Rule Breaker By Accident

by Parker, Ali

  “So that means he’s still alive?” He smirked, lifting his head to look at me.

  I rolled my eyes. “You knew he was. Will you keep an eye out?”

  “Two weeks, huh?” Edgar rocked his head from side to side, then smiled wide. “You’ve got to give it to him. That’s a fucking quick turnaround time for a man his age who just had open heart surgery. I’m proud of him. I almost want him to break the rules.”

  I shot Edgar a look that made him shake his head. “Relax. I was there. I saw how close he got to biting the dust. I’ll keep an eye on them. Just not tonight, because you know, I’ll be at the beach party where fancy-ass doctors can’t go.”

  “Sorry, that made me sound like a bit of douche bag, didn’t it?”

  He nodded. “I’ll forgive you if you say you’ll come with me.”

  The envy I’d felt back in that room lodged like a knot in my chest. I wanted what Marc and Tara had. Going out with Edgar for one night wasn’t going to make me lose what I had achieved by becoming a surgeon, but it was an opportunity I would lose to meet my Tara.

  Even if I didn’t, despite my snappy retort earlier, he was right that it had been awhile since I’d … bent any women or any rules. Getting laid wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, even if it wasn’t by the woman I would eventually make my wife.

  “Okay, maybe going to the beach party wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

  Edgar smiled out of the side of his mouth, nodding as if he’d known I would change my mind. “Excellent. I’ll see you there.”

  Chapter 4

  Olive

  “You’re doing such a great job here, Olive.” Jasmine managed the restaurant where I worked. Heidi and Valerie had both hated her with the passion equivalent to that which they had against spiders and worms, but I didn’t mind her.

  She was a sweet enough woman, as long you worked hard and did your job well. Probably why she wasn’t such a fan of my friends.

  I loved them both to bits, but the pair of them hadn’t been exemplary employees during their briefs stints as waitresses there. I tried my best, because I didn’t know how not to, but it would be lying if I pretended that I hadn’t been just a little bit jealous when they’d left.

  “Thank you.” I smiled at Jasmine, genuinely appreciative of the compliment. I’d worked under a few managers before her, and I knew that they weren’t all complimentary. “I’m just happy to be on the team.”

  When we’d gotten jobs at this restaurant, it had been like a dream come true. All of us had worked together, for however short a period of time it had lasted before Heidi quit, and we had earned enough money doing it to keep the roof over our heads.

  Without the other two girls in the house, it was harder to keep up with the expenses, but I’d picked up a couple of extra shifts and so far, I was managing it much easier than I had originally expected.

  Since the beach house I lived in used to belong to my mother, I didn’t have to pay rent or a mortgage, which I was insanely grateful for. Utilities were low with only me in the house and strangely, I found that I was enjoying living alone for once.

  “We’re happy to have you on the team, but I should tell you that you have management potential.” She beamed at me. “Keep doing what you’re doing, and you’ll be promoted before you know it.”

  “Thanks, Jasmine, but that’s okay. I don’t plan on making this my career. There are better things out there for me than managing a restaurant.”

  The words were true, but they had come out before I had time to realize that saying them would offend Jasmine. Her lips parted in a silent gasp and her cheeks turned red. Frozen fudge sticks. Now you’ve gone and done it.

  “I, uh.” My eyes darted furiously around the restaurant and thankfully rested on a customer who had her hand up trying to get my attention. “I’ve got to go. Customer needs help. I’ll keep that in mind, to keep doing what I’m doing. Thanks, Jasmine.”

  Walking away from her after saying what I had was awkward as hell, but I couldn’t exactly stay there. Nothing I could say would make her forget my response to what I was sure was supposed to have been a huge honor.

  I sighed, grabbing a menu and plastering on my best customer service smile. The girl who was waiting for me was probably a few years older than me. A redhead who came in regularly, kept mostly to herself, and tipped well.

  “Hi. Welcome back.” I flipped open my notebook and pulled my pencil out of my apron, tapping the lead against the paper. “What can I get for you today?”

  “I’m Jenna.” She extended a hand, leaning to the side to peer around me. “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I overheard the conversation you just had with the manager.”

  I cringed, my smile turning apologetic. “I’m sorry. We should have kept our voices down. That was terribly unprofessional.”

  “No worries.” Her gaze dropped to her hand, which was still hanging between us. “What’s your name?”

  “Oh.” I felt my cheeks grow hotter. “Now I’m being rude and unprofessional.”

  I wiped my hand on my apron before taking hers. “I’m Olive. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Jenna gave my hand a firm shake, green eyes sparkling with sudden approval. “I like that you stood up for yourself, Olive. Not many people would have had the balls to do that.”

  “It wasn’t because I have balls.” I struggled to even say that word. Crap. I was such a goody two-shoes. “It was just the truth. I don’t want to manage the restaurant, even though I appreciate the job that they’ve given me.”

  Jenna’s lips pursed and she arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow at me. “You don’t have to be so diplomatic with me. I like you. I think we’re going to be friends.”

  “We are?” I couldn’t help the smile that spread on my lips. I hadn’t made a new friend in a very long time, but I sure could use one.

  Jenna’s head bobbed in a firm nod. “Friends tell each other the truth, and the truth is that I agree with you. You are better than this place. There’s no life here. Once you’re promoted to manager, there’s nowhere further to grow.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about.” I sucked my lower lip into my mouth, not quite knowing why I was so comfortable having this conversation with a perfect stranger. “I just don’t really know what else to do. I’ve been a waitress for so long that I don’t know how to get out of it.”

  “There are plenty of other things out there you could do.” She pointed at her chest. “I’m a paralegal now, but I started out as a receptionist at a law office. Before that, I waited tables, tended bar, did some promotional stuff. You name it, I’ve done it.”

  She placed her elbows on the table and leaned her head on her hand. “The question isn’t how to get out of it, it’s where you want to go when you’re out. Any ideas? What are Olive’s big dreams?”

  “My big dreams?” I frowned. “No one has ever asked me that question before.”

  Jenna wrinkled her nose. “Okay, but what’s the answer?”

  “I don’t know.” I lifted my shoulders, letting them drop on a heavy sigh. “I can’t believe that this is actually true, but I really don’t know. I haven’t let myself dream in so long that I really can’t even remember what the plan was. I’ve been working so hard to make ends meet that I haven’t dreamed much.”

  Jenna perked up. “I can work with that. As long as you have dreamed, we’ll get to the bottom of it. Come on, have a seat. Let’s do a quick-fire round. First answer that comes to mind.”

  “I can’t sit down.” I shifted my weight, trying to be discreet about looking over my shoulder to search for the manager. She was nowhere to be seen.

  “She left about a minute ago,” Jenna informed me. “If anyone else asks, we can tell them I insisted that you sit down. I am, by the way.”

  I shot her a questioning look, in response to which she laughed softly. “Insisting that you sit down. Now come on, I love quick-fire rounds.”

  I had a feeling she wasn’t lying. Her excitement
was practically palpable, her eyes shining like gems in the sunlight. She had that magnetic kind of personality that made it difficult to say no to her, but I didn’t mind it. Heidi and Valerie were like that too.

  The ultimate extroverts. The type of women who could walk into a room and turn heads with their presence as well as their looks. I was more introverted, but I flourished when I had a few close friends who were like them.

  Jenna was bubbly and sweet, and I wanted her to be my friend. Casting one last look around to make sure Jasmine hadn’t returned, I sat down. “Okay. Just for a minute. Shoot.”

  “How about marketing?”

  “I couldn’t sell water in a drought.”

  She grinned. “I was shit at it too. Okay, what about art or design.”

  “I don’t have a creative bone in my body.” That was more Valerie’s thing now. “Next?”

  Her eyes turned contemplative for a minute before the corners crinkled in a wide smile. “What about administrative work? So far, it sounds like we have lots in common. I kick ass at admin, and I love keeping things organized.”

  I titled my head, narrowing my eyes in thought. “That could work, actually. I’ve never really thought about it, but I’m great at nitty-gritty details and creating order from chaos. Now if only I knew how to go about getting a job like that.”

  She snapped her fingers. “I have the perfect idea. My friend is having a beach party tonight. You should come. It would be a good opportunity to network with people and you’d get to hang out with me. It’s a win-win situation.”

  “I can’t.” I didn’t know why not. It was just my go-to response.

  Jenna rolled her eyes, reminding me so much of Valerie in that moment that my heart hurt at the thought of her being so far away. “Nope, sorry. I’m not buying it. I’ll pick you up here at nine. Deal?”

  I searched her eyes for a moment before nodding. “Okay, deal.”

  “Awesome.” She grinned and picked up her menu. “Do you want to sit with me and have something to eat, or would that be pushing it?”

  “Pushing it.” I stood up and smoothed out my apron. “Thanks for the offer, though. I’ll see you tonight.”

  I didn’t expect that I would feel excitement over networking at some beach party, but as I walked away from Jenna’s table there was no denying that was exactly what the fluttering in my stomach was. I would not only have the opportunity to go to a party and network, but I would also spend time with a brand-new friend.

  I needed a new friend, and I had a good feeling about Jenna. She seemed like she would be a good friend to have.

  Chapter 5

  Rylen

  “Why are there so many people here?” I stopped walking when we hit the beach, staring at the crowd of people gathered around bonfires and randomly standing in groups on the sand.

  Edgar stood beside me, turning his face to me so I could see him rolling his eyes. “Jesus, where have you been? This party’s been happening for years. It’s a big one for a lot of the locals.”

  “Yeah, but why?” I couldn’t imagine this many people pitching up for a beach party that wasn’t being held for any specific purpose. “Do they just come here to hang out?”

  “Yep,” Edgar replied cheerfully, grabbing my arm and pulling me along. “To hang out, to hook up, to drink. To each their own. The point is that whatever you want to do here, is what you do.”

  “Interesting.” I followed Edgar to a plastic table that looked like it had been set up to be the bar. There were metal baths around it containing ice with the necks of beer bottles sticking out between the cubes.

  The sand was still warm beneath my feet, even though the sun had already set. Fires were scattered at seemingly random intervals along the beach—which I sincerely hoped someone had gotten a permit for—bathing the white sand in an orangey glow that faded to dark in the patches between the bonfires.

  People were laughing and talking, the atmosphere easy and relaxed. Edgar bent down and retrieved two beers, handing mine over without popping the top. “Interesting? Come on, man. How old are you? Because when you said that, you sounded about sixty-seven.”

  Laughter rumbled in my chest. I twisted the top off the beer, careful to ensure it landed in the trash and not on the beach. “I’m thirty-fucking-one, not sixty-seven. I just haven’t been to one of these things since I left for school.”

  “Things have changed.” Edgar shrugged, then tipped his head back to take a long sip of his beer.

  “They most certainly have not,” I argued before taking a sip of the bitter liquid myself. The bubbles burned my throat on the way down. I smacked my lips, turning away from Edgar to survey the scene around me.

  “Let’s go grab a seat at one of the bonfires,” he said. “I need to make the rounds first, though.”

  Taking off down the beach, he motioned for me to follow him. A couple of people looked up as we passed, but I didn’t recognize any of them.

  Edgar said hello to a few, exchanging handshakes with guys and hugs with some girls. It didn’t surprise me that he knew so many people here. He was popular at the hospital, too, one of those easygoing people who always seemed to be able to find something to talk with anyone about.

  He introduced me as we went along but didn’t sit down with anyone. I didn’t know if he was looking for someone or simply wasn’t in the mood for the people he was greeting, but we kept walking after each quick, casual exchange.

  It wasn’t until we were nearing the last bonfire that I locked eyes with someone I knew. He happened to look up from the sand just as I got close enough to recognize his features in the glow of the fire he was sitting beside.

  My heart slowed, my fingertips momentarily going cold. I hadn’t been expecting to run into any of them here, but I should have known better. If there was a rager of a party going on for locals, it made perfect sense that at least one of the guys I used to run with would be present.

  They used to be closer to me than my own family, these guys. We spent most our waking minutes together, causing shit and taking pride in it. There was a reason I’d walked away and hadn’t seen any of them since: I couldn’t afford to be associated with them if I wanted to be taken seriously as a doctor.

  It wasn’t that they were bad guys. Most of them actually had really good hearts, but they just didn’t always make the best choices. Some of them had been driven to crime as a result of circumstance, others had fallen in with the crowd and simply never walked away.

  Even so, it was strange seeing one of them again after all these years. To think that he had been a friend to me once, this guy who caused a physical reaction of shock in me now.

  Drew’s lips split into a wide grin when he saw me and jumped up off the log he had been sitting on. “Rylen, my man. Long time no see.”

  He crossed the sand to shake my hand, his already extended. I glanced toward Edgar, not looking forward to having to explain to him how I knew this guy. Fortunately, Edgar had found someone else to greet and was having a seat next to a blonde sitting on the beach near Drew’s fire.

  Breathing a silent sigh of relief, I forced a smile to my lips and reached for Drew’s hand as he came to a stop. “This is a blast from the past. How are you doing, Drew?”

  “I’m good.” He pumped my hand before releasing it, then lifted his Solo cup to his lips. I had no clue what was in it, but I could smell the fumes coming off him. Whatever it was, it was definitely something stronger than beer. “Where have you been? You fell off the face of the fucking earth, never to be seen or heard from again.”

  I laughed, running my hand through my hair and gripping the base of my skull. “You’re seeing me again now, aren’t you?”

  “Sure, sure.” He grinned, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re here. Haven’t seen you at one of these before.”

  “I’ve been busy.” It was an understatement, but also the only thing I could really say to Drew without sounding like a total ass. If I told him that I’d had better th
ings to do than attend beach parties for the last decade or so, he’d think I was judging him. “What about you? How are the rest of the guys? What’s everyone up to?”

  He barked out a bitter laugh, arching an eyebrow. “You really have been out of the loop, haven’t you?”

  “I have,” I agreed. “So fill me in. What’s going on with everyone?”

  He glanced down into his cup, narrowing his eyes as though he could magic more alcohol into it to give him strength for this conversation. “Honestly, most of them are in prison.”

  My eyebrows went up. I’d always known that would be the inevitable place some of them would go, but hearing it confirmed was almost surreal. “No shit?”

  “No shit.” He called out for one of the guys sitting at the log, waving his glass at him. He got up immediately, setting his own drink down in the sand and coming over to us. I didn’t know the guy, but he looked much younger than we were. “Want another drink?”

  I tipped my beer to the side, seeing that it was still about half full. “I’m good, thanks.”

  Drew didn’t introduce the guy when he came to fetch his cup to get a refill. The guy barely looked at me, taking the cup and hustling to get it back to Drew. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what that meant.

  This kid was on the lowest rung of the totem pole with whatever Drew was involved in these days, and he was trying to prove himself. Essentially he was their lackey, and he knew better than to make eye contact with someone his higher-up was speaking to without having permission to do so.

  When he delivered the cup again, Drew took it and dismissed him with a flick of his wrist, turning his attention back to me. “I wasn’t kidding, man. Most of the guys you would remember are behind bars. They’re serving sentences for everything from petty crimes to some real serious shit. Last man to fall was Rayce Philips. He went down for armed robbery. His trial hasn’t started yet, but I’m sure you heard of the arrest when it happened.”