Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Austin
My t-shirt clings to my skin thanks to the rain that began as a light drizzle and has steadily grown heavier while I’ve been cleaning up what’s left of my beer garden.
I’m not cold though—my anger and frustration are keeping me plenty warm enough.
I should have known something like this would happen.
While there are still plenty of smaller tasks to complete before the grand reopening of Bowman’s, all the major work has gone ahead on schedule and without a hitch so of course I was worried something I couldn’t foresee happening would crop up at the last moment.
A woman as attractive as she is clueless literally crashing into my outdoor seating area certainly fits the bill.
A muscle in my jaw twitches with my irritation as I glare at the two piles I’ve made—one Reggie agreed to take to the tip in his work van, and one with larger pieces of my picnic tables that I’m hoping to salvage and rebuild.
Mum wanted to help, but I sent her back inside to finish looking over the new menus.
Picking up another broken plank of wood destined for the skip pile, I almost don’t hear the quiet voice over the rain.
“Hi, it’s Austin, right?”
If I pretend I haven’t heard her, will she go away? I throw the wood onto the pile with the rest of the unsalvageable parts, and she squeaks in surprise.
Taking a deep breath so I don’t immediately bite her head off, I turn to face her. “What do you want?” Hardly a good show of manners, but it’s the most cordial attitude I can muster under the circumstances.
“I came back to help with the mess, but it looks like you’re almost done.”
Surprised she returned to help when I was half convinced we’d never see her again despite her offer to work off the cost of repairs, I stare at her.
She’s wearing a coat, but it’s not waterproof, and droplets of rain cling to the fabric and drip from the edge of the hood that frames her pale face.
Her baby-blue eyes are so wide they look like they belong on a cartoon princess from one of the films my little sister used to make me watch when we were younger.
“Yeah, this is as good as it’s going to get for now. Not much more I can do until I order new materials.”
“Right.” She rocks back on her heels, looking uncertain.
“Come inside, we can fill out your starter paperwork.” I give her my back and head into the bar, knowing she’ll follow. The paperwork could wait, but she walked over here in the pouring rain—it’s only right I give her a few minutes to get warm before sending her back on her way.
I hold open the heavy wooden door for her, and she darts inside beneath my arm. She’s so short she doesn’t even need to duck. Mum looks up from her spot perched on a stool with a teal cushion at the bar, the menus in her hands forgotten.
“You came back.” She smiles at Cassie as if she’s welcoming an old friend rather than the dumb tourist who just trashed our family business.
“She wanted to help clean up outside,” I explain.
“Oh, that’s sweet of you. Are you all finished out there, or did the rain send you in?”
“Austin was just finishing up when I arrived.”
“Well, it was still good of you to offer,” Mum replies, determined to praise the woman for some reason.
“I’m going to change into a dry shirt, then I’ll bring out the paperwork. Do you have ID with you?”
Cassie fiddles with the strap of her rucksack. “Yeah.” She still looks nervous.
I suppose I could try to be a little more welcoming, though that’s hardly my default even on a good day. Toning down the bite of anger in my voice, I reply, “Great. Have a seat, I’ll be back in a minute.”
Mum shoots me a look over my surly attitude.
What does she expect, for me to smile at the woman I just spent the best part of an hour picking up after?
Mum’s not the one soaking wet and trying to figure out when she can fit building new picnic tables into her schedule.
I do my best to ignore her obvious disapproval, but I can feel her gaze boring into my back as the door to the staff-only corridor swings closed behind me.
While I do whatever needs taken care of front of house, especially during busier times, I also spend a fair chunk of my time in the small back office.
There’s no window, so I turn on the overhead light.
My coat is draped over the back of the comfortable swivel chair behind the wooden desk, and my empty thermos stands next to the computer monitor.
I peel the wet cotton t-shirt from my body and hang it over the small radiator to dry.
There’s a random blue roll on top of the filing cabinet in the corner, and I rip off a strip of the paper to dab myself dry.
A towel would be better, but this will have to do.
Luckily, the box of t-shirts with the bar’s new logo on arrived today.
There’s nothing to be done about the wet denim of my jeans, so I suck it up and power on my laptop so I can print off Cassie’s new hire paperwork.
Forms in hand, I stride down the small staff corridor and back into the bar. Mum and Cassie sit at a table chatting away. At the heavy thud of my boots on the wooden floor, their heads turn towards me.
“Here.” I lay the paperwork and a pen on the table in front of Cassie.
“Start filling that out while I photocopy your ID.” I hold out my hand expectantly, and she scrambles to pick up her bag.
Expecting her to give me a driver’s license, my eyebrows wing up in surprise when she hands over a passport.
I flip it open, my attention snagging on her photo.
The woman before me is almost unrecognisable from the blonde on the page.
Her hair colour and glasses are such simple changes that I’m amazed they make such a difference.
Mum stands and takes the passport from me. “I’ll do that. You stay and help Cassie with the paperwork.”
“I know what you’re doing,” I murmur low enough that Cassie won’t hear.
Giving me her best innocent look, Mum replies, “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
I snort. Yeah right.
Mum’s been on at me to start dating again ever since my little sister, Aria, moved in with her boyfriend and his son.
We met Eric and Toby last summer when Eric followed Aria here to apologise for being an idiot.
Once they worked things out, the five of us spent a few days getting to know each other before they went back home to Riverbend.
I’m happy for my baby sister and hope to find a love like she and Eric share one day but, as I’ve repeatedly explained to Mum, now is not the right time.
While I appreciate her taking more of an interest in my personal life now that we’ve reconciled our differences over needing to update the bar, I could do without her pushing every woman she meets in my direction.
Cassie isn’t even a local. She’ll stick around long enough to work off her debt, then disappear back to wherever she came from, hopefully without destroying any more of my bar in the meantime.
Pulling out the chair opposite the tiny menace, I take a seat. “It’s all fairly straightforward, but let me know if you need any help.”
Cassie nods, already filling in her details. After a few minutes, she sets the pen on top of the forms and pushes the paper towards me.
I scan them in confusion. “You’ve put The Dragonfly as your address?”
“I thought it made more sense than putting my home address since it’s where I’ll be for the foreseeable future.”
The more I hear her speak, the more her accent intrigues me—it’s mostly English, somewhere in the home counties if I had to guess, but there’s a slight twang that creeps in now and again that almost sounds American. I suppose that would explain the ‘ma’am’.
“And your employment history? It’s blank.” According to the form, she’s twenty-four. Surely she must have had a job of some kind before now.
Her teeth rake over her full lower lip. “My previous work was all outside of the UK, but one of my old… supervisors lives in London. I can give you his number for a reference if you want?”
“You do have the right to work here, though?” I check.
“Yes.”
I sigh, running a hand through my damp hair. “Alright, put his number down and I’ll give him a call. Where did you work together and what was your role?”
“The US, and I was a waitress.”
Vague much? From the look in her eyes, I can tell she knows I was looking for more details like, oh, I don’t know, a business name, not just the country.
Hell, I’d take a state, but something tells me she won’t give any more details even if I push.
Fine. She can keep her secrets. The only reason I bothered asking when I’ve already given her the job is for my peace of mind.
Mum may want to help Cassie, but something about her is off.
At least if I speak to a reference, I’ll have some assurance Cassie is who she says she is and that she won’t cause me any more trouble.
She reaches across the table, looking between her phone and the paper as she jots down a phone number and the name Liam Clarke next to it. The name niggles at me as if I know it from somewhere, but I can’t think why.
Cassie’s about to put down the pen, but I stop her. “You need to fill in your bank details too.”
“I thought I was working for free to pay for…” she waves a hand in the direction of the carnage outside, “you know.”
“True, but you said you might be interested in staying on afterwards, so…”
“Oh, right.” Her light-blue gaze darts around as if she’s been put on the spot. “I don’t have a bank account here.”
I sigh. Of course she doesn’t, because nothing about this woman is straightforward.
“Could you just pay me in cash?”
Barely resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I reply, “Fine.”
Her relieved smile is shaky and only makes me more suspicious. If she’s truly shady, I’m sure her reference will have something to say about it.
“Be here Tuesday at ten AM for staff training.”
“Got it.” She gives me a tight smile and picks up her bag. “Oh, that reminds me, I brought this. I know it won’t cover all the damages, but I figure it’s a start.”
I eye the cash in her hand. “You can still afford your room at The Dragonfly if you give me that?” I check. The last thing I want is for her to run off without paying Esther and Thomas because she’s spent all her money paying me back.
Cassie nods. “Yeah, this was my ‘in case of emergency’ cash.” She smiles sheepishly. “I didn’t expect to need it so soon.”
“Alright.” I accept the money, counting it quickly, even more surprised when the total reaches two hundred. “This will cover the outdoor heater you broke. Your first week of shifts will cover the rest.” Some of the tensions eases from her shoulders.
“Great. Listen, I really am sorry for wrecking your garden. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to make it up to you.”
“Just make sure you’re on time for training on Tuesday,” I reply, uncomfortable in the face of her gratitude.
The hopeful look on Cassie’s face is replaced by a carefully neutral expression.
Fortunately, Mum saves me from putting my foot in my mouth any more than I already have. “Here’s your ID.”
“Thanks.” Cassie accepts her passport and hastily shoves it into her bag, eager to get away from me. Can’t say I blame her.
Sensing the tension, Mum looks between us.
“Where did my car end up?” Cassie asks.
“It’s with Gem, at her garage. They close early on Sundays, but you can pop round any time from eight tomorrow morning to check on it.”
She gives Mum a grateful smile. “Thank you so much for sorting that out for me.” Cassie shoots a nervous glance my way. “Both of you. Anyway, I should get back to the B&B. See you on Tuesday, boss.” She scuttles out the door before either of us can say another word.
Mum smacks me on the arm. “Be nice.”
“I’m always nice.”
Her ginger brows lift as she gives me an incredulous look.
“I mean it, Austin. I don’t know what’s going on with that girl, but it’s obvious she’s having a tough time.
You’re upset about the outdoor seating area, and that’s understandable, but she’s doing her best to make it right.
It was an accident that could have happened to anyone, so cut her some slack. ”
Properly chastised, I hang my head. “You’re right.”
“I’m your mother—I’m always right. Now, sit down and finish walking me through the new menus.”