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When Fox shifted the car into gear, Knight didn’t step back.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Knight moved his gaze from me to Fox. “Tell Woody that I’m looking for him and he knows why. He’d better find me before I find him.”
“Yeah,” Fox answered behind clenched teeth. “I
got it.” With that Knight backed away and Fox peeled off. We drove for several minutes in silence. I wanted to ask Fox about what Knight had said about Woody, but I also didn’t know if it was my business. I’d known him for three days and that situation seemed like more than I was prepared to get involved in. I definitely wasn’t Fox’s girlfriend. I wasn’t even sure if I was his friend. I had no clue exactly what we were. We’d had our mouths on other intimate body parts long before we’d even shared our first kiss, which had just happened moments before. Instead of speaking, I reached for the radio and turned it on, leaving him to his thoughts and me to mine.
When we pulled up to Catch it was five o’clock and the dinner crowd was piling in.
“Oh! There you are!” Annette called out as we walked inside, and she hurried over to us. “Hal needs your help in the kitchen, honey. Petey and Anna got into it again. She called the cops on him last night so now he’s locked up. ’Course Anna feels terrible considerin’ she made a false report on him. So, she’s not showing up tonight for her shift either ’cause she had to drive out to her mama’s house in Beaufort to beg for bail money. I tell you,” She sucked her teeth and planted a hand on her hip. “Those two either need to get it together or leave each other alone.”
“Alright, Mama. I’ll go give him a hand in the back.” He looked over at me with indecision. “Can you hang out here for a bit and when it dies down, I’ll drive you home?”
Home? It felt odd having him refer to his home as mine too. I knew it was only a word but the longing I suddenly felt for that statement to be true took me by surprise.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” I smiled at him and he smiled back before turning to the kitchen. I looked over at Annette who was shifting her eyes between me and her son, smiling also.
“Mama, I’m gonna quit!” a female shouted and we both looked in the direction of the voice. A stunning girl in her late teens walked right up to Annette and planted her hand on her hip the exact way her mother did. She was obviously Annette and Hal’s daughter because she was mixed race with pecan skin. Her eyes were a startling ice blue, not at all the same shade of her mother and brother but gorgeous all the same. Her hair was a natural ash blonde with wild curls pulled into a high ponytail.
“Jonna, you are not allowed to quit. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that. Now quit your hissy,” Annette scolded and shook her head. The young girl gave an exaggerated sigh and then looked at me.
“Who are you?” Jonna asked abruptly as her eyes narrowed on me.
“Harley,” I replied, not in the least bit put off by her.
“Aren’t you the same girl my brother carried out last night? Weird that you walked in with him just now, don’t you think? Wait, are y’all sleeping together or something?” Her eyes lit up with amusement as she crossed her arms over her chest and sized me up.
“Jonna Lee!” Annette gasped and put a hand to her mouth, but I didn’t miss the way her eyes shifted subtly to me as if she wanted to know the answer also. Okay, now I was feeling a bit put off. I matched Jonna’s narrowed gaze with one of my best “Bitch, don’t try me,” looks and I saw something flash in the girl’s ice blues that looked like respect.
“That’s none of your business,” I replied trying to sound incensed despite the smile that curled on my lips.
“Fine, don’t answer then. It’s not like I care anyway.” She shrugged. “Hey, you got a job?” Jonna’s mouth also curved in a small smile as she continued in her no-nonsense tone.
“Um, no. I’m looking—”
“Well, you’ve got one now.” She shoved a drink tray in my hand and a notepad. “See those three tables in the back right there. Go for it.” With that, Jonna spun away in a flurry of curls.
Chapter Eleven
Luckily for me, the restaurant’s menu wasn’t very complicated and after a few tables, I was able to do fine with taking orders and calling them back to the kitchen. The first time Fox realized that it was me shouting out orders he gave me the widest smile. That look made me more determined not to screw things up. I paid careful attention to my tables and made sure I got everything right. Working there was actually fun. I’d always hated being a waitress but for the first time, I was enjoying it. I flirted back with some of the tables full of men, so much so that I made some of them blush. I got a large tip from the MacAlistars, the island regulars who were renting Gram’s house. They were nice people; the type Gram would have opened her door to. The husband was handsome and seemed to dote on his wife while their two children, twin boys of about eight, were very polite and respectful.
Several times Fox left the kitchen to bring food to the tables when Jonna and I were too busy to do it ourselves. Once he discreetly smacked my behind causing me to yelp, uncharacteristically. I don’t fucking yelp and I wasn’t a girl who gushed over a cute guy. Why was I doing it now?
Because there’s something about Fox.
A little voice in my head answered. I was also coming to the realization that I liked Jonna, too. She was young, only nineteen, but she was a firecracker full of snappy comebacks that she knew she could soften with a sweet but devious smile. She reminded me of myself. She also had Hal wrapped around her finger by negotiating modifications to meals for her best customers or larger portions. All it took was a “Please, Daddy?” accompanied by a pout and it was a done deal, much to Annette’s dismay.
“Hal, I thought we talked about this. You can’t keep giving in to her.” I heard her saying several times after storming into the back.
I looked at the clock to see that it was nine o’clock and the dinner rush was over. Most people were sitting down for drinks, so Hal moved to the bartender position and left Fox alone in the kitchen. Jonna and I were cleaning up the dining room when Woody came walking in.
“Atwood Fox! Where the hell have you been?” Annette scolded as she started toward him, but Fox reached him first.
“Woody, we need to talk.” Fox didn’t wait for his brother’s reply as he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him back outside. “Mama, will you watch the kitchen, please?” he called over his shoulder, but he wasn’t waiting for a response.
“Well, hell.” Annette huffed and then stomped to the kitchen.
I knew that Fox was talking to Woody about the conversation with Knight. It was most likely a bad situation and one Woody probably wasn’t capable of handling on his own. For the first time, it occurred to me that things might be serious, maybe even leading to Fox being hurt. I knew all about those kinds of people. The ones you wouldn’t want to be caught alone in a back alley with. I hoped Fox and Woody could figure something out.
