That this is why Will didn’t say it back.
Entering the shop with a sinking pit in my gut, I tell myself that this is for the best. That maybe getting fired from a job I got from a guy I rejected is not so bad. But I don’t mean it. Truth is, I’ve grown to love this job. I love my coworkers, the work itself. If it were up to me, I’d stay in a heartbeat.
Two steps in, I catch sight of the long line of customers stretching all the way to the door. Evidently, Ethan and Isabella are swamped, only taking notice of my presence when I pass them on my way to drop my stuff in the back store.
“Thank God,” Isabella rejoices when she sees me.
“Where’s Diana?” I ask. Diana is the store manager Isabella hired to replace Jenny. Haven’t met her yet, but the fact that Isabella, someone who never picks up shifts, is working right now tells me something is wrong.
“Sick. She’s puking her guts out,” Ethan replies, and Isabella reprimands his crude words when a judgy lady in line pulls a disgusted face. “Sorry, she is busy emptying the contents of her stomach,” he revises, and I barely swallow a laugh.
Even Isabella bites back a grin.
“Hurry, we’re getting destroyed over here,” Ethan presses, and I oblige, joining them at the front to start my shift. Around thirty minutes later, the store is empty, and we can finally breathe again.
Isabella doesn’t pull me aside. Not in the first hour. Not in the second. She acts exactly the way she always does, leaving me to wonder if she changed her mind about firing me. Ethan leaves an hour before me, but the end of my shift quickly rolls around and I close the shop per usual. I gather my stuff in the back, switch off the lights, and pad out of the building to lock up with Isabella on my tail.
I’m the first to gather the courage to say it.
“Thank you so much for this opportunity. I really enjoyed working here.” I force a smile, turning on my heels.
Her hand flies out to hold me back.
“Kassidy, wait. What are you talking about?”
This is weird?
“Well, I’m sure you know by now that Luke and I got into a fight. He told me that I was fired and—”
“He did what now?” She’s stunned. “Honey, he doesn’t speak for me. He’s my nephew, not my boss.”
“You mean… I’m not fired?”
“Of course not. He called me last night, telling me to let you go, but I told him I’m not losing the best employee I’ve had in years because he’s got a bruised ego. He’ll get over it. It’s not the first time he’s sent one of his crushes my way, you know?”
Her revelation shocks me.
“You’re the fourth. Two of them quit, the other one was let go because she was always late, but not because he asked me to fire them. Which he did. Every single time. What kind of boss would I be if I fired my employees without cause every time my nephew asks me to?”
I must have something in my eye, because a tear threatens to leak down my cheek. Embarrassed, I blink back my emotions. God, I’m such a baby, but I really thought I was out of a job. I’ve never been more relieved.
“Oh, honey, come here.” Isabella captures me into a quick embrace. I remember thinking she was a cold woman. I was wrong. Once she warms up to you, she’s the best boss you could ask for. “You’re not fired. Get that out of your head.”
“Thank you so much.”
We say our goodbyes and part ways. I jog to my car, coming to terms with my guilt. I don’t regret stringing Luke along anymore. Yes, I made mistakes with him, but I owned up to them and apologized. To know that I wasn’t the first. That he uses his aunt to get his way. That’s low.
Sliding into the passenger seat, I check my phone for the first time in hours. No new messages from Will—my bad, I didn’t answer him earlier.
I text back quickly.
Kass: I miss you too. How’s everything going?
I’m aware I should be mad at him for point-blank ignoring my “I love you” this morning, but right now, all I want to do is tell him about Luke’s stunt. Sure, he may not be ready for the L word yet, but I have to believe he does have feelings for me. You can’t just fake last night. Maybe he needs more time.
That must be it.
I wait for a reply, sitting in my car pointlessly for a few minutes. Not a peep. He warned me he’d be busy, so I don’t think much of it, fire up the engine, and drive off.
Will
The next day
Sprawled across Alex’s couch with Winter, Kendrick, Alex, Blake, and Nicole, I ignore the buzzing off my phone in my pocket and fight the urge to open her text. The fight is today, a few hours away to be exact, and while Kendrick’s been training since dawn, the anxiety is chipping at my sanity.
Kendrick and his psycho ex Nicole told the group they were back together a few minutes ago. Said it happened yesterday at the kegger, which explains why Kendrick didn’t come home all night. I’m not saying I don’t like Nicole, but… let’s just say if Kendrick is half as bad at fighting tonight as he is at picking girls, we’re fucked.
Blake has been acting weird as hell since we got here. He looks pissed at me, staring bullets into my forehead every chance he gets—not that I’m surprised. I beat his ass at training yesterday. Even gave him a black eye by “accident.” It took everything I had not to blurt out, “That’s for fucking Zoey,” when I sent him straight to the mat.
“I have to take a piss.” I bound to my feet, setting off for the bathroom. When I walk back out fifteen minutes later, the living room is deserted. I’m assuming they relocated upstairs to prepare Winter for what she’s going to see tonight. The fights are no picnic. We can’t have her fainting on punch number one.
I trail into the kitchen and grab a beer out of the fridge—maybe it’ll take the fucking edge off—but before I can open it, Blake’s voice erupts behind me.
“Hey, man.”
I whisk my head back to find him reclining against the counter, arms folded over his chest.
“Hey?” I twist the beer cap off.
“I wanted to ask you… How’s Kass?”
I stop moving.
“Or should I say how was Kass? The pussy still good?”
The beer nearly slips out of my hands.
How the hell does he know that?
“Don’t look so surprised. People talk.”
The answer seems evident.
Zoey.
It has to be. They’re probably shagging again. I bet she just couldn’t wait to run her fucking mouth.
“I also saw you sneak out of her house like a fucking criminal yesterday morning.”
Shit.
He did tell me he wanted to talk to Winter in person after Haze crashed the fake-girlfriend dinner. Probably turned up at Kass’s house early.
“You spent the night there, didn’t you? You fucked her?”
This can’t be happening.
Not before the fight.
It would stir up a shitstorm—no, a shithurricane—between me and Kendrick, and we need him on top of his game right now. Struck dumb, I consider my options. I could bullshit him and say I crashed there because I was drunk—how much can he really know from standing outside her house?—but something tells me his mind is made up and set in stone.