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“With that being said, how are you at the computer?” he asked, not really helping me but not letting me brush him off at the same time.
I paused and finally gave him my full attention. “What?”
“I could use some help inputting inventory. I would give you a raise for it,” he offered, straightening the suit jacket he wore. “It’s tedious work.”
“Is it something you’re making up for me to do?” I asked. I didn’t know how to take that. I should have been grateful.
“It’s a job that Kyle is usually shafted with, because it’s something I hate to do. I can’t sit at a computer for hours and input all these things into a computer,” he said offhandedly. “But having Kyle stuck in the office keeps him from being out on the sales floor. Since his job is commission-based, having him off the floor isn’t particularly fair to him.”
“He’s a partner,” I pointed out. “Isn’t that something he has to suffer through? For the sake of business.”
“Hey,” he paused, eyeing me hard, “is that jealousy? Because Kyle worked out here, too. He’s had every job there is to have at the dealership,” he explained evenly. “He didn’t do so well in thegarage, but he’s made up for it in pushing car sales. He’s earned the position.”
I didn’t argue. I just opened the door to the next car and got to work conditioning the leather seats in it. I finished the back seat and noticed that he still lingered by the car.
“Did you want to be a partner?” Dad asked, looking uncertain. “We could split the business evenly between you. I would want you to do the hard work to earn the position. It wouldn’t be fair for me to just hand it to you.” He pulled out his phone and opened with, his expression looking serious. “You could take up Adam’s spot on the sales floor. Him not being here has put a dent in our numbers. But if you could make up for that, I’d be more than happy to give this some serious consideration.”
“No,” I said, getting back to work. “I don’t want to piss off Kyle more than I already have.”
“Working together is a great way to work on your relationship,” Dad said without hesitation. “I can honestly say that I’ve worked alongside your brother for years. He may not have your work ethic, but I know he would appreciate it.” He opened the passenger side door and peered in the car at me. “It would be fair for me to put this in both of your names.”
“I don’t want it,” I said in a harsher tone than I meant. “I don’t really want handouts either.” I looked up at him. “I just needed extra money, that’s it. Consider this seasonal work, Dad. I’m not cut out for business-partner shit.”
“Is this because you don’t want to work with your brother? Because I can put you in the parts department. The manager I have in there is great with training new people,” he said easily. “You could both run this place without having to see each other.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said after a beat. “I don’t want to ruin the business you and Grandpa built.”
He didn’t argue, but he nodded. “Do you work this Sunday? You could come over for dinner. Your mother would appreciate that.”
“I have to work this Sunday,” I told him easily, because it was the truth. Then I bit my lip because I’d promised to be more open for family gatherings. “Next Sunday—I think I can come then. Is that okay?”
Dad smiled. “That will work. After you finish this car up, that’ll be your shift.” He patted the roof of the car. “That’ll give you more time to get ready for your other job.”
I released a breath, not feeling relieved like I should.
Fortunately, for Thursday, the bar was busy. There wasn’t much time to dwell on my thoughts. I could only plaster a smile on my face and just go from one customer to another. It made the shift go by faster, and I didn’t have to worry about Elle sticking to her original judgment on my situation.
While it didn’t affect the way we moved around one another, there wasn’t as much conversation as there usually was. It wasn’t until it was closing time that Elle even bumped into me. “I’m not holding your shit treatment of people against you,” she said as she swept trash off the bar top with a hand. “From the way it sounded, it was like you hadn’t even realized how you’re the asshole in this situation.”
“I am the asshole,” I admitted. “I’m not blind to that.”
“But you’re upset that one of the three dudes that you were with doesn’t want to continue this group thing because he found that all of it was based on a stupid ploy to get back at your brother,” she said as she moved around the bar. She started wiping down the barstools. “You’re kind of blind.”
“I’m not,” I protested.
“Aren’t you?” she asked. “Instead of letting the guy go, you were trying to figure out a way to get him back, right?”
I shook my head. “I have done nothing outside of admitting what we had done. I was hoping to ask for forgiveness, but I haven’t thought of anything that I thought would work.”
“Yeah,” she snorted as she stepped away from the bar, heading toward the bathrooms, “maybe forget it. Think about it if someone had done it to you and how you would feel. Put yourself in his shoes, Grace. Then you’ll understand what kind of asshole you are.”
I opened my mouth to speak, to argue, but I couldn’t find anything to say. Elle didn’t wait for my response. She vanished into the women’s room. Irritated, I went into the men’s room to clean it.
It also made me look real hard at what she was saying. What if Kyle had fucked all my friends? Well, he did screw Shay, but I knew about that from the beginning. It wasn’t really a surprise. I knew how it made me feel. I didn’t like it and I was uncomfortable with him being at my apartment. If he had done it just to laugh at me? It would definitely be worse, but I was sure it would’ve bothered Shay more than me.
Regardless, Elle’s point was made.
And it was clear this was something I wouldn’t be able to win.
