“Hey, Mom. What’s up?” She should climb out of bed and head to the kitchen because this conversation would need some caffeine. Although, she much preferred the coffee at Parker’s. Just the thought of him had a grin breaking out on her face. Suddenly, she realized her mom had become silent on the other end of the line.
“I’m sorry, Mom. What?”
“I asked what’s been keeping you so busy. Are classes that hard?”
“Not really. I did pick up a job working as a server for the summer.”
“Really? Where?”
“It’s this quaint little place called Donnelly’s. The owner became ill, so his son is running it for now.” She hoped her mother couldn’t hear the grin on her face. “I really like it. I only work weekends and game nights. They’re all really nice. I’m on for tonight again, as a matter of fact.”
She left out the part about it being a bar. She also left out that she had fallen for the owner’s son. There was silence on the other end of the line.
“Is it safe? What time do you get home?” her mother finally asked.
“Don’t worry. Parker always brings me home when it’s late.” Shit. That was the wrong thing to say. She smacked her forehead with her hand. How could she be that stupid? Her mother could sniff out half-truths from a universe away.
“Who’s Parker?” Damn it.
“He’s the owner’s son. It’s just a ride, Mom.” She didn’t add that if she has her way, it’s about to become a whole lot more.
“Hmm, I don’t know. I’ll speak to your father about you working there. I’m not so sure I like it.” Double shit. She was twenty-one for Christ’s sake. She should be allowed to work where she wanted.
Her father was more pragmatic than her mom, but she didn’t like the idea of him analyzing her work environment any better. She’d just have to distract her mom with the hope she’d forget it.
“So, Mom, what’s the plan for the fourth?” That did the job. Her mom rambled on about what her dad planned on grilling, who was coming, and what decorations were going on the house.
Astrid grew up in a picture-perfect home in the suburbs. The home sat on half an acre with large sweeping lawns, trees that provided ample shade, and an ambling driveway to the front door.
Her father was an architect at a prestigious firm in the city. Though they didn’t have quite the wealth that Dean’s family did, she still grew up comfortable. In school, she had excelled in class, was a cheerleader, and was on the Model UN team.
“How long will you be home before the second summer term starts?” her mother asked.
“Oh, um, I’m not sure I’ll get to come home. You know how busy things can get around a holiday at a restaurant. Maybe I can get away for a long weekend afterward.”
“Well, maybe if this Parker person is so concerned about you, he can see his way clear to let you off for the holiday.”
“I can ask, Mom.” She needed to grow a backbone. She needed to learn to think about what she wanted more than what made her family happy.
“You know how disappointed your father will be if you can’t make it home. He loves the Fourth of July more than any other holiday. Do you want me to have him call your boss to explain why you need the time off?” Like she was a five-year-old looking for a playdate.
“No,” Astrid said, quickly rolling her eyes. She could just imagine the grief she would get from everyone if her dad called to ask Parker for time off. “I’ll ask him.”
“Okay then. I would love to stay on the phone longer, but I have to meet Miriam for brunch this morning to discuss the lady’s auxiliary fundraiser for this year. The money is going to the veteran’s home to update their common rooms. We have a movie room and library planned at the least. Love you, Astrid. We’ll talk later.”
Hearing the phone beep when her mother hung up, Astrid blew out a deep sigh. With any luck, she would forget that Astrid was working for a man named Parker who owned a bar and liked to give her rides home at night. Now she had to convince him to let her off on one of the busiest days of the year.
She didn’t even bother to try and get back to sleep after hanging up with her mother. She threw the covers back to go in search of coffee.
She opened her door and stepped out into the living area. She almost always left her door open so what little air existed in the apartment at night would circulate through her bedroom. The fact she had closed it spoke volumes about how distracted kissing Parker last night had made her.
Looking up as she stepped out into the living area, she stifled a scream as she tried to make sense of the scene in front of her. There was a strange girl asleep on her couch and two guys she didn’t know crashed out on the floor. The apartment door was wide open.
All she could think was that either she or Parker hadn’t gotten it closed well on their way out and the party from upstairs had spilled into her apartment.
Spinning back around, she hurried into her room, closing the door behind her. Now what did she do? Without even thinking of other options, she grabbed her phone.
“Hey, babe,” Parker answered, sounding very much still asleep. “Missing me already?”
