17. Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Grace
“This can’t be right.” I stare at the email on my phone as I sit in the back room and eat a sandwich on my lunch break the next day.
You’ve been awarded a scholarship for the semester and will receive a refund check after the add/drop period has passed. Please fill out the attached form so we can process your payment and avoid any unnecessary delays.
I don’t remember applying for any other scholarships than the ones I’d already received a decision for. I check for any signs that it’s SPAM or a phishing scheme. Then I call the bursar’s office at UNLV.
“That’s correct, Ms. Marsh. When you applied for financial aid, it looks like you were automatically qualified for consideration for this scholarship. The decision was made late this year due to a change in the terms.”
I thank the woman and click back to the email and open the form. I can choose to have the refund deposited into my bank account or have a paper check sent in the mail.
It seems way too good to be true, but this means I can add another two classes and get to my degree one semester sooner. The refund will be enough to cover my living expenses so I can cut my hours at the sandwich shop if I want.
I’m not sure I love the idea of being here less, and I don’t know how the owners will react, but Victor fully supports me going back to school, so I think he’ll advocate for me in his grumpy way. Although he seemed pretty pissed at me this morning.
I haven’t seen him since he found me eating with Lili, so I’m not sure how mad he actually is, and I’m not entirely eager to go looking and find out.
The subject of my thoughts steps into the back room and looks me up and down.
“What’s wrong?” he demands.
“I’m not sure. I got a scholarship letter for a scholarship I didn’t apply for. And I called the school to make sure it’s legit. Apparently, as long as my GPA stays up it’s mine until I graduate. It’s a full ride and then some.”
Victor grins, a sight I don’t see often, and reaches out to tousle my curls. “Congratulations, Grace. You deserve it.”
I’m not sure what I expect, but this isn’t it. Grumpy is his usual demeanor, and this morning he was even more so. Chipper is not a word I’ve ever used to describe him, but it applies right now.
“I guess. But good things like this don’t happen to me. There’s going to be a catch somewhere down the line and I’ll owe whoever gave me this my first born or something.”
Victor raises one eyebrow as he twirls his keys on his finger. “You really think a state-funded university would have a first-born child clause in their scholarship requirements?”
I sigh and drag a hand through my curls. They seem extra unruly today. “No. I realize it sounds ridiculous, I’m just suspicious.”
Victor squeezes my shoulder. “Suspicious is good. But don’t be so suspicious that you turn it down.”
“It’s money I need so I can cut my hours here. I’m not turning it down. But I will keep an eye out for whatever the catch is until the day I graduate.”
He pats my arm again. “Atta girl. I should let you get back to your lunch.”
When he’s gone, I can’t even think about my lunch, so I go through the email and acceptance form one more time. It still seems too good to be true, but hopefully it will be OK.
After I’m done with my lunch, I take a sandwich to Lili. This time, she doesn’t make much conversation, and I don’t either, because I have to get back on the clock. I wonder if Victor said something to her about being too friendly with me.
The rest of the day flies by, and soon I’m closing the shop. It’s rare for me to work open to close this way, but I offered to take the shift for someone else who needed the time off unexpectedly, and I don’t mind pulling doubles. The more I can add to my savings account, the better.
As I’m locking the door and preparing to check on Lili one more time, Victor steps into the room from the back. Has he been here all day? Victor is the one who oversees most of the day-to-day operations of the club, but I don’t usually see him here this much.
“I was about to see if Lili needed anything else,” I say as he stares at me.
“Good. After you’re done, get your purse and come with me.”
I frown. “Where are we going?”
“Dinner. I need to talk to you.”
“What about?”
Victor shoos me out of the room. “We’ll talk in the car.”
There’s no point standing here arguing with him, so I finish up my work and make my way to Lili’s room. When I open the door, she is kneeling on the floor, bent at the waist with her hands in front of her. It looks like a yoga pose.
“I’m almost done here,” she says, not moving from her position. I wait quietly until she finishes stretching, fascinated by the way she moves through the routine with grace and ease. When she sits up, I smile.
“I really need to do that,” I say.
“It clears my mind, does wonders for my energy levels, and keeps my joints limber. I highly recommend it.”
I clear my throat, unsure of what to say next. “It’s time for me to leave, but I wanted to come check on you first.”
“Are you doing anything fun tonight?”
I drop my head and lift my shoulder in a half-shrug. “I’m not sure. Victor just asked if he could take me to dinner because he needs to talk to me.”
Lili raises an eyebrow. “That sounds exciting. Perhaps the two of you can quit lying to each other now.”
I scowl. “What the fuck does that mean?”
Lili laughs. “I mean it’s clear that both of you like each other. You make a cute couple.”
I wave my hand at her dismissively. “You are crazy.” But inside, I’m hoping she’s right. We admitted our attraction to each other after our needle scene, but we haven’t talked about it since, and I’ve been feeling a little lost.
Lili points at the door. “Get out of here. I don’t need anything. Have a wonderful dinner with Victor. Come back and tell me all about it tomorrow.”
I open the door and wave at her. “I’m supposed to be off tomorrow, but maybe that’s what Victor wants to talk to me about.”
Lili rolls her eyes. “Yes, because he needs to take you to dinner to ask you to work an extra day. That makes so much sense.”
It’s weird to talk to Lili like she’s a girlfriend, someone I can confide in. I know she’s the exact opposite. Still, I smile and promise to give her the details as soon as I can. I stop in one of the restrooms, touch up my lipstick, and run a brush through my hair before I head back to the front of the sandwich shop where Victor is waiting.
“What the fuck took you so long?” he snaps.
“Sorry,” I murmur. “I had to stop in the bathroom.”
Victor offers his arm. “No. I’m sorry for snapping. You didn’t deserve that. Shall we go to dinner?”
I slip my hand through his arm, and together we walk into the parking lot towards his car. I can’t shake the sense that something is about to change between us.