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Chapter Twenty-One
Jake
"Ihaven't been herein years," I said as we walked on the Harbor Loop.
"Actually, neither have I," Natalie said. "I’d forgotten how cool it is. We have a great view of the skyline from here."
They had added food stands on the beach. There was even a playground in the distance.
"How can it be so busy?" I asked, looking around. People were picnicking on the grass or on the sand. It was full to the brim.
Natalie laughed. The sound was addictive. "People want to enjoy themselves in the evening, you know? After they finish work."
"Don't mock my work ethic. I've been ditching it plenty lately."
"Oh yeah," she said, wiggling her eyebrows. "Three or four days where you didn't work until midnight. You think that means you've got a balance?"
I put an arm around her waist, pinching her ass as I did so. She straightened up with a gasp.
"You can talk me into more evenings," I admitted.
"Good to know," she murmured, still sounding stunned. I liked surprising her.
Her phone chimed while we went to one of the food stands by the water. She groaned, then put it back.
"What happened?" I asked, instantly on alert. Her shoulders were rigid.
"Just a reminder about my rent coming soon."
"Are you in trouble?"
"No. I can afford it."
She sounded stressed about it, so I decided to dig deeper.
"What would you say if I spoke to my brothers to see if anyone has a job that fits your qualifications?"
"No, I don't want that."
I swallowed, trying to stay calm. I hadn't expected her to flat-out refuse. "Why not?"
"I don't want anyone pulling any strings or giving me pity jobs."
"Did you hear what I said? It would be one that fits your qualifications."
She shook her head. "I've sent out enough applications, and I was just thinking today that while I wait to hear back, I can take up some waitressing jobs. I did it before."
"You'd rather take up shifts in exhausting jobs than let me talk to my brothers?" All my life, I'd been used to people asking me to pull strings, and yet Natalie didn't even want to hear of it.
“It feels desperate to ask them. Please don't. Besides, if they had any openings, I would have seen them on job sites."
