I unlocked the door to Al’s right at four-thirty. I turned on the lights and looked around. I got to work pulling down the chairs and setting up the tables. I’d never actually been there to watch Reed set up, but I just did the opposite of what we did at closing. Twenty minutes later, I set up my laptop at the counter, determined to start writing my paper. Before I could even open the blank Word document, the phone rang.
I got up to answer it, hoping it was a wrong number. When I’d agreed to open, I’d assumed I’d just be sitting around. I hadn’t signed up to actually do anything. “Hello.”
“Hi. Who is this?” a deep voice replied.
“You called me, remember?”
“Actually, I called my restaurant.”
Oh geez, it had to be the owner. “Oh. Sorry. I’m Juliet. Reed hired me.”
“Is Reed there?”
I let out a deep breath, hoping I wasn’t about to get Reed in trouble. “No. He said he had to go somewhere.”
“Oh. So he left you by yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.” He paused. “I called to give Reed a heads up that I was coming in today.”
“Oh. What time?”
“Now. I’m in the car.”
“I guess you’ll get to meet me then.”
“I guess so.” He laughed. “You said your name was Juliet?”
“Yes.”
“Nice. I’ll see you in fifteen.”
“Bye.”
Fifteen minutes? The owner was going to show up in fifteen minutes? I shut down my laptop, stuffing it in my bag before stowing all of my stuff in the back. I texted Reed an SOS message, but he didn’t reply. I looked around, trying to remember how Reed prepped everything. I managed to turn on the ovens when I heard the jingle of the door. I smoothed down my t-shirt, glad this one fit appropriately.
“Hello?” a male voice called.
I plastered a smile on my face and came out from behind the counter. “Hi.”
“Hi, Juliet. I’m Al.” A man who couldn’t have been much older than thirty-five held out his hand. He had sandy brown hair with just a hint of gray.
“It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for the job, by the way.”
“Hiring is all Reed. I like to leave it to his discretion.”
“Oh, okay, that’s how he made it sound.”
Al walked around me to the back. “How do you like working here so far?”
I followed behind him. “It’s been nice. I just started this week.”
“This week? Reed must trust you, huh?”
“I guess…or he didn’t have other options. No one else comes in before eight…”
He checked out all the equipment. “Not to be too forward, but how did you and Reed meet?”
“At an event my sorority and his fraternity were having.” That was the simplest explanation.
“Oh. You must have made quite an impression for him to have offered you a job…”
“Yeah…” I guess Reed didn’t make hiring random girls a habit. I thought about it. I was the only girl who worked there.
“Sorry, I’m not trying to embarrass you.”
He walked back out to the counter and took Reed’s usual stool.
“Have a seat.”
I nervously sat, tugging my skirt down a few inches first.
He noticed and tried to hide a smile. “You don’t have to be nervous. If Reed hired you, he had his reasons. Your job isn’t on the line.”
“Okay, good.”
“You didn’t mention it earlier. How long have you and Reed been dating?”
I felt blood rushing to my face. “Oh, we’re not dating.”
“Okay…I guess I read this wrong.”
“We’re friends—one hundred percent friends.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. I have a boyfriend.”
Al smiled. “Good to know.”
“Sorry, you didn’t ask that. I was just—”
“Relax. I try to stop by whenever I’m in town.” Thankfully, he ended that embarrassing line of conversation.
“You don’t live in Charleston?”
“My home base is here, but I travel a lot.”
“That makes sense.”
He smiled again. “Where are you from?”
“Maryland. Outside D.C.”
“What brought you to Harrison? I assume that’s where you go?”
“Yes. My grandparents have a vacation home down here, and my cousin went to Harrison.”
“Got it.”
My phone went off—blaring Michael Jackson’s Thriller. It was a joke between my brothers and me.
Al laughed. “Aren’t you going to get that?”
“Yeah.” I got my bag and pulled out my phone. “Hey, Reed.”
“What’s up? I just saw your message.”
“Al’s here.”
“Seriously?” His voice went into panic mode.
“Yeah.”
“Be right there.”
“Good.” I hung up.
Al glanced at me. “Reed’s on his way?”
“Yes.”
“Great.” He sounded calm. Hopefully, that meant Reed wasn’t in trouble or anything.
“Yeah.” I sat back down. This was seriously awkward.
After what felt like an hour later but was probably only ten minutes, Reed walked in. “Hey,” he said to both of us. Reed was dressed in slacks and a button down shirt. I’d never seen him dressed up before.
Al turned to Reed. “Nice of you to show up. I’ve just been getting to know Juliet who isn’t your girlfriend because she has a boyfriend.”
I wanted to hide my head in my hands.
Reed nodded. “Yeah, she’s definitely not my girlfriend.” What was that supposed to mean? Would he have been embarrassed to admit it if I was?
Al glanced at me before turning back to Reed. “If I were you, I’d change that, but I’m not you.”
“Nope. What’s up? I didn’t know you were around.”
“Your mom wanted me to talk to you.”
“Oh?” Reed looked nervous, like it wasn’t a conversation he wanted to be part of.
“Yeah. She was hoping you’d come up for Thanksgiving.”
Reed put his hands in his pockets. “She knows what my answer is. I don’t get why she keeps asking.”
“We can shut down for the break. We never get any traffic that weekend. Or why not let Juliet run the place? She’s doing a great job.” Al grinned at me.
“We’ll see.” Reed looked out the window. He seemed distant, and I wondered what was up with his family.
“It’s time to stop making excuses. Life’s too short to hold grudges.” Al got up and patted Reed on the back in a really familiar way. I was almost positive their relationship went beyond employer and employee.
“Well, as fun as this has been, I’m going to leave you two. Pleasure meeting you, Juliet.”
“Uh, you, too.”
Reed followed Al out, and I just stood there. He returned a minute later. “Sorry about that.”
“Yeah, that was kind of awkward.”
“I had no clue he was stopping by.”
“I figured that much.”
“If it’s any consolation, he liked you.” He put his bag down behind the counter. It was a briefcase kind of bag, not the backpack he usually carried.
“Who is he?”
“Al. The owner of this place.”
I leaned back against the counter. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Who is he to you?”
“My uncle.”
“Oh.”
“I lived with him for my last few years of high school.”
“Oh, cool.” I wanted to know more, but at the same time, I didn’t want to be rude. What I really wanted to know was where he’d been.
“You’re dying to know where I went today, aren’t you?”
I laughed nervously. “How’d you know?”
“It’s the look on your face. It’s a total
giveaway.”
“I’ll try to be less obvious next time.”
“I volunteer at a school downtown. They had a mock debate today, and they wanted me to judge.”
“Really?”
He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing an Al’s Pizza t-shirt underneath. “Yeah.”
“That’s—”
“Wait, let me guess. You think it’s cool.” He tossed his dress shirt on top of his bag.
I laughed. “Yes. I think it’s cool.”
“Other than Al, did anything happen in the hour I left you here?”
“Unless you count that order for twenty-five pizzas, no, nothing unusual.”
“Good to know. Well, feel free to get work done or whatever. I’ll take care of the rest of the prep.”
“Thanks.” I pulled my laptop back out and opened Word.
“What are you working on?” he said from right behind me. I guessed he was looking at my screen.
“The first assignment for my writing seminar.”
“Yeah? It doesn’t look like you’ve gotten too far.”
“Very funny. I have no idea what to write.”
He sat down next to me. “What’s the assignment?”
“It’s supposed to be easy, an analysis of our favorite book.”
“Where’s the problem?”
“I don’t have a favorite book.”
“Because you don’t read?”
“Of course I read. I just don’t have a favorite.”
“Just pick a book you like.”
“But that’s like saying one’s better than another.”
“They’re books, not people. You know that, right?” he said really slowly. “Here, try this.”
“What?” I asked as he moved behind me.
His hands covered my eyes. “Name a book.”
“What are you doing?”
“Name a book.”
“Why?” If I had any doubt before, I now knew his hands were strong. They felt strangely comfortable on my face.
“Just do it, Juliet.”
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
He removed his hands. “There you go.”
“That’s not my favorite book.”
“Then why’d you name it?”
“Because you’re acting crazy, and it’s a book about crazy people.”
“It is not a book about crazy people…it’s so much more than that, but I’ll let your comment slide.”
I turned around to look at him. “I take it you’re a Ken Kesey fan?”
“Wow, you know the author. That settles it. Get out of here, find a copy, and write the paper.”
“Like, go to the library?”
“Yes. Ever hear of it? I’m giving you a few hours off—to do work. Not to hook up with Dylan. Oh, and if you can get back by nine, that would be great.”
I ignored the Dylan comment. “Thanks. That’s nice of you.”
“You helped me out earlier.”
“Okay, I’m off to the library.” I grabbed my stuff.
Chapter Thirteen
Two hours later, I was halfway through the book. I was also ridiculously hungry. I texted Reed to see what he wanted for dinner. I was starting to get used to how things worked at Al’s. I worked with Reed until eight or nine when a few other employees came in. I basically did nothing and got paid. All in all, it was a good system. Reed said he’d eat anything, so I picked up burritos on my way back.
“I hope you like chicken queso.” I handed Reed the bag.
“Love it. Good choice, Annie.”
“Would you please stop calling me that?” I unwrapped my burrito. Smelling it the whole walk over had been torture enough.
“Does it really bother you?”
“Yes. I keep thinking you don’t know my name or something.”
“I know your name, Juliet.”
I used a napkin to wipe up a few drops of hot sauce that had spilled onto the countertop. “Good.”
“How about if I call you Oakley? Does that bother you?”
“Not really. At least it’s not another girl’s name.”
We’d just finished dinner when Justin and Danny walked in. Those guys seemed to work every night, which made sense because they only worked four or five hour shifts. They were the ones who usually made the pizzas. I took the orders and brought the food out to people if they didn’t want to stand around and wait.
I didn’t expect such a large crowd on a Wednesday night. I knew Thursdays were big, but the middle of the week? I recognized a lot of the people from around campus, but it was different seeing everyone in going-out clothes and obviously drunk. By ten o’clock, I was exhausted. Of course, that’s when Dylan and his friends decided to walk in.
“Oh no,” I groaned when I noticed them maneuvering through the crowds.
“What’s wrong?” Reed asked. “Oh, great.”
“You really don’t like him, do you?”
“Look who’s talking. You’re sleeping with him, and you aren’t happy to see him.”
Obviously Reed was right. I was sleeping with Dylan, but it still felt weird to hear him say it so bluntly.
I wanted to run into the kitchen. You’d think I’d no longer be nervous about seeing Dylan—but I was. I still had that same churning stomach reaction. It was always worse when he smiled at me—which he did the moment he saw me.
I was ringing up a couple of girls from my biology class and tried to ignore the way Dylan watched me. I closed the register, and it was Dylan’s turn. He wasn’t alone. A whole group of his brothers and some pledges stood nearby. There were also a handful of girls, including Tally. I guessed Gregg must have invited her.
Tally waved. “Hey, looking good, roomie.”
“Ha, thanks. What can I get you?”
“We need a few pitchers and maybe three pepperoni pizzas,” Ryan ordered.
“How many’s a few?”
Dylan played with a plastic display on the counter. “Make it four.”
“Four it is.” I rang them up. “That will be forty-eight sixty.”
Dylan put down a fifty. “It doesn’t leave much for a tip, but I’ll tip you later.”
My stomach did a summersault and not in a good way. Was it normal to have that reaction to the thought of having sex with the guy you were dating? Probably not.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Dylan didn’t move.
“I need to keep helping people.” I forced a smile.
Dylan ignored me. “What time do you get off?”
“Midnight.”
“All right, I’ll come back to get you.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Reed’s going to drive me home.” I turned to see Reed glaring at Dylan.
“Is that right?” Dylan gave him the death stare right back. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll be bringing Juliet home with me.”
“Oh. I’m going to stay in my room tonight.” I so didn’t want to be discussing that topic at work with tons of people around.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I need a good night’s sleep.”
“You don’t sleep well at my place?” For the first time, he looked a little worried.
“I do, but I sleep better in my own bed.”
“But I sleep better when we’re together. You’ll just have to get used to it.”
Did he really mean that? Did he just like having someone with him, or was it specifically me? “Do you really sleep better when I’m there?”
“Yes. I’ll pick you up after work.”
“She said she didn’t want to.” Reed pushed his way in front of me.
Dylan tensed. “I’m not talking to you.”
I edged back in around Reed. “I can handle this.”
“No, you can’t. Your jackass boyfriend is holding up the line.” He turned to Dylan. “You can sit down. We’ll bring the pies out. Juliet, go help Justin in the back.”
“What?”
“Go, Juliet.”
; I wanted to stand and argue, but technically, Reed was my boss. I‘d never heard him talk that way.
I asked Justin if I could help, but he didn’t want any.
I didn’t have long to wait. Reed stormed into the back. “What the hell was that? Do you always let him boss you around?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why do you act like his little slave? It’s pathetic.”
“Did you just call me pathetic?” I glanced at Justin.
“Justin, go out front.” Justin nodded and hightailed it out of there. No one usually questioned Reed.
“Are you going to apologize?” I tried to hold back the tears I knew were coming.
“Juliet. I didn’t mean it. I just think you should be with someone else. At least take a break from him.”
“Quit trying to play big brother. I have two of my own already.”
“I’m not playing big brother. I just won’t put up with that in my restaurant.”
“It’s not your restaurant.”
“It may be called Al’s, but who runs the place?”
I wrung my hands. “Oh, so every interaction I have here is your business now?”
“Yes. I’m not going to have my employee harassed.”
“He wasn’t harassing me.”
“Juliet.”
“I’m not doing this. If you’re going to act like this, I’ll find another job.”
He reached out and touched my arm. “No. I’m sorry. I was out of line. It was just the way he was looking at you. It was condescending.”
“Calling me pathetic is condescending.”
He moved his hand. “I never should have said that. You aren’t pathetic. I overreacted.”
“All right. I should probably get back to work, though.”
Reed nodded, and I headed back to the counter to ring up a few more people.
Dylan and Ryan had already grabbed the beer, but Justin and I carried over the pizzas. Dylan scowled at him. I was almost positive he’d somehow be mad at me for all of this.
“Thanks, Juliet.” Tally smiled. She was sitting with Gregg, but I caught her throwing Ryan a flirtatious look. Who knew what she was getting herself into?
“Enjoy your pizza.” I turned to leave, but Dylan grabbed my wrist. “I’ll pick you up at midnight.”
“I really need to get some sleep.”
“Are you sure?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh nothing.” He stood up. “I was just wondering if you were using that as an excuse to get your supervisor to drive you home.”
The Hazards of Skinny Dipping Page 9