“I don’t really know. To be honest, our whole bet slipped my mind when you started talking about Nick Carver, but this has been quite an experience for me. I’m not sure that I’m ready to give up being homeless yet.”
“You can’t be serious. You got punched by a thief in the middle of the night, for crying out loud!”
“Yeah, I know, man,” I said, “but there have been some really great parts, too. I was kind of looking forward to learning to tend bar. You know? It’s an experience that I’ve never had, and I’ll probably suck at it, but I’d like to try. For once in my life, Jason, I feel like I’m really making it on my own steam. Our parents are awesome people, but you know that they handed everything to us. For once, I want to feel like I earned it from the ground up.”
“Jackson, you work very hard. I spent one damn day doing your job, and I was exhausted.
You shouldn’t feel like you haven’t earned your life.”
“I know. I don’t mean it like that. I just mean that when I look at self-made people, like Alissa, I think they have so much to be proud of. Maintaining a business is hard work, but what’s another million dollars on a business that was already making millions? Honestly, it’s more of a challenge trying to get a social security card in this town.”
“So that’s what this is really about?” Jason said with a wide smile.
“What’s that?”
“A girl! You want to stay homeless because you want to be with this girl.” His signature boisterous laugh filled the room. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
Jason
When I left Jackson and headed back to the office, I felt like a thousand pounds had been lifted off of my shoulders. I could be such an idiot sometimes. I was still kicking myself for ever having doubted my own brother. He might have a stick up his ass, but I knew better than to think he would ever screw me over, especially over a company that might be worth fifteen million dollars a year at most. Jackson already had a ton of money, we both did, and I should have known that money no longer motivated him. We both worked for a variety of reasons: we wanted our parents to be proud of us, we wanted to be proud of ourselves, and we enjoyed our jobs. The money didn’t really matter anymore, but Nick didn’t understand that, and I had forgotten it for a brief time.
As weird as it was, I understood why he wanted to do this homeless thing. Of course, it wasn’t at all like being a real homeless person. Homeless people didn’t have social graces embedded in them from an early age; they couldn’t charm their way into jobs. They didn’t have college educations. Most homeless people were also battling mental illness, illiteracy, a history of abuse, and a whole host of other things. Jackson still had an unfair advantage, but for him, this was a big step. I only hoped that he might learn to relax a little. He was so damn serious all the time, and I thought this experience might just teach him to not sweat the small stuff.
So, I’d made him promise to stay in a cheap hotel instead of a shelter, and I’d called off Ben and Sean. We put them to work following Nick instead. I was hoping that they might dig up some information that would be helpful to us.
I gave Jackson back one of his credit cards in case he really needed something. I gave him back his cell phone as well, but he was bound and determined to only use it if it was really necessary. He really wanted to try to finish this week out under his own power. I’d agreed, but we were going to meet every day for lunch just so I could check on him, and so we could continue to talk about Nick. I was going to have my secretary schedule a call for tomorrow that Jackson would be monitoring.
I’d prodded for information about this mysterious Alissa before I left, but after a few basic facts he’d gone shy on me and simply promised to let me meet her in the near future. I was fucking delighted. She sounded like the perfect fit for him, and truthfully, I was glad that she’d met him under false pretenses, or no pretenses at all. Women were funny around Jackson. They were attracted to his money and they were attracted to his good looks, but I didn’t think that there had ever been a woman who lasted long enough to actually be attracted to Jackson. He had incredibly high standards, and he intimidated the shit out of most people.
I really hoped this would work out for him, and I really hoped we would manage to nail Nick with something, too. No one came between my brother and me without consequences.
Chapter 10: A New Trade
Jackson
Wow. What a day. I was punched in the jaw by a homeless man. I saved a beautiful woman from a crate full of crabs. I had an amazing breakfast with the aforementioned damsel in distress. I was attacked by my own brother, who then accused me of corporate theft, before plotting, with the same brother to take down the real crooks. It wasn’t even noon!
I had been on my way to the social security office when Jason accosted me, and I would need to head back there now. I was pretending to not have a limitless credit card or my iPhone. I really was proud of my efforts so far, and I was going to finish this week out if it killed me. A bet’s a bet, corporate espionage aside.
One boring wait later, I was the proud owner of a new social security card or a temporary one anyway. The real copy wouldn’t come in the mail for another thirty days.
I was hungry again, but also out of money again, and what I really wanted to do was take a nap. It had been one hell of a day. I thought back to the park that was across the street from the bar. It seemed like forever ago that I had sat there waiting for the grill to open so that I could apply for a job. It wasn’t a bad place to sit, and I thought it might be a decent place for a nap as well. I curled up on the park bench and closed my eyes.
When I woke, the light was different in the park. I had slept longer than I thought I would. My body was not accustomed to these odd hours.
I sat up and brushed an old wrapper from a fast food burger off of my legs. I stared at the crumpled paper for a moment in disbelief. I picked it up and turned it over in my hands. It seemed like an odd coincidence that the wind had carried it onto my sleeping form. There were no overfull trashcans for it to have blown out of. It was almost like it had been thrown. Was it possible that someone would deliberately put trash on another person while they slept? Having never slept on a park bench before, I wasn’t entirely sure. I found a proper trashcan and disposed of the paper, resolving to push it from my mind.
I still had a half an hour until my shift, so I went to a Wendy’s a few blocks up to use the men’s room. I felt surprisingly rested, and I was looking forward to my first shift as a bartender.
“Romeo returns,” Buddy said, when I walked through the door. “Welcome to your first official day.” He threw me a T-shirt with the name of the bar across the back. “Put that on. I’ll expect you to wear it every time you work.”
“Yes, sir,” I smiled. Not only did I get a job, but it came with free clothes!
“Cut that ‘sir’ shit out,” he said. “Tonight you are working with Jessica.” He pointed to the young blond behind the bar. “She’ll help you get started. Jessica, meet Jackson.” She looked up from behind the bar and flashed me a smile. I knew that smile. I had seen it on hundreds of women before, right before they threw themselves at me . I wonder if I can convince her that I’m gay? It was going to be a long night.
“Jessica,” I said politely, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You, too,” she said, and then she giggled. God, what an awful laugh. “So, Jackson,” she purred as she leaned forward on the bar, showing off far more cleavage than I really had a desire to see, “it’s your first night?”
Really? What tipped you off? “Yeah,” I said lamely, restraining myself from making a rude comment.
“Great, we are going to have so much fun!” She laughed again, but then, thankfully made herself useful by showing me where everything was. The place was moderately crowded. A few people were sitting at the bar, drinking after work, and a few were at the tables finishing up late dinners. Jessica was also acting as a waitress tonight, so she left frequently to c
heck on her tables while I manned the bar. So far, I thought I was doing pretty well, but it was mostly requests for beer. I hadn’t gotten any difficult drinks.
Truthfully, it was kind of boring. I don’t know what I expected at 10:00 on a Thursday night, but I had hoped for a better crowd and better tips. About 10:15 a man and a woman sat at the bar and requested menus, so I got to take my first food order. Jessica showed me how to enter it in the computer and how to get the food when it was ready. That was good; food orders meant bigger tips.
By midnight I’d made less than $40 and was ready to quit this shitty job. Jessica was grating on my very last nerve, Buddy hadn’t re-appeared all night, and there was no way that anyone could live on this kind of a salary.
That’s when my saving grace walked in the door. A group of five giggling girls in halter tops and short skirts, which were really quite inappropriate for the weather, sat down at the bar.
They announced that it was the blond in the middle’s twenty-first birthday, and they’d come out at midnight so that she could exercise her new right to drink. I carded them, gave them my best smile, and prepared to make a killing.
I had never worked so hard in my life. I made Flaming Dr. Peppers, Hot Caramel Apples, Red Headed Sluts, and even a Blow Job for the birthday girl. I took pictures of them with their cameras, I posed with them in pictures, and I learned how to use a blender.
A group of guys about the same age joined them around 12:30, and I suddenly had a whole new set of shots and drinks to learn. These were easier and more expensive. About half way through the second set of Irish Car Bombs I wondered what else I had neglected to learn in college. I had a great time, and so did they.
The whole party stumbled out of the bar just before 2 a.m., and I started my clean-up. I was starving, exhausted, and I smelled like a bar, but I had earned every damn penny of the $152
I made. Buddy showed up to take my register and count it while I was cleaning up. Jessica gave him a positive progress report on me, and he smirked at me knowingly.
I left around 2:30 and set off to find a 24-hour diner or pizza place. I wanted the greasiest food I could find. Tom’s Diner didn’t disappoint. I had a burger and onion rings that I knew I would regret later. I absolutely devoured them. I followed it up with apple pie and coffee. The food perked me up, and I found that I wasn’t tired. In fact, I was positively giddy. I was proud of my honest day’s labor, and I felt like I had experienced a whole new world. I wanted to share it with someone.
Alissa. Just thinking about her made me suddenly very lonely. My stomach turned at the thought of spending the rest of the night in a cold hotel room. I wondered what it would be like to watch her sleeping, her beautiful brown hair fanned out on her pillow. I wondered what she slept in. Oh, God, I was going to embarrass myself if I thought any further along that line, so instead I paid my check and stepped out into the cold night air. It was already almost four in the morning. I wondered what time Alissa left for the market.
There was only one way to find out.
Alissa
The alarm went off at 4:30 like usual, and I smacked it with the palm of my hand. It was a good thing that I loved my job or I would never get up like this. I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt with my black hoodie over top. I had sneakers that were specifically for the market. After the fifth time I stepped in a pile of fish guts down there, I decided to designate a pair of fish-gut shoes.
I put my hair up in a ponytail and grabbed my wallet. I checked to make sure that I had enough cash for the day’s groceries and my list. I always bought whatever looked good for the day, but there were staples that I needed to pick up as well.
I wondered if Matt would show up today. I hated to fire him, but he was irresponsible.
I’d given him the job in the first place as a favor to his father. The Ozwell family owned a chain of sporting goods stores, and I had worked at one of them for a couple of years while I was putting myself through college. The Ozwells had been very good to me, so I didn’t hesitate to employ their son. Matt was a college kid, just picking up a couple hours of work every day for spending money. Unfortunately, he also liked to party, which meant that he was rarely up by six when I needed him.
Of course, I was glad he hadn’t shown up yesterday, because I wouldn’t have met Jackson otherwise.
Jackson. My fancy-jeans-wearing, messy-haired, blue-eyed, superhero. Swoon.
I was such a girl. I mean seriously, who thinks like that?
I stumbled down the steps and out the backdoor with my keys in one hand and my list in the other.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“Ack!!!” I screamed, and jumped a good three feet in the air. On the way down, I somehow twisted my feet beneath me, and I would have landed flat on my ass had I not been caught by a strong pair of arms.
Yep. Definitely a superhero.
“Oh no. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologized profusely.
“You scared the crap out of me, Jackson,” I said, finally righting myself and punching him in the bicep. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect you to react like that. I mean, of course, I won’t do that again…” He was actually really cute when he was rambling, so I decided to save him.
“I was just surprised to see you. What are you doing here?” Half of my brain was screaming, “He’s a psycho killer here to stalk you!” The other half was insisting that I was glad he’d missed me. I knew I’d missed him.
“Well, I just got off work, and I was passing by, and I thought that perhaps you might like some company for your morning trip to the market. I’m sorry. I should have called, but I didn’t get your number, and…” He ran his hand through his already disheveled hair. “Well… the truth is, I just wanted to see you.”
He turned those beautiful eyes on me like a puppy that knew it was about to be chastised and gave me a sheepish grin. I was done for.
“I would love to have your company for my trip to the market,” I said.
He settled into the passenger seat of my cargo van and we started down to the docks. I loved the city this time of day. The streets were quiet and dark, but it felt like the world was just on the brink of waking up. I got to see the sunrise every morning. The world is black and white in the dark, but as the sun rises it fills with color. That’s a phenomenon I’d never get tired of.
“So where do you work,” I asked, “that puts you out so late at night?”
“I’m a bartender, at the 31st Street Bar and Grill,” he said, turning so I could see his shirt.
“Oh,” I mumbled, more confused than ever. That didn’t explain the expensive jeans. It also didn’t explain why I could see the grey t-shirt that he had worn yesterday peeking out from under his work shirt. Didn’t this man ever change clothes? It did explain why he would be awake at this hour, but it also presented a new puzzle. Yesterday he’d been awake at the same time, but not dressed in his work shirt and not reeking of beer like he was now. What a mystery.
“Oh?” he said. “That’s the only response I get?” There was mischief in his voice.
“Yes, oh,” I said, smiling in return. “Oh as in – Oh! You’re a bartender for one of my competitors. You’re probably tagging along to steal my trade secrets!” He snorted. “I hardly think we pose much of a threat to you. From what I saw yesterday, your food blows ours out of the water.”
“My food is pretty awesome,” I teased.
“Well, now look who’s all high and mighty . ” God he was beautiful when he smiled. “Of course it is true… You are amazing.”
He meant my food. My food is amazing… not me. Time to change the subject.
“Have you ever been down to the docks for the morning catch?” I asked.
“Nope. First time for everything I guess,” he replied.
“It’s an experience.”
“Really? How?”
“You’ll see when we get there.” I glanced over at him briefly be
fore turning my eyes back to the road. “You asked me an awful lot of questions yesterday. Do I get to reciprocate today?”
“Nope,” he said. “I haven’t finished with you yet.”
“I had a feeling you would say that.”
We bantered back and forth like that, with me spilling my whole life out and him offering no information at all, until we arrived at the docks.
“This is our stop,” I said, pulling the van into my usual spot. “Get ready for the adventure.”
Chapter 11: Fish Guts and Friendship
Jackson
“Alissa baby!” The man calling was not quite as big as Jason, but his arms were built the same way. He was tossing a watermelon from the truck behind him to one of his coworkers who was then stacking them in a display bin.
“Gary!” she replied. “How’s my favorite produce man this morning?”
“I’m better now that you’re here,” Gary said. “Who’s the eye candy?” His eyes raked over me, but he showed no sign of jealousy or disappointment. I thought his relationship with Alissa was strictly business. I hoped she wasn’t seeing anyone romantically, although now that I thought about it, I had never come right out and asked. That thought filled me with dread.
“This is Jackson,” she said, snapping me out of my pondering. “Jackson, meet Gary. He’s the man to see in fruits.” She laughed, and her beauty suddenly stuck me. It was a grey and dreary morning, but looking at her smile made me feel like I was standing in the midday sun.
Gary gave me that overbearing big brother look. Apparently I was not the only one who felt protective of Alissa.
“Good morning,” I said politely. He just kept tossing watermelons. No wonder his arms looked like steel cables. Forget the gym—I should get a job tossing melons.
“What’s it gonna’ be today, Alissa?” he asked.
She placed her order and Gary nodded at her. It was a big order, but he didn’t write anything down. I wondered if he would get it right. She kept walking down the street, so I followed along. We repeated a very similar process with about four other vendors who were selling everything from produce to paper products. The last stop however was the biggest adventure of the morning. Alissa bought her fish literally right out of the ocean.
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