Chapter 10
Molly
My eyes widen in shock as I freeze hearing Ace’s angry boom and the diner quiets, everyone looking towards the hallway, clearly not used to this side of Ace.
For just one second, one split second, I think maybe I made a mistake, that I have taken things too far by letting Abby get away with stripping and lying on his desk, only that tiny second though, before it goes again, and I chuckle.
Maybe now he’ll fire me and agree on a payment plan.
“You two, I swear, you should just hate fuck and get it over with,” Shaun grumbles as he opens the cash register, getting Mrs. Hollows change for her, and I scowl at him while she snorts but coughs to cover it.
He did not just say that to me?
“Like I’d give him my virginity,” I retort out of reflex as the woman waves bye, and Shaun looks at me with a smirk while I freeze, my eyes widening, realizing what I admitted to, and my face heats up.
Dammit.
The ass grins wide, and I narrow my eyes at him and open my mouth, ready to threaten him if he even lets slip to Ace my little secret, that I’ll castrate him, but a commotion pauses me.
“Get out!” is shouted from down the hallway, shocking myself and Shaun as we both look in time to see Abby rushing into the diner completely naked, as if there aren’t families eating here.
My mouth parts as she runs past me with tears streaming down her face while she tries to cover her breasts before a slam echoes, then loud bangs follow it, and I flinch.
Oh crap.
“Fuck, did she have a red rash around her thighs?” Blue gags watching Abby run out of the diner, who will most likely be arrested for public indecency, while Shaun mutters to me, “I think maybe you need to halt on the pranks for a while,” and I suck in a breath, knowing this is all my fault, and I nod before flinching, hearing another bang.
Crap. Maybe I did push it too far, yet the thought of him choking on his salty coffee appeals to me.
Double crap.
Swallowing past my nerves, I put the coffee jug down and round the counter, Shaun’s, “Maybe just give him time to cool down, Molly. I’ve never seen him this pissed before,” just hitting my ears as I walk towards the man's office, ignoring him.
I know I should give Ace some space, but I think I went too far with this stunt, even if I just want him to fire me.
I get it wasn’t my fault with his bike, but he’s just trying to get me to pay it off, and the odd laxative in his coffee and salt in his food is completely different from allowing a woman with an STD to get off on his private desk.
I messed up. I thought it would be funny, that he’d fire me because I was being a menace. I didn’t know he’d lose it this badly, and well, I have to take responsibility, something my father taught me early on in life.
Shaking out my hands as I stop outside his office door as another crash echoes behind it making me flinch and I take a deep breath before knocking, and within seconds the door slams open, making me jump as a very angry Ace comes into view, glaring at me full of hate and disdain.
The look he gives me makes me flinch, as if he’d slapped me. It’s the same cold, unreadable glare he’s worn since the day we met, and it hurts more each time.
My heart aches under his glare.
Dammit, I like him…. crap.
“Fuck. Off,” Ace growls lowly, his voice full of danger, and yet, I don’t feel frightened. Even seeing his body all tensed up, I’m not afraid of him. He doesn’t scare me, and I know without a doubt, he’ll never hurt me that way.
Despite his anger, I feel strangely safe around him.
“I uh, I just wanted to –”
He cuts me off and shouts, “I said fuck off, Molly!”
Uh oh, I definitely messed up, he didn’t call me Pidge, a nickname I despise out in the open, but I secretly love...
“I’m sorry I allowed her into your office,” I say firmly, not allowing him to try to scare me off. “I took things too far, and I’ll lay low on the pranks for a little while,” or I’ll try anyhow, but he doesn’t need to know that bit.
Despite his rage, despite him breathing heavy, he crosses his arms over his strong chest, his biceps stretching his shirt sleeves, his forearms on show, arms I would love nothing more than to have wrapped around me, and he raises a brow at me as his mesmerizing blue eyes look at me intently and he questions, “For a while?”
I smirk and remind him, “You’re still a prick,” and I swear his lips twitch like he wants to smile, and my heart flutters at that notion, and pride hits seeing his tension leave him a little bit.
I did that.
I can piss him off to the point he destroys stuff, but I can also bring him back down, and honestly, I don’t know how to feel about that, especially when he shows me nothing but hate.
The only time he softened towards me was when he learned who my father was, and even then, it was only for a few minutes.
Damn, I really do like him, and if he didn’t hate me so much, I could actually see myself falling madly in love with him, I could see myself wanting to settle down for the first time in my life.
I could see him being the person Daddy was to Mama to me, and that is a scary notion.
Emotions flow through me as I give Ace a soft smile, trying my hardest not to let my eyes shine with unshed tears at the notion that I know I’ll never have this man because, well, he hates me and treats me like crap, and I whisper, “I am sorry, Ace, something like that won’t ever happen again.”
I wonder what his given name is. I mentally shake that thought away as Ace tilts his head at me, and yes, I notice that his body has softened even more, which makes my stomach tighten.
“But I should expect more pranks like stink bombs and custard balloons?” he confirms, though I can’t tell if there’s a hint of humor there. His anger is still noticeable, just not as bad as it was.
“As I said, you’re a prick,” I remind him, and he hums before sighing as he looks in his office, and I wince seeing the mess.
Oh yeah, I really messed up.
“I really am sorry, Ace,” I repeat, and he hums, “I know,” before sighing, “Why don’t you get back to work, Pidge? I need to clean up the mess.”
He doesn’t look at me, but I hate to admit it, that my heart flutters hearing that stupid nickname, and I clear my throat as I look at him one more time, willing his eyes to lock with mine which they don’t disappointing me.
I walk back towards the diner knowing it’s almost clock out time for me. I have work tonight…ugh.
Shaun raises a brow when I walk to the counter, and I smile slightly and admit, “He’s good, though his office is trashed.”
He winces, then asks, “The pranks?”
I grumble, “I promised to hold off on them for a while,” and he laughs seeing my disappointment, and I look back down to the hallway, the urge to go back to him pulling me.
Maybe I should help him clean up?
Maybe I could explain what really happened with his bike?
“Fuck, you like him,” Shaun gasps as his laughter dies off, and I just shake my head and mutter, “It doesn’t matter, he hates me, and honestly, I don’t even know why I have this feeling towards him, he’s a prick.”
“So you’ve said,” he chuckles before he says, “my mama used to say, when you hold disdain for someone, there is always a little bit of love hiding underneath.”
I roll my eyes at him and state, “I don’t love him, Shaun. I barely know him. I just don’t know how to explain it. It’s like I gravitate towards him.”
Shaun hums before we hear, “Pidge, why in the fuck are there several kittens in my fucking bathroom?!” shouted from down the hallway.
Crap.
My eyes widen as my mouth parts, and poor Shaun, he doesn’t know whether to laugh or run.
“I-I-I uh,” I stutter as a door slams against the wall echoes, and I look at the time and say, “What do you know, my shift is over,” like a coward as I quickly jump over the counter and grab my bag suddenly happy the diner only has a few customers right now.
Blue raises a brow at me, her lips twitching, and I give her a salute before rushing towards the door.
“I thought we had an agreement you weren’t going to prank me for a while, Pidge, and where in the fuck did you get all those kittens from?” Ace sneers as he rounds the corner, and I wince as we lock eyes, his narrowing eyes seeing I’m doing a runner.
“In my defense, I said that after I messed up,” I call and run out of the diner like my ass is on fire.
I totally forgot about the fourteen kittens I let loose in his bathroom and, oh crap, I bet he hasn’t gone into his cupboard yet has he?
“Pidge!” he shouts just as the door shuts, and I don’t stop my pace and rush to my mustang, preferably before he follows me and kills me when he realizes I also put five chickens in his large cupboard.
***
My phone rings for the tenth time as I walk inside my parents' home through the utility room and into the kitchen, the colors no longer the shade my mama chose, but instead a hideous salmon color, and sadness fills me like it always does when I see the difference in the home that Dad allowed his wife free rein to ruin all to keep her happy.
It’s beginning to not feel like home anymore, which, in hindsight, is just making it easy to make my decision and put the place on the market before I start fresh somewhere else.
Ace’s deep blue eyes consume me, and I swallow hard.
Yeah, leaving would probably be a good idea because honestly, he has heartbreaker written all over him and the pull I feel towards him is scaring the living crap out of me.
I’m closed off, I don’t want to fall in love.
My phone rings again as I eye the piece of paper on the counter, and I sigh, seeing it’s a to-do list, because, you know, Dad left me the house and not Ruth.
Lazy leeches.
I shake my head, grab my phone, and answer without thinking.
“Hello?” I answer but wince, suddenly realizing I’ve most likely answered Ace’s call, but instead I tense when Professor Chuck, a man I always ensure I speak to in a public place because he has that kind of negative aura about him, a man I know for a fact is screwing my step-monster, speaks, “Good afternoon, Molly. I know this is unconventional, but I thought you would like to know that you failed my class.”
“Failed?” I ask suspiciously.
I’ve already gotten the credits for his class last semester, the dean has already put it towards my certificates and I don’t even attend his class anymore, so what in the hell is he talking about?
He clears his throat and confirms, “Yes, your uh, your paper on analysis of policies that affect client systems and advocacy seems to be uh forged, which is an instant fail.”
Liar, I want to scream, but I don’t as my phone beeps, indicating a message.
“Look, I know how important it would be to pass my class, with you wanting to graduate this year and all that, so I’m willing to pull some strings for some favors,” he says with a lilt, and my jaw ticks.
Okay, never mind, Ace isn’t a prick, he’s just grumpy, this man, however, is an absolute prick!
“Would now be a good time to explain that I never wrote that paper because it wasn’t required for me last semester when I actually took your class, and that my calls automatically record, Professor?” I say with a hint of anger, and the dick goes quiet for a moment before he clears his throat.
“I uh, well, you see –”
I cut him off, already seeing where this is coming from so out of the blue and accuse, “You’re still screwing my stepmother right?
And she put you up to this? Because let’s face it, I either agree with your suggestion and you claim I came onto you and get me kicked out of the college, or you really do try and fail me in hindsight still getting me kicked out of college despite the fact that the dean is aware of my credits. That was your plan correct?”
He’s quiet and I swear I hear an annoyed screech in the background and I chuckle, “Tell Ruth, Abby has most likely been arrested for public indecency and also professor, expect a phone call from Dean Ross,” and I hang up, so freaking glad that I do automatically record my calls because of Ruth and Abby and the amount of times they’ve tried to lie through their teeth to get the house.
Shaking my head, I quickly write an email to Mr. Ross, attach the recording, and send it to him, ensuring he’s aware of how uncomfortable I now feel having him on campus. I also add Mr. Chimes to the email.
I won’t have this crap anymore, I refuse, and it is time Ruth got what is coming to her.
My phone goes off again, and I wince seeing four messages, one from Abby and three from Ace.
I open Abby’s first.
Step Bitch:
You set me up. How could you do that? I was arrested, Molly, arrested, and it is all your fault!
“Or maybe yours for not keeping your clothes on and besides, you’ve clearly been bailed out,” I mutter before bringing up the messages from Ace, and I can’t help the smirk that takes place.
Jackass:
Chickens? Are you fucking serious?
Jackass:
They shat all over my fucking log books, Pidge! And don’t get me started with what the kittens did, and where in the fuck did you get them all from?
Oops… Guess I didn’t think about that.
Jackass:
Back-to-back shifts for the next two weeks as punishment for the kittens, and you’re on cleaning duty for a fucking week for the chickens!
I smirk and mutter, “Totally worth it,”
I quickly message him back.
Me:
Or, hear me out, we set up a payment plan?
I press send and wait a few seconds before my phone pings, and I groan as I read the message.
Jackass:
In your fucking dreams, Pidge, Two. Weeks. Back to back!
Damn.
So much for his possibly giving in.
“I’m beginning to think he likes my pranks,” I grunt as I put my phone in my pocket and read through the massive cleaning list making me snort.
Ruth’s and Abby’s rooms are on it which doesn’t surprise me, so I quickly scratch it off and move to do the rest of it because, as they’ve said, it is my house, and hopefully, by the time I’ve finished, Ace will be a back burner in my brain and I’ll be able to cook something without burning it again.
I snort at that thought. The guy is mean, and yet I’ve gravitated towards him, and honestly, I don’t know how much longer I can take being in his orbit.
The man is going to break my heart, and the more I push him away so he’ll fire me, the more he holds on tighter for revenge, and at some point, all the pranks will come to an end, and I’ll end up doing something stupid – like kissing him.
I know I said I’d lay off on the pranks, but crap, I need a way out before I get hurt because that man is more closed than Abby’s legs should be.