And going there has nothing to do with the fact that Cade might be there? That you haven’t seen him in almost a week?
Nope. Nothing at all.
Mr. Newman occupied my mind on the short drive to the restaurant. His body might have some additional mileage, but at least he could hold up his end of a conversation. At least he smiled. At least he tried. If Cade would try, he might surprise himself.
I parked in the lot at Oak & Sage and walked in feeling fluttery and excited to share my good news with someone—Rena for sure, and maybe Cade…if he was here.
Not that I was here to see him.
I took a deep breath and pulled open the front door, nodding at the hostess as I scanned the immediate area. Totally not looking for Cade.
From behind the bar, Rena waved me over. She set a glass of beer in front of a customer and then crossed over to me as I hopped onto a stool.
“Hey! This is a nice surprise.”
“I have news,” I blurted out, unable to contain myself.
“Do tell.” Her eyes rounded with interest.
“The rehabilitation center offered to hire me, and I accepted!” The moment the words left my mouth, Rena and I let out matching happy shrieks. Best friends were the best, weren’t they?
“Greatest news ever!” She showcased the wall of liquor behind her with a sweep of her arm. “Pick your poison. Your drink’s on me.”
“Would it be weird to ask for sparkling wine?”
“It would weird not to.” She moved to the wine cooler and came back with a single-serving bottle of champagne. She twisted the lid, the cracking sound of the plastic somewhat unsatisfying.
“No cork?”
“Sorry. This is all we have. I promise when we properly celebrate, I’ll buy you a bottle with a cork.”
She poured my beverage into a tall flute, filling one with club soda for herself before raising her glass. “To your new gig as a paid therapist.”
“It kicks in after I graduate,” I said as she lifted the glass to her lips. “You don’t think I’m jinxing it, do you?”
“Absolutely not. You’re going to pass your boards. And you’re going to be the best PTA in the state.”
I loved her.
“Thanks, Reen.” We tapped glasses and drank. “Ugh.”
“I know. It looks so much yummier than it tastes, doesn’t it?”
I took another sip anyway. I was celebrating with bubbly wine no matter how it tasted. “I never dreamed they’d offer me a position. Veronica never hinted she’d need more than temporary help. I enjoy the work too. I have a lot of fantastic patients.”
Rena raised one eyebrow. “And one really uncooperative one?”
We both knew she meant Cade.
She leaned on the bar in front of me and made herself comfortable. “Devlin said he’s being less of a pain in the ass than before, that he’s trying. I hear he moved into the room over the garage.”
“Yeah. It’s a nice place. Completely separate from the house.” Cade seemed like a different guy than the one who’d been sulking in his former bedroom over the last few months. Maybe I was being unfair. Maybe he was trying.
“I’m happy for him. I’ve been pulling for him since his life was flipped upside down—along with his car. I can’t imagine having to relearn how to talk. Getting back to normal must preoccupy his every thought.”
“Well, he isn’t willing to work on it. Not with me, anyway.”
“Give him time, Tash. I know you. You aren’t one to give up on someone who needs you. You’ve given lots of your time to people who didn’t deserve it.”
Her raised eyebrow had Tony Fry written all over it. She wasn’t wrong. I’d given him second, third, and fourth chances. How embarrassing.
“I’m further incentivized by the fact that my father doesn’t want me to see him any longer.” I sipped my mediocre wine. “Defying Daddy by continuing to see Cade is a bonus.”
I explained how my father thought Cade and Paul would turn me into a criminal, and she rolled her eyes. I understood why. Devlin hadn’t walked the straight and narrow either, and he and Rena were doing great.
“But you are right about Cade,” I said. “He’s been through a lot and I’m tenacious. I’ll make him crack. And then speak.”
“Damn straight.” She clinked her glass with mine again.
“I just need my father’s money for a few more months.” I hated admitting that, but there it was. “But I can’t let him bully me when Cade needs my help.”
“Your father has plenty of money, Tasha,” Rena reminded me, even though I didn’t need reminding. “He offered to pay for your apartment and your education. You have nothing to feel badly about.”
She was right. I’d planned on dorm life, but my father insisted on an apartment so that I would be safe.
“Plus, you’re independent. You can cut those strings in a few short weeks.”
I appreciated her taking my side. I had been dismissed before by friends who’d labeled me spoiled, but Rena never saw me that way. In a black-and-white world, she was a master at seeing the gray.
“And now the job!” She polished off her club soda, and I finished the cloyingly sweet wine with a shudder. “You’re getting there, Tash.” She paused for a demure burp. “Don’t give up. The days of you being under your father’s hand are almost history.”
A couple sat at the bar and she moved to greet them. I took another look around the sparsely populated restaurant. A table of men in suits in the corner had a heated discussion amidst martini glasses. A group of well-dressed women at a center table paused between bites of their dinner to laugh. A couple near the entrance sat cozily on the same side of a booth seat.
As I people-watched, I scanned the room for Cade. Only because if he was here, it would be polite to say hello.
No other reason.
Chapter Five
Cade
Work was riveting, if your idea of riveting was cleaning up after people like livestock. Seriously, it was disgusting how much food was wasted. Equally alarming was how much money they paid to throw out half of it.
Maybe I was being grouchy.
When I’d finally shown up, Devlin had steam coming out of his ears. I didn’t let him rile me. I’d been through more difficult struggles in my past than my brother being pissy. It hadn’t mattered too much since we were so slow tonight.
Today was the first nice day we’d had in Ridgeway in a while. Nice weather reminded everyone there was a world outdoors, so they were less likely to take up space inside a stuffy restaurant. If I had to be here, I’d rather be busy. Since I wasn’t, all I could think about was how I’d rather be under my car than in this dimly lit building.
I dropped a bus tub of dirty dishes at the dish tank when the degenerate criminal line cook I was coming to hate with every fiber of my being called out, “Hey! Chatterbox!”
Fuck. Here we go.
My shoulders tightened along with my jaw. Hamilton thought he was funny, as evidenced by his jackass-like braying echoing down the line. I’d ignored him successfully until tonight. He’d been trying harder to grab my attention by calling me Dopey and Mute, which had devolved to Chatty and now, apparently, Chatterbox. I was trying to stay out of trouble and do my job. He wasn’t making it easy for me.