“Someone had to have helped,” I say, thinking of my mother and Conner and how they helped rip my self-esteem away for a while there, to the point that I sunk so low I gave up. “Yeah, maybe you came to the conclusion yourself, but there’s usually outside help that pushes you in that direction… beats you down…” I trail off as my past flashes through my mind, bright and agonizing.
Everything.
Was.
Taken.
Away.
Bit.
By.
Bit.
And then I got it back.
I blink from my thoughts, overlooking the look he’s giving me, the one that asks: what’s your story? You saw a glimpse of mine and I want to see a glimpse of yours.
I’m not sure what I’m doing but suddenly I’m offering him another chance into my life. “You know what. Come with me. I’m getting you a job.”
“And how the hell are you going to do that?” he wonders in puzzlement.
“Hey, I have connections my friend.” I wait for him to take my hand, but he just stares at me, waiting for further explanation. “Okay, fine. I’m going to get you the carder job.”
He wavers with reluctance. “At the bar? With you?”
I nod, realizing I just gave him more time in my life and he’ll get to witness a side of me no one close to me ever sees. Yet I continue, because I want to help him—need to help him. “It’s a super easy job, and temporary so it should work out.”
“At a bar?” he repeats, astounded.
“Well, it’s not technically in the bar, right?” I tuck my hands into the pocket of my red cut-offs. “Just the front door. And besides, I’ll keep an eye on you.”
“Is that what friends do? Keep an eye on each other?” he asks dubiously.
“I’m not sure, since I don’t have a ton of friends.” I’m still offering him my hand like I did in the motel. It’s beginning to become our thing and I wonder how many times I’ll do it. Just like I wonder if he’ll ever offer me his hand and if I’ll take it. “All I know is that I want to help you.”
His gaze deliberately glides up my body and rests on my eyes then he slips his fingers through mine. “Thanks, Avery. And I really mean that. Thank you. For everything. If you only knew how much this was helping me, well… I’m going to pay you back one day. I promise.” An abundance of emotions reflect from his blue eyes. Intensity. Gratitude. Confusion. Lust. Fear. Vulnerability. I swear it’s like getting some insight into his soul. In return I should be showing him a glimpse of mine, shouldn’t I?
But if he really knew stuff about me then he probably wouldn’t be looking at me like that to begin with.
Chapter 24
I’m pretty sure I’m fucked.
Tristan
The Vibe appears vacant when we arrive that afternoon. The open sign is off, the parking lot is bare, and sagebrush blows around the side of the brick building.
“Is anyone even here?” I ask Avery as I hop out of the Jeep, the warm air dusting my skin.
She nods as her feet hit the ground, then she slams the car door. “Benny actually pretty much lives in his office. He even has an air mattress in it.”
“And how do you know that?” I ask as we veer around the side of the building and toward the front door.
“Because I hang out in his office while I do his books.” Her fingers wrap around the door handle and she opens the door.
I follow her inside. “Does he pay you extra for doing that?”
The interior lights are off in the bar, the chairs are turned up on the table, and the cool breeze of the air conditioning feels fantastic.
We actually had to swing by the motel before we came here so I could change out of my sweaty clothes and look presentable.
“No, but it’ll help me in the future when I look for a job in accounting,” Avery explains as she crosses the bar and winds around the back of the counter, heading toward a hallway with me at her heels.
“That seems pretty unfair for you to do the work and not get paid,” I comment as we trot up a slender stairway.
“Well, life really isn’t fair, is it?” When she arrives at a shut door at the top of the stairs, she faces me. “You ready for this?”
I shrug, realizing how nervous I feel. My first job interview. Weird. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She offers me an encouraging smile. “Just be your charming self and you’ll do fine.”
“I’m only charming with the female population.” I wink at her. “Dudes don’t like me.”
“See, charming right there.” Then she knocks as she cracks open the door. “Benny, I found you a temporary carder.”
“Yeah, bring him in,” he calls out, and then Avery inches the door open. She winks at me before she enters the small, disorderly room.
Leaving the door ajar, she takes a seat behind a desk piled with papers and soda cans. Next to her is a guy about a half a decade older than me, give or take a year. He’s wearing a nice collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and he has an impressive silver watch on his wrist. I remember seeing him at The Vibe three months ago and how he checked out Avery the entire time he was chatting with her.
“Hey, have a seat,” he says, motioning me inside the office.
From the fake politeness in his tone, I can tell right away he doesn’t like me. Probably because I’m a guy and Avery brought me here. I figure there’s no way I’m going to get the job, but I still sit down and answer his questions about my past jobs—none—and my skills—I only have a few. When he’s finished, I wait for him to kick me out the door, but instead he turns to Avery.
“So, what do you think?” he asks her, discreetly checking out her tits when she glances over at me.
“Well, my opinion is kind of biased considering I like him.” She immediately pulls a whoops face, like she didn’t mean to reveal that. “But, yeah, I think you should give him the job.” She looks at me again with a twinkle in her hazel eyes. “It’ll bring the ladies in.”
I softly chuckle. “Yeah, I don’t know about that.”
“Oh, whatever.” As she beams at me, I grin back, unable to help it. “You know it will.”
Our little flirting moment is bugging Benny, and I’m sure I’m getting more negative marks with each smile Avery easily throws in my direction.
“So, here’s what I’m proposing.” She rotates in the chair to look at Benny and crosses her legs. “Hire him. See how he does. If he messes up, it’s all on me. In fact, you can fire me.”