“I’m like an assistant manager here, and I say you’re fired!” He slashes the air with his hand. “Don’t come back here again!”
Her eyes narrow. “Are you firing me because I got the internship you wanted?”
“No! It’s because your attitude is shit and you aren’t committed to this job!”
My patience starts to fray. “We can leave anytime you like, Angelika.”
“Stay out of this, asshole!” Eric screams, shifting away slightly.
“Don’t talk to him like that,” she says before I can respond. “He’s not the asshole here, you are!”
Did she just defend me? I watch in amusement. Nobody has ever done that before. I’m the defender, not the other way around.
She starts marching to the back.
“Where are you going?” he demands.
“To grab my things and clock out!” she shouts back. “I’m leaving.”
“Great! Go. Don’t come back!” Then he turns to me. “And you aren’t welcome here either! Ever! Get your coffee elsewhere!”
Does he think I came by here a few times for their lousy coffee?
“I don’t think he comes here for the coffee,” the other barista says, still holding his phone out. I look away from him.
“He bought it twice,” Eric says.
“He’s right. I was never here for the coffee. Your coffee is mediocre,” I say.
“What? How dare you!” Eric says. “You wouldn’t know good coffee if it slapped you in the face!”
“Would you care to test that?” I gaze at him. He does his best to stare me down, but fails. He swallows and averts his eyes.
What he needs is a fairytale ending. Not a pretty Disney version, but the true Grimm version. The Three Little Men in the Wood would be a great one. It’s an obscure tale, but it ends with the villains stuffed into a barrel that’s had long nails hammered into it iron-maiden style. Then they are rolled down a hill and into a river.
Body disposal would be tricky in that scenario, but it’s a fairytale. Bodies were taken care of, happily ever after.
Eric’s Adam’s apple bobs. He won’t meet my eyes, although his hands are clenched into fists.
The absolute worst kind of trash. The second I turned my back, he would attack if he thought he could take me out. But he knows he can’t, so he’s just going to stand there shaking, then vent his ire on some innocent bystander.
Angelika comes out, holding her purse. She stops next to me, then turns to Eric. “You know what? I guess I’ll quit immediately and not come back like you said. So, Mr. Almost Like an Assistant Manager, please tell the real manager what happened today.”
I almost smile. Good girl.
I put my hand protectively at her elbow and lead her out. And for the first time in ages, something that seems like warmth and affection ripples through me.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Angelika
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I say as Tolyan and I get settled inside his SUV. It was satisfying to stand up to Eric, but Tolyan didn’t have to see the embarrassing spectacle.
“I’m not,” he says, maneuvering the car out of the garage. “I’m glad I was there to make sure he didn’t get too aggressive. He had no excuse putting his hands on you the way he did.”
“It was just a finger.” Given Tolyan’s attitude, he might be upset he didn’t step in sooner to do something about Eric, like before he touched me.
“It’s easy for a finger to turn into a fist.”
“Maybe so, but… I don’t think Eric has the kind of temperament that would let him really turn him violent in front of people.” He’s more the type to rant and rave and Tweet crap about me.
Tolyan doesn’t respond, which I suspect means he agrees with my assessment.
“By the way, I want to thank you for the opportunity at the foundation. I got the internship!”
“Yes, I saw your memo. Congratulations. We should celebrate.” There’s actually a small bit of warmth in his tone when he says “celebrate.”
My heart flutters like a high school girl being asked out to prom by her crush. “Um. What’s a safe activity?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well. You know, given my circumstances, certain things might be a little too…risky.”
“Shouldn’t be an issue.” A corner of his mouth quirks upward. “You’re cooperative enough.”
“No need to make it harder for you to keep me safe.”
He flashes a quick smile, and it’s mesmerizing. It changes his demeanor completely, puts a light in his eyes so that they shine like precious stones, and softens his face to the point that he—wonder of wonders—looks approachable. “You should smile more,” I blurt out.
His eyebrow arches. “I smile.” There’s a pause. “When needed.”
“No, I mean just because you’re happy.”
He considers for a second. “I suppose I’m happy that you’re being cooperative.”
I shake my head. He’s either being purposely obtuse or he just doesn’t get it. Regardless, it’s probably a big deal. He’s generally so stoic and flat, he probably needs to remind himself how to smile before he actually does it.
“Are you allergic to seafood?” he asks.
“No. I love seafood.” I haven’t had any in a long time because good seafood is expensive, and bad seafood is awful. I got food poisoning once from some shrimp when I was in high school and missed half a week of classes. Never again.
“Good.”
He stops the car in front of a place called La Mer. A uniformed valet approaches to take the SUV. There are other cars around, many of them fancy, European and expensive. They shine like polished gems.
Tolyan puts his hand on my elbow like he did when we left Coffee Heaven. A sharply dressed hostess greets us as we walk in. She’s what I always envisioned a native Californian might look like—blonde, sun-kissed skin and a bright white smile.
“Tolyan, how are you?” she says.
“Good.”
“Your table’s ready. This way.” She leads us inside.
Tolyan follows like he’s been here a hundred times before. I want to look cool and all that, but I just can’t. The place is freaking amazing. There are huge blue aquariums that act like partitions and walls. Colorful tropical fish swim in the beautifully decorated and set-up tanks. I spot small pink anemones in a lot of the tanks as well, looking like little flowers.
“Here you are,” she says, gesturing to a booth ensconced by jellyfish tanks. The pink and orange creatures float like they’re in space. Their movements are amazingly soothing, like a relaxant for the brain. I feel all the tension in my body easing. “Just the table you asked for.”
My head swivels in Tolyan’s direction. It’s like he’s known all along what I like. I’m flattered and surprised he already seems to know so much about me. That’s a lot of observation and processing.
“Thank you,” he says.
I sit down, making sure I can also get a good view of the aquarium. He takes the seat opposite and the hostess hands us elegant leather-bound menus, then leaves.