. There was ample time for questions, but after that first night, Al never broached the subject again.