Chapter Three
Brad
“What are you doing here?” I snap at Dylan as she pulls up a stool at the bar. It’s only been a few hours since I dropped her home. Surely, she has plans today.
“Well, it’s nice to see you too,” she sasses in response.
There’s something different about her today. She’s wearing a faded Metallica T-shirt and tight black skinny jeans, with a pair of black Converse. And to tie it all together, her short black hair is in messy pigtails on top of her head. The outfit is pretty standard for her, but it’s the look in her eyes that has me noticing something is different. She seems a little more guarded than usual today.
“It’s your birthday, so shouldn’t you be doing birthday things?” I try not to think about the fact that she’s eighteen now; I don’t need that temptation on top of everything else.
“Vada is going to be here soon. She’s meeting me for lunch before the party tonight. You’re coming, right?” She swings her legs back and forth, distracting me from cleaning the bar.
“Uh, I wasn’t invited,” I tell her honestly. Not that I would go anyway. An eighteenth birthday party isn’t really my idea of fun.
“I’m inviting you—it’s at Grumpy’s, though. Isabelle and Ella are being all hush hush about it, but they didn’t account for Winnie spilling some of the details. I’m glad she told me, though. I really do hate surprises.”
I pour her a drink and hand it over to her. “I’m working tonight, sorry.” I try to look sincere, which just makes her laugh.
“You’ve got two options. Either you come to my birthday party, or you give me a job.” She takes a sip of her Jack and Coke and chokes a little. “Jesus, are you trying to get me drunk again?” she says with a wink.
I cover my laugh with a cough. Ignoring her comment, I go back to our conversation. “Why do you want to work here?”
I’m curious, as she’s been asking for a job since she first walked in here a few months ago. Although she’s legally been allowed to work here, I made it known it was because she was underage that I wasn’t going to hire her. If I’m telling the truth, though, I don’t know if I can physically work with her.
There is something about Dylan.
She’s different.
“Because school’s out now, and I need something to do to get Minnie off my back. I don’t want him to have to keep paying for everything on top of university. Plus, I like it here. Happy’s has a lot of potential. You just need the right person to bring in more business.”
“Happy’s is plenty busy. I don’t need you to bring in more business. Try again.” I watch her as she thinks about her answer. It takes a few minutes, so I go back to cleaning the bar, assuming the conversation is over.
“Fine, the truth?” Her eyes dart around the bar. It’s lunchtime, so most people are over in the restaurant seating area. We’re pretty much alone here.
“Yes, the truth, Dylan.”
She lets out a sigh, and it’s as if I can see part of her wall coming down in the process.
“Being here makes me feel safe. I’ve been through a lot of shit in the past, and I probably have some trauma I need to work through eventually. It hurts when your own mother decides she can’t handle you anymore. She dumped me on Minnie’s doorstep, and I haven’t heard from her since. Apparently, her new boyfriend had an issue with me, so she tossed me out like yesterday’s trash.” She takes another deep breath and looks around to make sure we are still alone. “She was never going to win mother of the year. Even when Dad was alive, she was flighty, but she got worse after he died. What kind of mother abandons their child?”
I don’t think she wants me to answer that. “A shit one” would be my response. I wait for her to continue.
“I love Minnie and Winnie, and I’m happy to be with them, but part of me needs somewhere that is just for me. When I first came to Happy’s, I felt like I was walking into home for the first time in a long time. No one here knew me. There was no judgement, and I could just be me, even if it was just for an hour at a time.”
“I appreciate you being honest with me, and your mum sounds like someone you are better off without. I don’t really need any help at the moment, but email me your resumé, and I’ll keep it on file.” Her eyes light up, and the smile she gives me has certain body parts responding.
Fuck, this is a bad idea, but I already know deep down that I’ll be finding a way to get her on the work roster. I’ll just need to make sure I’m not the one on shift with her. I pass her a business card with my email address, and she quickly starts typing on her phone.
“Done,” she says and shoots me another smile. “Thanks, Brad, but because you didn’t give me a job, it means you have to come to the party tonight. There will be plenty of other old people there, so you won’t be alone.” I watch her slide off her stool and walk across to one of the booths just before Vada walks in the door.
“Cut it with the old comments. I’m not that old!” I shout at her, and she laughs in response.
Fuck me dead, this girl really may be the death of me.
I spend the afternoon watching her and Vada chat away in the booth. Vada nurses her vodka raspberry, but Dylan is up to her fourth drink. I know I should cut her off soon; I don’t want her to be wasted before she gets to her party.
They didn’t order food, so I did it for her. I ordered a bunch of our snacks and take them over to the table when they’re ready.
“We didn’t order that,” Dylan says with a raised eyebrow.
“I know, but you need to eat and possibly slow down on your drinks. You don’t want to show up tonight wasted.” I look down at the table and chuckle. “What the hell is that?” I nod to the piece of paper in front of her.
“It’s my sex to-do list. Ever been pegged? I think it would be fun to try,” she says, adding it to her list.
Poor Vada has gone bright red. “Dylan,” she says, but Dylan isn’t stopping.
“I think I want to try choking. That sounds fun and the chicks in the pornos always seem to like it. Oh, and maybe some spanking. I definitely think I’d like to get spanked,” she says with a grin.
I shift on my feet; this conversation is not one I want to be having with a barely legal teen in my bar. Especially a girl who spent most of the night wrapped around me, not even knowing where she was. I got no sleep last night, and she is to blame.
“What do you think my safe word should be?” she asks Vada, completely oblivious to the fact that we are both uncomfortable with the current topic of discussion. “Banana would work, or what about unicorn? Ella would have a field day if she knew I used her favourite mythical creature as my safe word.”
I shake my head, trying to rid the images of Dylan over my knee, my handprint turning her ass a beautiful shade of pink. She’s a virgin, for fuck’s sake. She shouldn’t be imagining this shit.
“Yo, Brad! Chad’s on the phone. He said you aren’t answering your phone, and it’s important.”
I left my phone in the office earlier and haven’t gone back to get it yet.
“Coming,” I yell back at Henry, before turning back to the girls. “Eat the food, Dylan.”
She gives me another knowing smirk before picking up a chicken wing and biting into it, then licking her lips. “I’ll see you later, Brad.”
I groan and turn on my heels to find out what my brother wants.