"Um," Sapphire cleared her throat before trying again. "My name is Sapphire Waters, and I'm here for the interview," she said, though it sounded a bit like a question to her ears, and no doubt theirs, too.
She couldn't help it, though. She didn't expect there to be two of them, and she sure as hell didn't expect them to be—kind of good-looking in a dangerous way. Both of them just continued to stare at her, which only made her want to scowl and demand what their deal was.
Pressing her nails into her palms, she tried to push away the rebellious feeling. She reminded herself that she needed this job.
Holding her jacket folded in her hands in front of her, something she had taken off when she walked into the café, she stood there trying not to shiver from both the winter wind and their gazes.
Finally, the blond spoke. "Hi, this is Hayden Taggart," he gestured to the dark-haired man with the shaggy dark brown hair sitting to his right before waving to himself. "And my name is Joel."
Glancing from Hayden to Joel, Sapphire decided to keep her gaze on Joel and not on Hayden. If she had to look into the man's watchful grey gaze a moment longer, she was either going to tell him off or turn around and stomp out—or both.
"Hello," she replied, a little unsure of herself as she looked back at Joel. It felt as if he was waiting for something.
A smile played at the corner of his lips, and he gave her a considering look as he tilted his head. "Joel Waters is my full name," he offered, letting the extra piece of information float in the space between them.
Sapphire blinked in confusion as she processed the information. His surname matched hers. Where had she heard that name before? Why did…slowly realization dawned over her. "You're my mother's broth-"
"I'm not her brother," Joel firmly corrected her. "No matter what she may have told you."
She gave him a narrowed stare. "You're not her foster brother?" she pressed.
Joel motioned between himself and Hayden. "We're foster brothers," he stressed as he gave her a cool, almost mean smile. "Your mother was only there for a month and raised holy hell in that short timeframe before running off. That sure as hell doesn't make me anything like family to that vampire."
Sapphire had to admit that sounded like her mother, but she resented him talking crap about her mom.
"And the last name?" she asked crisply, giving him an imperious look.
Joel grinned at that, a dangerous kind of a grin with watchful glacial eyes that made her stomach tighten. He shrugged. "Weird coincidence. A coincidence your mother jumped on when she tried to slither herself into my life."
"Okay fine, nice to meet you," she breathed, shaking her head at all the new information. Leave it to her mom to burn bridges wherever she went.
Glancing briefly at Hayden, Sapphire felt her spine stiffen as her gaze clashed with his stony one. Turning sharply away, she glared back at Joel. "But I only came here because I thought there was a job opening," she tried to remind them.
"Tell me your mom didn't just drop you off here by yourself?" This time it was Hayden who spoke, and Sapphire wished he hadn't.
The shiver she had been suppressing from the constant stream of frigid wind seeping in through the screen door finally got the best of her at the sound of his deep voice. Low and mean, his voice held not an ounce of the friendliness that Joel had. His dark voice matched his fog grey eyes, and the contemptuous stare that got her back up with every second she had to endure it.
Not caring anymore, she cut her eyes to the man and gave him a chilling look of her own. "No, she didn't," she infused each snipped word with every ounce of attitude and directed them at the man like poisonous arrows. "I took the bus here," she said, nearly throwing in a harshHAat the end but refrained.
Joel groaned and stepped away from the countertop and ran a hand through his long blond hair, revealing he had an undercut under the long locks, while Hayden remained still in his seat and continued to stare at her.
"That sorry bitch," Joel grumbled as he turned to look out the screen door in thought. For a few seconds, he stood like that before looking back at her. He gave her an exasperated look and waved a hand out. "Why Holter of all places?"
She was growing tired of all these questions and shifted on her feet impatiently. "I plan to go to the university in Stardust Cove next year, and Holter was the closest and cheapest place. And the high school here let me transfer without hassle."
For the first time, Hayden moved. As if struck in the chest, he leaned back in his seat and gave her a furious look. "Jesus Christ," he grumbled, scratching at his thick brown beard. "You really are a kid."
Both men lapsed into silence, and Sapphire couldn't help but shift on her feet, partly from cold and partly due to the nervousness they made her feel. Was she still getting the job? Hell, was this even still an interview? It felt more like a setup than anything. She had seen these two before driving up and down Holter on their bikes. Did they recognize her then as her mom's daughter? No, that made no sense. Her mom didn't have pictures of her on her phone to share. Sapphire honestly couldn't think of the last time her mom had taken a picture of her. So why did these two—or Joel, if she was being accurate—care who she was?
The sound of the front door's bells jingling pushed her from her thoughts and back to the present.
"I think there has been some mistake," she announced, capturing both of the men's attention. Stepping back, she unfolded her jacket from her hands and moved to turn back around. "I thought this was an interview for a job opening, not some sort of interrogation. So, I'll just leave and-"
"No," Joel raised his hand, stopping her in place. Stepping closer to her and into the sunlight that streamed in through the open back door, the sun highlighted the dark tattoos through his white long sleeve shirt. How many tattoos did these men have? "The position is still yours," Joel sighed. "Between Herman telling me that you're hard up, and knowing your snake of a mother, I know you need the job." He gave her a knowing look that only served to irritate her more.
Sapphire straightened to her full height and gave him a warning look. Far off in the back of her mind, she laughed at herself for the attempt to try and intimidate him since the man looked at least a foot and a half taller than her. "Look," she began. "I don't particularly like the situation I'm in, and I am looking for a job, but I won’t stand here and listen to any more comments about my mother."
Joel just stared at her, his look unreadable. His short stubble-like beard glinted in the light casting a golden hue in the patch of sunlight he stood in while Hayden just smirked at her.
