by J. H. Croix
“Not as surprised as me,” he teased. “I nearly fainted when I realized you actually felt something for her.”
“You have a weak constitution,” I retorted.
Sonny laughed and threw up his middle finger. “I’ve never fainted in my life. I have the strongest constitution of us all. Do you have any idea what I see on a daily basis? It’s horrific, let me tell you. But I’ve never fainted, never vomited.”
“Liar. I used to have to clean your vomit.”
His eyebrows jumped nearly to his black hair. “When I was two. That’s not what we’re talking about. Stop trying to change the topic. Sadie. You care about her?”
“You know I do.” I sipped my coffee, wondering how often my brothers had heart-to-heart conversations. It sure seemed like they all wanted them with me these days. “You ready to let it go? It’s no big deal. She means something to me. I’m serious about her. That’s all there is to it.”
“And her daughter?” he asked.
I supplied her name. “Emery.”
“Sure. Emery. You okay with dating a single mother?”
Nodding my head, I tipped it back and drained the last few drops of coffee. “Yep. I like her too. I thought it would be weirder than it is.”
“You know you can’t mess around when there’s a kid involved, right?”
Irritation flared through my stomach. I narrowed my eyes. “I’m aware of that. I’m not messing around.”
“I can see that,” he said quietly, holding his palms out to me. “I thought I’d ask the obvious since no one else has.”
“How do you know no one has?” My eyes narrowed again, in suspicion this time.
Sonny chuckled and waved me off, but he didn’t answer me. It was written all over his face, though. I glared at him. “Since when did you become a gossip?”
Sonny chuckled. I groaned and let my head roll back onto the lawn chair. “Don’t you have anything better to talk about?”
“Nope,” he said cheerfully. “Besides, we’re all curious. She’s helping us with Dad, after all.”
“Don’t remind me.” I closed my eyes, and the morning sun warmed my face. Birds chirped all around us. It would’ve been serene if not for my nosy-ass brother.
“I’m being serious. She did a good job. It’s not like I called Jer and Beau up to talk about her. I was already talking to them when I mentioned she was going to help us. Something else also came up in my conversation with Beau. Ken Lyons came to see you both?”
I nodded, scrubbing my hands over my face. “Yeah. I was going to talk to you about that last night too.”
“That man is bad news,” he remarked.
I agreed. “That’s for sure.”
Sonny turned to face me fully, curiosity in his gaze. “You used to think I was crazy for wanting to look into Dad’s case, but you don’t think so anymore.”
I shook my head and sighed. “No, I don’t think that anymore. I think you’re right that there’s more going on behind the scenes.”
“You agree he might’ve been set up?” Sonny asked.
Sighing again, I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. You told me once you were only after the truth. I’m telling you the same thing now. I want to know what really happened.”
“At least you’re wondering about it now. That’s more support than I used to have from any of you on this,” he said.
A bird flew lazily overhead, and I followed its dips and dives with my eyes. “We need to be realistic about this. Dad might’ve committed those crimes.”
“Yeah,” Sonny agreed. “But there’s more going on than just that.”
It was true. I didn’t believe him before. Maybe I hadn’t wanted to. But I did believe him now. There were too many signs to ignore. The only question I had was what happened if we followed the signs? Somehow, I doubted we were going to like what we found.
Chapter Sixteen
Sadie
Lori lifted her coffee cup to her nose and inhaled deeply. She prided herself on being an aficionado and, every once in a while, would splurge like she did this morning and arrive with some kind of new blend from the deli down the street.
“This has to be the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.” She practically swooned as she sipped the hot, bitter liquid. “It’s so robust.”
I burst out laughing, lifting an eyebrow. “Robust? Really?”
A pink tinge crept onto her cheeks. “It was part of the description. I happen to agree with it. Taste it again and tell me robust doesn’t seem like the right word to describe it.”
Taking a slow sip, I grinned. “Robust is definitely one word to describe it.”
Lori grinned and took her usual seat in my kitchen. I would be headed in for my shift at the diner soon, but when we could fit it in, we liked to have coffee together before I left. It gave us time to get caught up, chat for a little bit before we went our separate ways.
“Did I tell you I’m seeing someone?” she asked, and not even the heavy liner around her eyes could draw away from the excitement glittering in them. “He’s a personal trainer from Savannah. He’s got to be the yummiest guy in the hemisphere, I swear. He’s gorgeous, and he’s so funny.”
“Yummiest guy in the hemisphere, huh?” We were definitely going to have to agree to disagree on that one.
Lori rolled her eyes and amended her statement. “Yummiest guy in the hemisphere as far as I’m concerned. There, better?”
I nodded, smirking. “Much, thank you.”
“Now that that’s settled. Let me tell you about him.” She leaned forward and started telling me about basically everything that happened from the moment they met.
Lori, my dearest and most favorite emo, didn’t gush regularly. Paulo the personal trainer, however, had turned her into a fountain of gushiness. I listened to her story, happy she’d found someone who had this effect on her.
When she was done, she had stars in her eyes and sighed contentedly. “What about you and Evan? Things seem to be going well between the two of you.”
“They are,” I told her honestly. The only thing we didn’t see eye to eye on was my snooping at the firm and helping with the behind-the-scenes investigation. Evan thought that since I’d supplied the information I’d collected over the week, I had done enough.
I told him I was going to carry on snooping and looking for more. He accepted it, but he didn’t like it. I knew he appreciated what I was doing, but his concern was evident. Worry darkened his eyes every time we talked about it, and I hated seeing it, but I wasn’t ready to give up yet.
I wanted to tell Lori about it. Maybe get her opinion on whether I was being too stubborn about helping out, but I knew I couldn’t. No one could know what we were up to.
“Do you think you guys will make it in the long run?” Lori asked, interrupting my train of thought.
Shrugging, I shook my head. “I have absolutely no idea. Maybe. I hope so.”
Lori and I finished our coffee, and I took off to work. Her question about whether I thought we would make it in the long run lingered in my mind.
By the time I got to the diner, I was already limping thanks to my awful shoes. I wished the owner wasn’t insistent that waitresses wear heels, but he was. I got ready for my shift and forged a smile as I started serving customers. My heart wasn’t in it, though. Not even with the little ones.
Usually, bringing a kid a milkshake was a tiny silver lining in my day, to see how excited they got and watch as they relished the treat. Today, I was distracted. Things really were going well with Evan. Emery adored him, and unless I was fooling myself and seeing only what I wanted to see, he was starting to feel the same way about her.
As I took orders and filled them, hurrying through my day under the ever-disapproving glare of Mr. Ray, I wondered about Lori’s question again. It was dangerous to hope for a future with someone. I knew it was.
Evan had promised he’d never lead me on and told me he was in this relationship with me, but he’d never promised me fore
ver. He hadn’t made any promises about that. I hadn’t asked for any, but that didn’t stop me from harboring hopes about a future with him.
I couldn’t help wishing for more. Between my own childhood and the struggle to get by as a single mother, I hadn’t let myself hope for much. Honestly, even on days when I was worn to my bones, the life I had now was so much better than what I’d had growing up. I knew to be grateful for it, and I truly was. Yet Evan made me wish for more and wonder if I could dare to hope for a life to share with someone.
Was it possible there was a future out there for me somewhere in which I didn’t have to work so hard? It had never seemed possible to me. Raising a child and keeping a roof over our heads was expensive. If I wasn’t slogging through life alone, though, would it be possible for me to keep a regular schedule?
The very thought seemed too indulgent to have.
Shaking my wishful thoughts away, I delivered burgers to a table filled with high school kids. They were laughing and joking, so happy and carefree. I took a moment to let their laughter infiltrate me, to borrow some of their lightness.
Absorbing their energy to boost my spirits helped give me a little oomph. It was working until my boss called me over to the corner booth in the back where he was pretending to be poring over paperwork but was mostly watching us all.
“Yes, Mr. Ray?”
He motioned for me to take a seat. One of the papers lying in front of him was our duty roster for the week. My optimism for the future and the good spirits I was trying to foster flew right out the open window above my head.
Jabbing his finger at the roster, he pushed it across the booth to me. “You’re only slated to work the afternoon shift today.”
“Yes, sir.” I didn’t need to look at the roster. I knew my shifts for each week by heart. “I have a shift every day this week.”
The corners of his mouth pressed in, puffing up his already puffy red cheeks. “That’s not good enough, young lady.”
I barely suppressed a sigh. This. Again. I couldn’t believe he was on my case about my shifts again. “I’m afraid my situation hasn’t changed since the last time we talked, sir. I have a second job after-hours and a daughter to take care of.”
“Yes,” he spat snidely. “You keep telling me these things like it’s my problem.”
Unfolding his arms, he plopped them down on the table. Some of the papers went flying, but he didn’t seem to notice.
I swallowed back a ball of nerves that jumped into my throat. My boss was a jerk, plain and simple. I knew exactly what he was about to do, and I hated that there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop him.
“Look at the roster, Sadie.” He stabbed at it with his chubby finger. A thick golden ring strangled the life out of it, making it look a little purple.
“I know when my shifts are, sir.” I wasn’t going to make this easy for him.
Fuming, his voice turned shrill. “I said look at the roster, girl.”
Grudgingly, I dropped my eyes to the piece of paper. There was only one name written on it for tonight’s shift. Mr. Ray sneered. “Do you see my problem?”
“I do, but like I’ve already told you, I’m afraid I can’t work tonight. I’ve already got a shift scheduled at my second job.”
A humorless smile lifted his lips. He was enjoying this way too much. “Cancel it.”
He sat back, dragging the duty roster back to his side of the table. “Cancel it, postpone it. I don’t care what you do. I’m tired of struggling so you can get your way.”
My jaw threatened to drop. My eyes wanted to turn to slits so badly. Mr. Ray had always been a prick, but this was absurd. He had inherited the diner, didn’t do much of anything, and yet he was tired of struggling so I could get my way?
The nerve… For what had to be the hundredth time, I thought about quitting right there on the spot. It wouldn’t leave him to “struggle” for long since I could be replaced in the blink of an eye. It would, however, cause a scene that would leave at least some people in town buzzing about how that Mr. Ray treated his employees.
Not super effective revenge or vindication but it was better than nothing. The same thing that always kept my mouth shut and my butt in the seat did it now. I needed to keep this job because I had a daughter to take care of, not just myself.
“You either work tonight,” he said, his cold smirk reappearing as he jabbed one of his fingers to the door. “Or you can’t work here anymore. It’s your choice.”
Even though I’d seen it coming, I still couldn’t believe he was actually giving me an ultimatum. This attempt at a power play was both ridiculous and pathetic. I hated that his tactic was about to have the intended effect simply because I couldn’t afford to lose the job. And he knew it.
It was a cheap fucking shot. Pursing my lips, I nodded. “Fine. I’ll stay, but I’m going to need a couple of minutes to make my arrangements.”
With a smug smile, he gestured to the door indulgently. “Take all the time you need, sweetheart. Just make sure you’re here when your customers need you. Chop, chop.”
Standing up from the booth, my hands trembled in anger. I was itching to slap the man. I wasn’t a violent person, and I didn’t condone the use of violence under any circumstances, but an exception ought to be made for Mr. Ray.
It wasn’t because of my shift at the firm that I felt this way. My position there was an after-hours, part-time one. The hours were flexible. I would have to go there after I finished at the diner and would no doubt be dead on my feet by the time I got home, but I wouldn’t get in trouble for going in later.
Shaking my head in disbelief that Mr. Ray would stoop this low, I blinked back tears as I phoned Lori first. The supervisor at my cleaning job only required notice if my time was going to change so he could make arrangements with security.
Lori, however, might not be available to watch Emery all night. It would probably be almost midnight, if not after, that I would only get back home.
Cursing the bastard of a boss, I got on the phone. “Hey, Lo.”
“Sadie?” she asked, sounding worried. “What’s wrong? Don’t say ‘nothing.’ Your voice is all shaky. What happened?”
“Mr. Ray finally found a way to get what he wanted,” I told her. She knew he’d been on my back about my shifts for a long time. “He threatened to fire me if I don’t work tonight. I’m going to call the firm to make the arrangements now, but will you be able to stay to watch Emery?”
“Of course,” she answered immediately. “I’m sorry, honey. One day, I really hope that man gets what’s coming to him.”
“Me, too, my friend.” I sighed, twisting my fingers through my hair. “In the meantime, I have to get back to work. I’m sorry about this, Lori. Please tell Em I said good night.”
Tears pricked my eyes, and one rolled free. I hated this damn job so much.
Chapter Seventeen
Evan
The diner was in a lull when I stopped by to see Sadie. It was mid-afternoon, and there were only one or two stragglers occupying the booths. I was glad I caught her at a quieter time. It would give us a minute to talk.
We planned on meeting up after work yesterday, but then she texted to say she had to pick up an extra shift. Where she found time to put in extra shifts, only she knew. As things were, she worked more hours every week than was sustainable. I knew why she did it, but picking up extra shifts in addition to those she already had seemed like madness to me.
Since it wasn’t my place, I didn’t interfere, but I was worried about her. She worked too damn hard. I know she’d been doing it since long before I came along, but I was here now, and seeing the strain it put on her worried me.
I looked around the diner but didn’t see her anywhere. Walking up to the counter, I heard a heated voice coming from the back. I ignored it at first, planning on waiting for whoever was back there to come out so I could ask if Sadie was around.
I caught a few words here and there despite my doing my best to ignore it.
Something about being lazy and how everyone had to do their bit.
Distaste made my lip curl up. The man who was talking was a top-level asshole. If he was in a position of authority here, the staff were fucked. It was no way to treat employees. Or anyone else, for that matter.
It only deepened my worry, but I kept out of it as I calmly waited for anyone in the joint to realize there was a new customer. I would talk to Sadie to find out if she’d ever been treated that way by anyone here. If she had, well then, all bets were off.
Until then, it wasn’t my place. But then I heard a quiet voice replying to him, and I knew who it was immediately. Sadie.
Oh, hell no. His voice was so loud, I almost missed her soft-spoken reply.
“Of course, Mr. Ray. I understand, but I already picked up that extra shift yesterday. I will pick up more, but I really can’t pick up tonight’s shift as well.” There was defiance in her voice but also exhaustion. Hearing the weariness in her tone clenched my heart and sent another bolt of anger through me.
What the fuck was going on here?
Sadie came shuffling out of the back a minute later, wiping the corner of one eye before she squared her shoulders and pasted a fake smile on her face as she approached one of the customers. She hadn’t seen me yet.
The diner belonged to Carlos Ray. I knew him because Cypress Creek was a small town but also because he’d brought his car to my shop a few times. At first, I hadn’t realized it was his voice, but Sadie called him Mr. Ray, so it had to be.
Glancing back to where she was taking an order, I rounded the counter and pushed through the double doors that led to the back. Carlos was standing there, his eyes narrowed and his cheeks mottled red. He was muttering under his breath.
Pausing just inside the door, I crossed my arms. “Carlos.”
He spun around to face me, looking furious until he saw who I was. Relaxing, a hospitable grin spread on his thin lips. “Evan. This is a surprise. Why are you back here? Please, go take a seat. The waitress will be with you in a moment. Have you been waiting long?”