Chapter 25
Elenie
She changed into the spare uniform she kept at work and got stuck into the familiar routine that kickstarted every shift at Diner 43. As Elenie unloaded the dishwashers and sanitized the surfaces on autopilot, the craziness of the last twelve hours ran on repeat in her brain.
She’d woken early enough to watch the sun rise across the stunning face of Roman Martinez just inches from her nose. They weren’t touching, though she was pretty sure she’d drifted off with her hand in his. Barely breathing, Elenie watched him like a stalker for as long as she could, greedy eyes taking in the relaxed lines of his face.
As she pulled on her clothes from the night before, Roman rolled onto his side in his sleep, his arm denting the pillow beneath his head. The silver scar along his jawline called to her fingers. At some point in the night he’d pulled the comforter over one leg, his undershirt bunching just enough to show an inch of tanned skin above the waistband of his jeans. His body was insane. It had physically hurt to drag herself away.
Caitlyn’s little house was silent, the hum of town life outside different to the sounds at home. No one stirred as Elenie stealthily opened the front door and headed to work.
The first ninety-five percent of their fake date in the Barrel might well have ruined her for every real date to come in the future. Roman Martinez was an impossible act to follow. Elenie shivered at the memory of his midnight-dark irises focused on her face, spearing her with heat. She would sell her soul for someone to look at her like that when they weren’t pretending.
“I swear to God, if you don’t pull your finger out and start moving, Elenie Dax, you won’t make it to the end of your shift!”
Delia’s threat brought her straight down to earth.
An apology fell from Elenie’s lips. Daydreaming was for other people. Not her. She would still be here long after Roman had headed back to his life in the city.
Otto’s smile was kind. He patted her wrist when she poured his coffee.
“Ignore her, Elenie. She wouldn’t know how to manage without you, and that’s the truth. That woman is so jealous of you, she doesn’t know how to control it.”
“Jealous? Of me?”
The idea was comical.
“Of you.”
Otto nodded.
“You’re clever, you’re young, and you’re beautiful. Your whole life is lying ahead of you, filled with endless possibilities. It makes perfect sense that she’d be jealous.”
New customers filled another booth and he waved her away with good humor, spreading his newspaper out on the table. She stared hard at Delia when she collected the next order, trying to process and evaluate Otto’s words. He must be wrong. People loathed or mistrusted the Daxes. They were wary, often angry, sometimes fearful. Never jealous.
Elenie skipped her break, choosing to ignore how exhausted she felt from a stressful evening and too few hours in bed. The morning flew by and the flow of diners was steady.
A familiar, dark-haired woman called in for pastries. As she laid a book on the countertop to dig in her purse for the right money, Elenie realized she recognized her from the library.
“I’ve read that one,”
Elenie said, unable to resist.
“I love E.V. Huxley. I recommended it to a friend, too.”
She pointed at Otto.
The customer gave her a blinding smile and tugged her glasses free of a tangled curl.
“That’s amazing! I work with the author. This is one of her early titles. I reread them constantly.”
“E.V. Huxley’s a woman?”
Elenie grinned.
“I wouldn’t have guessed.”
“Her name’s Esther. I’m Leah.”
“Nice to meet you. You have a cool job.”
“It’s the best.”
Leah’s smile flashed again, freckles dotting her pale cheekbones like cinnamon on steamed milk. She handed over the payment for the pastries, said a cheery goodbye, and headed for the door. It burst open as she reached it. Leah made a quick and fluent side-step, eyeing Dean warily as he barreled past her.
Shit.
Elenie approached him quickly before he could make a scene. Face flushed, mouth twisted, he grabbed her arm.
“You stole my fucking drugs!”
he hissed in her ear.
With no other option open to her, Elenie stuck with outright denial and thanked God Dean wasn’t very smart.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Bullshit! I know what I had in my pocket. Then abra-fucking-cadabra, I’m told it was in yours last night.”
He pushed his face toward hers. It wasn’t his best angle.
“I’m glad he dumped your sorry ass for it! I’m glad you looked like a skank in front of a whole bar full of people!”
Dean twisted her wrist.
“You’re no better than the rest of us, Elenie.”
“Actually, she’s worse.”
Like two choreographed dancers, they both spun around. Elenie’s mouth opened in a surprised “O.”
Caitlyn stood in the doorway, hands on hips and side by side with Summer.
“We heard all about it, too.”
Pushing Dean out of the way without sparing him a second glance, she jabbed her finger into Elenie’s chest.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m about to have a baby and drugs are a hard no for me. Look what they did to Millie Westlake! Does that mean nothing to you?”
Elenie had a moment to secretly admire the way Caitlyn pitched her voice just low enough to keep the conversation between the four of them, before Summer stepped forward and took the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. A perfect tear shimmered on her lower eyelashes.
“Oh, Elenie.”
Her bottom lip quivered.
“I’m so disappointed in you.”
Elenie let out a forced laugh. Dean took it all in, slack-jawed.
“Join the line, babe. I’ve been letting people down since I was born.”
She took a quick glance over her shoulder to check Delia wasn’t listening.
“Can I get any of you a table or would you like to fuck off now?”
Surprisingly, none of them stayed.
Either Delia’s bat ears hadn’t picked up on the ruckus or she pretended not to hear in order to keep the diner operational. Either way, Elenie finished her shift with a job to return to and a ridiculous amount of adrenalin coursing through her body at the thought of going home after last night’s drama.
Her fingers tingled with it, her heart pounded. There was a genuine possibility she might be sick. Suddenly, it all seemed very real.
A text from Roman came silently through on her cell phone as she reached the top of the hill.
Thea (Roman):
Hey. You there?
She knew he wouldn’t text more unless she answered.
I’m nearly home.
Thea (Roman):
Caitlyn told me what happened in the diner. If you don’t feel safe at any point, please get out of there and call me. I will meet you anywhere. Get in touch when you can.
Elenie rested the screen of her phone against her forehead, committing his message to her memory before deleting it. Shoving her precious cell to the bottom of her bag, she walked toward the house.
Craig Perry’s six-year-old Jag was parked next to Frank’s truck and Elenie sagged with relief. Usually, she would go to any length to avoid the slimeball but, today, he might just be the key to saving her skin.
Closing the front door behind her, Elenie wrapped herself in the cloak of the character she’d been working on all the way home.
Despairing and pathetic, she recited to herself. Defeated, beaten, and humiliated.
Athena appeared in the doorway of the living room. They looked at each other silently. Elenie bit her lip. “Mom.”
Her voice sounded shaky and needy in the dim entryway. Not all of it was an act.
“One of these days, you’re gonna push it too fucking far.”
Sympathy flickered on her mother’s face, driven out by a tired resignation which was far more familiar. When Athena drifted back into the living room, Elenie forced herself to follow.
Frank lounged in an armchair, glass in one hand, open bottle of whiskey within reach. Craig sat at one end of the couch. Her mother slumped onto the cushions to curl up against the opposite arm. On the television, an action movie she’d seen before rolled toward a climax. Her hands shoved into the front pocket of her hoodie, Elenie watched a fireball engulf two tanks on the screen. There was chaos, screaming, multiple admirable death throes from multiple different actors.
“Craig’s been telling me about last night.”
Frank’s tone was dangerous. Elenie tried to estimate how much he’d had to drink. She effected a listless shrug.
“It was a fucking car crash.”
Craig grinned.
“You should’ve been there.”
His phone was in his hand, thumb idly scrolling as he spoke.
Elenie’s skin prickled as Frank examined her face. She kept her eyes on the television and imagined one of the exploded tank drivers was the love of her life, his fiery death, slow and painful. Her soulmate lost to the cinematic battlefield. She scrubbed the back of her hand over exhausted eyes which were satisfyingly hot and moist. The silence lingered way past comfortable. Athena picked her nails, casually alert. Frank watched Elenie.
Craig, seeming oblivious to the undercurrents, tucked his cell into his jacket pocket.
“Tell you what, babe. I’ll give you a do-over. To help you out. The business guild gala dinner is on the twenty-fourth and I need to go. Come with me and I’ll even sort you out with something pretty to wear.”
He ran his eyes over her body in a way that both creeped her out and had her fuming at the same time.
Fuck.
She hadn’t expected to be put on the spot like this. Frank knew she’d rather die than date Craig; she’d told him often enough. If Elenie wanted him to believe she was crushed, this was a good place to start. She tried to imagine what Roman would say. Craig, Frank, and Athena were all waiting for her to answer.
“Whatever.”
Elenie shrugged again.
“Might as well.”
“Good choice, Ellie.”
Don’t wink at me, you dick. I swear to God if you wink at me . . .
Craig winked at her.
“I’m hungry—I need a sandwich.”
She waved a hand in the direction of the kitchen.
“I think I’ll come too.”
Elenie’s steps faltered as Frank clambered to his feet. She shot a look at her mother.
Athena caught hold of Frank’s wrist as he passed the couch.
“Play nice, now.”
“Nice is my middle name.”
He bared his teeth in a crocodile smile and followed Elenie to the kitchen.
The silence held the weight of a boulder as she moved between the fridge and the cupboards. Frank looked relaxed but his body language was deceptive. Faded tattoos moving over the muscles of his arms, he pulled a lighter from his jeans pocket. Elenie’s tongue darted out to wet her lips; there was no saliva in her mouth.
“Seems I didn’t make myself clear enough.”
His tone was conversational.
“Either that or you’re a fuckin’ idiot.”
Her stomach rolled; her armpits were damp. Frank flicked the lid of his lighter open and shut. A smirk hovered on his lips.
“Are you an idiot, El?”
Elenie kept her gaze fixed on her sandwich, layering a cheese slice between the bread with total concentration. Would he gloat or lash out? She couldn’t tell yet. Her throat was tight, her heart galloped so fast her head spun.
“I bet you feel dumb now. You look as dumb as fuck from where I’m standing.”
She flinched when Frank shifted, propping himself up against the counter, so close that her elbow brushed his solid stomach. He grinned, feeding off her fear, a master of intimidation.
“Craig’s more than you deserve so don’t screw that up.”
Frank lifted a hand, crisscrossed with fine scars, to grip her chin. Elenie held herself rigid, nostrils flaring, letting him feel the shudder that tremored under her skin.
“Do us all a favor—keep your mouth shut and open your legs when you need to.” He pushed her face away from him, eyes hard and cold. “Craig’s a damn sight more use to us in the family than a fuckin’ cop. Don’t make me have to remind you of that.”
They stared at each other for a moment.
“You hearing me this time, Ellie?”
Controlled menace rolled off Frank like drugstore aftershave.
“Yes.”
Her reply was a whisper. Elenie dropped her eyes, shoulders hunched.
He pushed away with a satisfied grunt and she leaned sweaty palms against the countertop as he strode out of the kitchen.
You girls make fierce enemies. And WTF Summer? Real tears!
Summer:
Looked like a distraction was needed. U impressed?
Caitlyn:
I nearly high-fived her performance but I was too Outraged!!!
Yh I got that.
Summer:
U home?
Caitlyn:
Give us an update.
It went some way toward settling her stomach to have friends who cared that she was OK.
Craig was here when I arrived. Probably made things calmer than they could have been.
But he asked me to go to the business guild dinner with him. Right in front of Frank.
Caitlyn:
Fuck.
Summer:
What did you say?
It didn’t feel like I had a choice. What do you think?
Caitlyn:
. . .
Summer:
. . .
Girls? I need help!
Caitlyn:
I hate to say it but I think you’re right. Shit. Roman will flip.
Summer:
He’s not going to like it.
You’ve forgotten he dumped my sorry ass in the Barrel.
Caitlyn:
Yh true. Thats OK then. See you at the gala dinner
You’re going??!!
Caitlyn:
Milo, me, Luke, Thea, and Roman. Couldn’t keep us away. Last year’s main raffle prize was a voucher for 2 new tires at Jeffersons Motors.
Kill me now.
Summer:
My mom’s staying that weekend so Dougie and I can’t make it
That’s good! The less people I know, the better. Now I just have to make Craig understand I’d rather put a campfire out with my face than sleep with him.
Summer:
Caitlyn: