Page 39 of Don’t Say Mafia

A few seconds passed, and I assumed that was it as I listened to him move away from the bar. Then, just as I’d convinced myself I didn’t care⁠—

“Jagger,” he called out casually.

My hand stilled mid-reach.

“That’s my name.”

And I didn’t know why that sent a chill down my spine.

But it did.

An hour later, my feet officially stopped cooperating.

I turned too quickly near the service station, and my heel caught on the edge of the carpet runner. My ankle wobbled, and for a split second I genuinely thought I was going down—tray, dignity, and all.

A hand shot out to steady my elbow. “Whoa there.”

I looked up, mortified, and found Carl staring at me.

“I’m fine,” I said immediately. “Totally fine.”

He didn’t look convinced. His usual harried expression was replaced with something almost . . . cautious.

“Eden,” he said carefully, his gaze dropping in what seemed to be a subtle scan of the room. “You can be done for the night.”

I froze. “What?”

“You’re good,” he repeated. “Go ahead and clock out.”

My stomach dropped in panic. “Did I do something?”

“No.” He shook his head quickly. “No, nothing like that. We just . . . overstaffed tonight.”

“It’s Friday.” I stared at him. “We don’t overstaff Fridays.”

He shifted his weight. “Well. Tonight we did.”

I glanced at the clock on the wall. “I still have three hours left.”

“You’ll be paid out,” he said quickly. “For the full shift.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“You’ll be paid out,” he repeated, a little more firmly this time. “And there’s a bonus.”

A bonus.

“For what?” I asked, well aware of the fact I needed to shut up but unable to stop questioning what was happening.

“For . . .” He cleared his throat. “Flexibility.”

I stared at him like he’d just started speaking another language. Carl did not give bonuses for flexibility. Carl barely approved of breathing breaks.

“I—” My brain scrambled to keep up. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He nodded too fast. “Absolutely. Go home. Get some rest.”

Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten, and I hesitated for one more second before I nodded slowly. “Okay.”