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Casper also relinquished me. He walked away time and time again. And I was the idiot who let the cycle continue.
Maybe I needed therapy, though I didn’t think anyone could exorcise Casper from my system. No amount of medication or counseling. He was tattooed on my heart.
A wet nose pressed against my bare foot. I glanced up to find Starry staring at me with her butt moving excitedly. I forgot she was here. She was quiet and would only bark at the wild animals who’d wander through the property.
“Hey, girl,” I said and extended my hand so I could pet her. “You miss your daddy? I bet he’s doing great at work.”
Every day, Elic became more animated. He talked more, smiled often. He was so different from the man we’d met on the sidewalk. Although there were parts of him that were still the same. He wasn’t boisterous. He was soft-spoken. At family dinners he usually kept quiet unless directly asked a question. He observed more than he talked. Little by little he was letting Casper and me in, which I was grateful for.
I smiled, thinking of Elic. He was the opposite of Casper. Attractive in a completely different way. I noticed it early on and every day since. I’d let Casper be my entire world for far too long. I needed to let another in like Elic did, and I wanted it to be him. We were already friends. At least, I’d like to think we were. Him seeing Casper and I fucking might have changed things. There was only one way to find out. I was going to talk to him tonight after the set at the restaurant. Elic had told me deeply personal things about himself. It was time for me to reciprocate.
Starry barked, completely focused on me. Mom thought she had some Australian shepherd in her. I could definitely see it, but I was certain there was more in her than that.
“I know,” I told her. “You want to play. Come on. I’ll throw the ball outside, but you can’t chase after the cats.”
This morning, I had gotten up before everyone else. I heard her whining behind Elic’s door, so I carefully opened it and let her out, closing it behind her. We went outside. After she did her business, I picked up one of the tennis balls I now had in the yard. Mom had brought them over the last time she was here. I threw it for Starry and she went after it. Of course, that was the moment one of the barn cats wandered across my backyard.
Starry changed direction and was off like a shot. The property my family owned was massive, so I knew she’d chase the cat right back to the barn. Sure enough, I got a text a few minutes later saying there was a very excited and obviously winded dog there. One of the farmhands brought her back in the truck. She jumped out like nothing had happened.
Leaning forward, I rubbed my hand over her soft fur. “No cats.”
She barked again. It could have been an agreement, or anI’ll do whatever I wantbark. She could also be telling me to get the hell off my ass and throw the damn ball for her.
I stood and went to the stairs that led to the lower floor. The second she was outside, she went from tennis ball to tennis ball, sniffing each one, before stopping to pee, then selecting the ball she wanted me to throw.
By the time I wore her out, I had a huge smile on my face. Dogs. They could change my mood so fast. I enjoyed having Starry here. I enjoyed having Elic here too.
8
ELIC
The restaurant was packed. They weren’t standing along the walls or anything, but the bar and every table were filled, including a big one near the stage that had nine guys at it, who Cadence seemed to know. I’d steered clear of it throughout the night because of the sheer size of some of the guys sitting there. Every time I’d get close, I’d shake. None of them were cruel or menacing. They laughed and joked amongst themselves. The problem was me and how affected I was by large men.
Cadence was wonderful to work for. As crazy as it was to watch her run around doing a hundred tasks, she managed the restaurant with precision. She wasn’t too busy to help me when I needed it, always there to walk me through what I was doing. Adria was here as well as Rich, both helping in any way they could. Cadence told me Reed and the others were going to perform tonight, so I should expect it to get hectic. She wasn’t kidding.
Luckily, I didn’t have to interact with people who didn’t work here. I’d duck around the customers, clean tables, do whatever was asked of me. There were moments when I’d jump or freeze, get skittish from a noise near me. This was a lot, and I was thrown into it by having the band perform tonight. People flocked here to see them live.
Ashford’s Steakhouse was a beautiful restaurant. I’d seen it from the farmhouse, but up close, it was no wonder Reed and his family were proud of it.
The outside was white with tall wooden beams on either side of the dark green door. A matching dark green metal roof ran along the top. I couldn’t help but wonder if it got loud in here in the winter when it was sleeting outside or if the rain could be heard during summer storms.
The earthy feel continued inside with more natural wood beams along the high ceiling. Fans spun to push the air around. The air-conditioning ran hard due to the number of people inside. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I moved throughout the main floor. My foot was much better, but I had a feeling it might ache a little by the time the night was over. Cadence insisted on taking me to a local store to get better shoes. She said it was part of my uniform. The restaurant paid for them. I also got black pants and white shirts I tried not to spill anything on. The job wasn’t a clean one, so stains were bound to happen. Cadence told me not to worry. There was a clothing bin in the back I dropped what I wore in at the end of my shift.
A large U-shaped bar was the centerpiece of the restaurant. At least I thought so. It was along the back wall and dipped onto the main floor. High-top tables flanked one side while the rest of the space was devoted to booths and round tables for people to dine at.
On the right side of the room was a stage where instruments were ready and waiting. There were drums, two guitars, and microphones. I had no idea what brand or types of guitars they were. The nice thing about the stage, it wasn’t near the kitchen or the bathrooms. It sat tucked in the corner so the band wouldn’t be disturbed while they played and the people watching would get a good view.
I knew the band was big considering the size of the tour bus and the house Reed lived in, but I hadn’t realized just how big. It wasn’t as if I had a social media account. I wasn’t current on pretty much anything. My life before this consisted of my day-to-day survival. Here, with Reed, Casper, and their family, there was a future in front of me.One I hadn’t dared to dream about previously.
After dropping off another tub of dirty dishes in the kitchen, I headed out to the floor to see a table near the big one with all the guys at it was empty. Dirty plates and glasses sat waiting for me to clear. I hesitated because of the nearness of the guys. Avoiding the table wasn’t an option. This was my job. Failing at it would not happen.
Taking a deep breath, I walked toward the stage and tried to keep to the wall. I carefully cleaned the table. My back was to the guys, even though it was hard for me to do so. They weren’t going to jump me in a crowded place, but old habits died hard.
Something, or someone, bumped into my back. I let out a little screech of surprise and dropped the tub with plates and glasses in it on the floor. The glasses shattered, some of them spilling outside the plastic tub. The sound inside the restaurant dulled as everyone turned my way. Shame crept over me hot and fast. I quickly dropped to the floor to pick up the tub and the pieces that scattered. Another person was there, a big guy. One look at him and I fell onto my ass.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said gently. He had dark hair, dark eyes, huge arms, and tattoos. He was calm while I was freaking the fuck out, trying to resist crawling backward to get away from him.
“Jesus, Greer, can you not scare the staff?” a slightly smaller, but no less frightening guy said while chuckling. He had on black boots, the kind I knew from experience would hurt when they connected with my body. He extended his hand to me. “I’ll help you up.”
