AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I just sincerely hope he’s not as immature on dates as he is when he comes in here.
“Hey, you got a minute?” Hawk asks, poking his head in the doorway.
Ah, Christ.At this rate, I won’t get any work done. “Sure.” I sigh, knowing when Hawk wants to talk, there’s no getting away from him until he gets it out.
“We need to talk about Derek,” he says.
Oh fuck. What about Derek? Oh my god, does he know?
I clear my throat, the heat on my neck rising. “Okay,” I say, slow and measured.
Hawk juts his head forward, as if I should know what it’s about, which only furthers my paranoia. Just when I feel the panic beginning to elevate, he interrupts.
“It’s almost his birthday. I think we should plan something,” he says.
Oh Christ. Phew. That felt like a close one.“Oh, right,” I say, pressing my eyes shut for a moment. “What did you have in mind?”
“I think we should have a party here at the shop,” he suggests.
“You mean the shop that’s still under construction?” I quip, imagining guests tumbling into the draped plastic and falling and suing us.
“Well, I’m thinking we kick this into high gear and get it done early,” he says, so matter of fact, like it’s the easiest thing.
“Um, right.” I laugh. “You’re joking, right?”
“No,” he says.
“Oh, well in that case.” I laugh again.
“Look, talk to the contractor. Explain, and ask what it’ll take to make it happen,” he says. “He gives you any trouble, let me know.”
I nod, knowing even one on one I’m outnumbered. It’s his money and his shop, and his word is the final say.
He departs, just as quickly as his wife did, leaving me alone again and shutting the door behind him.
As the door thuds shut, my forehead hits the desk a little too hard, matching the thud.
How is this my life?
CHERRY
DEREK
What a fucking disaster of a week. Working the night shift has been no joke. I’d completely forgotten how much relief I felt all those years ago when I didn’t have to work this kind of shift anymore. But the second day doing it again, and a flood of memories came rushing back. The late nights, the early morning need for caffeine, trying to fall asleep when it’s light out.
Luckily, I’m done—for the moment. And it’s my weekend. I don’t have anything on the schedule at work for the next three days. Which is just enough time to join the land of the living on the sunny side of the day.
Will has been nothing short of helpful. Each night I’ve gone into work with a packed lunch and travel mug of coffee, and each morning when arriving back at the apartment, she’s left breakfast wrapped up for me. I could kiss her.
Well, not literally. I mean, that would be weird. Although honestly not that weird. I won’t lie, I’ve considered it. More than once. Hell, we’ve known each other a long time. It’s natural to occasionally get a little curious, right? I don’t think Hawk would mind. Though, he can be oddly protective of her.
Setting those strange thoughts aside, I’m up early this morning, ready and willing to make up for Will’s kindness to her by going to get breakfast from the diner and bringing it back before she wakes up. I would cook for her, but she and I both know I’m terrible at it. I want her to enjoy the meal, not possibly die from choking on burnt but surprisingly rubbery eggs.
Despite the long line at the restaurant down the street, I do manage to make it there and back while Will is still sleeping. At least I think she’s sleeping. She was still in her room when I returned.
I grab plates from the cabinet in the kitchen and open the containers, determined to at least put some effort into plating the food so we aren’t eating it out of Styrofoam and plastic containers.
Once everything is on the table, juice and coffee poured, real utensils on the napkins, I decide to take my chances knocking. Will was never particularly fond of being woken up in our youth. Our progressive parents had no problem letting her stay over at our house on weekends. I remember one time, I barged into the guest room where she was sleeping and blasted her with silly string.
