AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Liv
"How’sthejobhunt?”Jackson asks, plopping into the seat next to Garrett across from me at the kitchen table. Dylan sits beside me while we each type on our laptops or tablets.
“Shitty. Just got my sixteenth rejection email. It’s like they’re not even reading my resume.” I let out a frustrated sigh.
Jackson stays quiet for a few minutes, making me suspicious. I move my eyes away from the screen and find him squinting as he appraises me. I raise my eyebrow and he smirks.
“Come work for me.”
Garrett and Dylan stop what they’re doing to look between us.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“We’re short a bar back. I could use your help. It’s not glamorous, but it’s more than minimum wage.”
I bite my bottom lip as I consider, then frown and shake my head. “Luke owns part of the bar. I won’t take any more of his money, even if I earn it this time.” And I don’t want to see him, but I keep that to myself. It will happen eventually, but I’m not ready.
It’s the first time I’ve said his name out loud and I’m proud that I didn’t waiver. I’ve been working with Susan for the past few weeks and though it’s slow, I’m coming back to life. It’s much less vibrant than it was before, but it’s one I can survive in as long as I have the love of my family.
Jackson smirks. “I’ll make sure it comes from my portion.”
I shake my head. “Nice try.”
“It’s not a bad idea, Liv. It would make protecting you easier,” Garrett says.
I regard him for a moment, then turn to Dylan. “What do you think?”
“I’m with Garrett. We trust Jackson. He’ll be another set of eyes. It’s a win-win.”
I stare at my hands as I contemplate the pros and cons. Jackson puts his hand over mine. “If you hate it, you can quit. No hard feelings. I’ll make sure he stays away. You have my word.”
I let out a sigh, then nod. “Alright. I’m in. I’m desperate.”
Jackson chuckles and adjusts his grip, so we shake hands. “I’ll try not to take that too personally. Welcome to the team, Liv.”
A sense of excitement settles over me and I grin. I love the bar. It will be fun to work in a fast-paced environment. This is perfect.
I clock in for my third weekend of shifts, dressed in my uniform that most definitely does not include heels. Wearing boots to work is one of my favorite perks of this job. A t-shirt with the bar logo across the chest and cut off jean shorts completes the outfit. I refused to wear the crop top the rest of the twenty-two-year-olds wear. Some of us like to wear the whole shirt, thank you very much.
“Hey Austin, how was your week?” My new boss looks up from the register and grins.
Austin is Jackson’s best friend from back home in Texas and owns a part of the bar. He’s a great boss, plus he’s funny. It’s nice to have someone who didn’t know me when I was with Luke. We met a few times in passing, but I never got to know him until I started working for him. It helps that he’s easy on the eyes with a killer smile too, not that I’d ever pursue him. I’ve sworn off dating for the foreseeable future. My heart is still very much broken. I’ve put a bandage over it for now to help stop the bleeding, but it’s only temporary.
“Hey Liv. Not too shabby. How was yours?” Austin’s accent is a little thicker than Jackson’s since he left Texas only a couple of years ago to open the bar. The ladies throw their panties at him because of it. He and Jackson are similar, but Austin has held on to his southern humbleness, whereas I’m pretty sure Jackson tossed that to the wind the second he left the state. I smirk at the thought.
“Great.”
His smile is genuine. I’m sure with how big Jackson’s mouth is, Austin knows more about me than I do about him. He turns when someone calls his name, and he excuses himself with a polite nod.
My coworkers are friendly. You can tell Austin and Jackson treat their employees well. Nobody has said one bad word about them, although that could be because I’m friends with Jackson. But I believe it’s genuine.
A couple weeks ago, the news about me and Luke breaking up went public. I was worried my new coworkers would think it’s weird that I’m working at the bar Luke co-owns, but Jackson promised most of them don’t even know he’s part owner. He’s known as Jackson’s rich friend. But of course, they still asked questions. I answered them, but if Austin or Jackson were around, they would interrupt and pull me away to shield me.
Now it already seems like ancient history to everyone. Except for me, of course. The pain still stabs me when I least expect it.
I’m safe at the bar. Jackson and Austin look out for me and with Garrett and Dylan nearby, I’m confident that nothing will happen to me. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have my guard up. Brando and I got back on track with my training last week. It feels great to be getting back into a routine.
It’s Saturday night, so it gets busy fast. Jackson even hops behind the bar to help. Hours pass and then it’s last call. I load the last rack of dirty glasses into the dishwasher and wipe the sweat off my forehead with my arm before heading back out to the bar to finish cleaning up.
