21. Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Tessa
W e made the drive into Absolution with nothing but the sound of country music playing low in the cab of the truck. A mixture of vulnerability and determination still hummed in my veins while I replayed the last hour in my head.
After Reagan did my hair and makeup, and I looked in the mirror, my legs went numb. As I took in the image my new look portrayed, I couldn’t help but feel like a fraud. The thigh- high boots she foisted on me at the store belonged on someone sexy and confident, not someone like me. Despite Reagan’s continued reassurances about my appearance, I was unable to erase the feelings of insecurity telling me I looked ridiculous. Nerves filled my belly when she dragged me out of my room, but I pushed through, fighting the urge to tug the hem of my skirt down the entire time.
The same voice of insecurity continued to whisper in my ear until I entered the living room. That bitch shut up real quick when I saw the look on Finn’s face. There was only one way to describe it – hunger. Desire flared in his eyes when he saw me, and the butterflies I managed to tame took flight once more.
His reaction gave me the boost of confidence I needed, and by the time we left the house, I was determined to pull off the new me.
We pulled into the parking lot of my new place of employment, the jangle of Finn’s keys ringing through the truck’s cab when he parked while I looked at the establishment before us. The word Elysium seemed to hover against the brick building, a white under glow giving the sign’s black letters an old Hollywood feel.
Exiting the truck, Finn walked around to my side before opening the door. As I slid down, my heel landed wrong in the gravel and I lost my balance. My hand shot out to brace myself against the seat, only for an arm packed with muscle to wrap around my waist. He pulled me close, the sandalwood scent of his cologne and something that was distinctly him filling my senses while I regained my footing.
I looked up at Finn, only to realize these boots nearly brought us to the same eye level. His gaze focused on my lips, a pained look etched across his features. Finn’s features smoothed as I pulled away before he looked down at my boots.
“You going to be alright in those?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yep, I’ll be fine. I used to spend hours at a time on my feet in heels like these. I’m just not used to the gravel.”
Finn released his hold on me, my skin cooling in his absence.
The door to the bar creaked before he held it open. Country music floated out of the open doorway, and I entered my new place of employment.
My eyes raked over the interior of Elysium, noting three of the walls were constructed from brick matching the building’s exterior. Booths hugged the perimeter, while what I suspected was a dance floor on the weekends, currently held several high tops with matching stools. Shelves of liquor bottles decorated the far wall. A soft amber light emanated from beneath the wooden ledges, causing the bottles filled with different colored liquids to gleam in the dimly lit tavern. A mirror ran above the bottles, while a counter resembling the live edge of a tree and décor in soft earth tones completed the ambiance of the small-town honky-tonk.
Finn strode to the bar, shaking hands with a large man behind it.
“Remington, glad you made it.”
“Hey, Theo,” Finn greeted before turning in my direction. “This is Tessa.”
Theo held his hand out toward me, a warm smile stretching across his admittedly handsome face. “It’s great to meet you, Tessa. Finn’s had nothing but great things to say about you. I really appreciate you starting so quickly. We do a decent amount of business on Thursday nights and could really use the help.”
Knowing it would be rude to refuse, I reluctantly shook Theo’s hand. “Thank you for giving me a shot. It’s been a few years since I waitressed, but I promise not to let you down.”
Theo walked towards a door marked for employees only and waved me over. “Follow me, and we’ll get you set up with everything you’ll need.”
I shot a nervous glance at Finn, who pointed at one of the booths in the corner with his thumb. “I’m going to hang out and order some food. I’ll be over there if you need anything when you’re done with Theo.”
Theo directed us to what I assumed was his office before sitting in a chair behind the desk. “Go ahead and have a seat. I just need to get a few things together,” he said.
I took the opportunity to study the man before me. Like Finn, he was muscular and tall. Tattoo ink spilled past the edges of his sleeves, his muscles flexing as he moved things around his desk. My eyes moved over his chiseled jaw, thick eyelashes, and full mouth. Despite his obvious good looks, I couldn’t help but notice how they failed to inspire the butterflies that seemed to occupy my belly whenever Finn was around.
“Alright,” he said sliding a clipboard and pen across the desk. “Finn filled me in on the bare bones of your situation. You’ll be getting paid under the table to avoid any formal record of your employment, but I still need some basic information in case I have to get in contact with you. I promise nobody but me will see this.”
I took the paperwork from him, the pen hovering over the fields he highlighted. My cheeks heated with embarrassment when I realized I couldn’t fill it out simply because I didn’t know any of the information he wanted.
The sound of something being dropped in the kitchen ricocheted down the hallway making me flinch.
Theo looked over and frowned when he saw my form was still blank. “Everything alright?”
I rolled my lips together as shame filled every cell in my body. “I can’t fill this out,” I confessed.
The lines around Theo’s eyes deepened, and his eyebrows drew together. Knowing he needed more information, I clarified, “I’m staying with Finn right now, but I don’t know his address.” My eyes flicked to the form again, my voice growing quieter as I continued. “And I don’t have a phone anymore, so I can’t put a number down either.”
I stared at the floor while Theo studied me. Convinced he was about to ask me to leave, I prepared to head for the door when he shocked the hell out of me.
“Fair enough,” he said before he rose from behind the desk.
I stared wide-eyed while he walked to the door. “If you follow me, I’ll introduce you to Jenna. She’ll be your trainer until you’re ready to be on your own.”
Completely shocked I still had a job, I followed the man who graciously agreed to give me a chance.
We entered the kitchen where the staff were busy preparing for the evening ahead. Theo walked toward a slim brunette who was retying the apron around her waist. Inquisitive eyes raked over me as Theo introduced us.
“Jenna, this is Tessa. Tessa, Jenna’s worked here for the last couple years, and she’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
Theo excused himself before Jenna gave me a brief rundown of what to expect from the next several hours. While her inquisitive expression gave me reservations, Jenna was nothing but sweet and welcoming.
For the first several hours, I shadowed her and helped fill orders wherever I could. I was worried my skills would be rusty after so many years, but it was like riding a bicycle. When things picked up, Jenna asked me to take care of grabbing the drinks while she put everything into the computer.
Expecting Finn would head out after he ate dinner, I was surprised when he continued to loiter in his selected booth as my shift dragged on. It appeared Reagan wasn’t kidding when she said he didn’t come into town anymore. A steady stream of people stopped by his table to say hello, one after another telling him they started to wonder if he left for good.
I stood at the bar while Theo filled my table’s latest drink order. My feet ached, and the only thing I could think about was going home and taking a hot bath.
“Everything going okay so far, Tessa?” he asked.
I smiled gratefully at my boss. “Yes, Jenna’s been amazing, and everyone has been very welcoming.”
He jerked his chin down once in approval before he placed the last drink on my tray. I propped my arm underneath it, ensuring I had enough leverage to hold it up before turning toward the table that ordered them.
I weaved my way through the high tops, but just as I reached the table, my foot slid out from under me, making me lose my balance. Pain raced across my ribs while my tray crashed to the floor, liquid splashing over the worn hardwood, and the sound of glass breaking filled the air.
“ You bitch! ”
My entire body froze when the enraged voice reached my ears. I slowly looked up from the stool I managed to catch myself on to the irate woman beside me. While she was classically beautiful, the sneer on her face and the way her eyes squinted as they raked over me twisted her features into something ugly.
“I’m s-so sorry,” I stammered. “I don’t know what happened,” I added, looking around to see what caused me to lose my balance.
“Really?” she taunted, tossing her mane of shiny golden hair behind her shoulder. Her eyes traveled down my body, appearing to find me lacking based on the glower spreading across her face. “It’s not like your job is that hard, Butterball. You’re just a waitress. How difficult could it be to carry a tray of drinks from point A to point B without ruining everyone’s night?” she mocked in front of the entire tavern.
My eyes watered at her harsh words. Every single person went silent while they watched this woman belittle me. I mentally retraced my steps after I picked up the tray of drinks to try and figure out what happened, but came up empty.
“And on top of that, you ruined my new top. I mean, I knew Theo was desperate, but I didn’t think he’d hire someone so inept just because he was short-staffed.” The woman crossed her arms in front of her chest before opening her perfectly painted lips to continue her tirade.
I braced myself for the onslaught when a large figure suddenly planted himself in front of me, acting as a shield from the woman who seemed hell-bent on humiliating me. The smell of sandalwood washed over me, and I knew I was safe.
Fresh tears pricked the back of eyes at the realization Finn witnessed my humiliation firsthand.
“Finn.” The woman’s entire demeanor shifted. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her previously harsh and angry tone was now smooth and seductive. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been?”
“Back off, Jessica,” Finn practically growled at the woman. I peeked around him to see better.
Jessica’s perfectly manicured hand reached toward Finn, only for him to move before she made contact.
I ducked back behind Finn to hide my smirk.
“Sure thing,” she replied as though demeaning me in front of the entire town was no big deal. “Hey, why don’t we get a couple of drinks and go talk? It’s been forever since we caught up.”
My heart sank at the implication of her words before reprimanding myself. He and I were not together, and Finn was free to spend time with anyone he saw fit. Even if the idea of him with this viperous bitch made my skin crawl.
“I’ve been turning down your offers to catch up since we broke up in high school. No reason to change that now,” he said before turning around and facing me. Anxiety bubbled up my throat at my brief glimpse of Jessica’s expression. Shit . The vengeful look on her face sent shivers down my spine. That did not bode well for my employment status.
“You okay?” Finn asked, effectively pulling me from my thoughts of imminent termination. Unable to force words past the lump in my throat, I nodded. “Do you need me to run back home and grab you a change of clothes?”
I started to shake my head when Jessica’s now shrill voice cut in. “ Home? ” she spat. “Why the hell would her clothes be at your house?” she demanded.
Refusing to acknowledge her, Finn guided me toward the employee area behind the bar. Jenna marched past me, a mop and bucket rolling beside her while she glared at the woman behind us.
As Finn opened the door for me, I turned and took one last look at the woman who was apparently Finn’s ex. Damn, if I thought she was pissed before, she was downright seething now. Acknowledging the best course of action was to let everyone cool off, I ducked my head and headed to the employee lounge.
Finn marched toward the sink, grabbing several paper towels before striding back over to me. For the first time since I lost my balance, I felt the sticky soda coating my skin. Looking down, a sigh of relief escaped my lips when I realized my shirt took the brunt of it. As much as I balked when Reagan handed me the boots, I loved the way they made me feel and was grateful they were spared.
Lost in my head while I tried to figure how to adequately thank him for defending me, I startled when the door flew open again. Theo marched toward us, and my thoughts switched to how I could convince him not to fire me.
Deciding an apology was my best shot, I prepared to grovel if necessary. “I’m sor–” I started before Theo cut me off.
“Don’t you dare apologize,” he ordered. “I saw the whole thing. That bitch stuck her foot out to trip you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Thoroughly dazed, I processed Theo’s words, relief coursing through me at the realization I might still have a job. Then, as my pulse began to slow, the rest of his words hit.
Wait, she did that on purpose? And then blamed me in front of the entire bar?
Finn closed his eyes before angrily rubbing his hands against the scruff on his face.
“You’re sure?” I clarified while the understanding I didn’t screw up on my first night sunk in.
“One hundred percent,” Theo confirmed.
“Why would she do that? She doesn’t even know me,” I wondered aloud.
My question was met with silence before the two men shared a look.
Theo cleared his throat. “If I had to venture a guess, I’d imagine it had something to do with the rumor going around that Finn has a beautiful brunette staying with him. Given we don’t get many new people in this small town, I’m guessing she figured out you’re the woman they were talking about.”
Finn’s head snapped in Theo’s direction, and his eyes narrowed. Theo grinned at Finn in response and shook his head. “I did not start, nor did I facilitate, the spreading of said rumor. I can’t help it if Reagan announced to the entire coffee shop this morning that Tessa’s your new live-in girlfriend.”
Time slowed down as the enormity of Theo’s words hit me.
Oh. Shit. If Finn thought I was spreading lies about him, he’d kick me out and I’d have nowhere to go.
“Finn, I swear that’s not what was said,” I promised, my anxiety levels spiking.
Finn handed me the paper towels. “Tessa, I believe you, and I’m not mad,” he said. The wrinkles of frustration on his forehead smoothed out when he looked at me. “While I know Reagan is as big a fan of gossip as the rest of this town, I also know that’s not something she would say.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand before he explained, “This is just how small-town gossip works. Each person who relays the information twists it until it becomes something completely different from how it started.”
My relief at his understanding hit me like a freight train. I swayed slightly, my legs suddenly feeling unsteady before Finn reached out and steadied me.
“Tessa?” Finn said, the concern in his voice causing me to look at him.
“I’m fine,” I said while I did my best to shake off the reaction. “The adrenaline crash is hitting, that’s all.”
Finn studied me for several beats, the tension in his expression gradually easing before he nodded.
Remembering I needed to help Jenna clean up the mess, I turned to thank Theo for having my back. I stopped short when I found his eyes bouncing between Finn and me.
He chuckled lightly under his breath, tucking his chin to his chest before muttering so quietly I was almost positive I imagined it, “Looks like the town might have actually gotten it right for once.” Turning his attention back to me, he said, “You did a great job tonight, Tessa. Truly. I never would have expected a new waitress to be able to handle as much on their first night as you did. I’ll make sure Jenna cashes out your tips for the night, and you can collect them tomorrow. It’s almost closing time anyway, so take the rest of the night off,” he ordered before turning around and strolling from the room.
Stunned by the turn the night took, I blinked several times as the door closed behind him.
Finn spoke, pulling me out of my head. “Come on. Let’s go home.”