Chapter Six
Tris
My father hasn’t stopped calling me since I accidentally answered his call four weeks ago.
What a stupid move that was. If it hadn’t been for that jerk-face Levi distracting me, he wouldn’t have upped his phone calls to twice a week.
I guess telling him I have nothing to say didn’t get through that stubborn skull of his.
Why would it? He’s never thought much of my opinion or of others’ ability to deny him what he wants.
In his mind, since I’ve answered once before, it’s only a matter of time before I do it again.
Along with my father harassing me, I also had an FBI agent show up at my door the other day, asking if I had any further information on my father’s case that I’d like to share, insinuating I might have something to hide.
As if I want any involvement in this mess.
I quickly put him in his place with a few choice words and smiled as he walked back to his car with his tail between his legs.
Damn right.
Apparently, the oldest daughter of the Arias Oil Corporation, the one that my father “allegedly” was working with and covering up dirty contracts for, is fully cooperating with the FBI and actively trying to take her father down.
Good for her. I, however, will stick to reviewing the orders for inventory next week and not the details of a bunch of greedy men’s contracts.
“Hey, I need your help out here. Looks like the lunch rush has started early and we’re gettin’ busier than a rooster in a hen house,” Ainsley says, an airy laugh escaping her before disappearing back through the swinging doors.
I swear, I should start writing these sayings down.
I half wonder if she makes them up sometimes to see my reaction.
Something shifted after my little baking brigade, and since then, she and I have talked and laughed more than I thought was possible.
I’m still not sure I’d call us friends just yet, but it feels like we’re getting there.
I hurry up and finish the order, making sure to add the ingredients for what Ainsley still refers to as my ballsack biscuits so that I can make Ellie some more, before following her to the front.
As soon as I make it past the swinging doors, a loud group of customers thunder in, pulling my attention.
“Oh great, he’s here,” I mumble when I notice who’s trailing behind.
“You should cut him a little more slack. After everything he’s been through,” Ainsley whispers when she follows my line of sight to Levi.
“Why? The guy is a jerk every time I see him,” I huff.
“On account of what happened to him and his fiancée...” Her voice trails off like there’s something I should know. Except I have no idea what she’s talking about. When she sees my eyes widen, her chin drops, and her mouth gapes. “You don’t know?”
“Ainsley,” I sigh. “Other than Ellie, you’re the only one I talk to in this town, so no. Are you going to tell me?”
Her blue-green eyes avert down before meeting mine again, and when they do, they look as if they’re swimming.
“Ainsley? Are you okay?” I ask, surprised by the sudden shift and how much I care.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just so sad.” She sniffles. “Levi and his fiancée,”
“Wait! That guy is engaged?” I question immediately, my tone drenched in disbelief. Who would ever want to put up with this guy?
“He was. She was a firefighter, too. She died saving his life back in February.”
Chills travel down my body as I’m shocked into silence.
“According to the news and friends, it was some type of structural collapse when they were volunteering to fight Wildfires together. She pushed him out of the way.”
A small gasp escapes me. That’s the most horrible and heartbreaking thing I’ve ever heard.
“He’s always been rough, sharp-mouthed, and stubborn as they come. But since he lost her, it’s like whatever spark he had got snuffed out.”
My heart, that’s usually locked somewhere deep within my chest, pounds heavily imagining what that type of loss must feel like.
I’ve never been in love. I’m not the type of person who openly shows my emotions, but I wasn’t expecting that.
It must show, because Ainsley reaches out and squeezes my arm in an attempt to comfort me.
No one deserves to experience that. Not even the man who has become the bane of my existence.
Uncomfortable with the heaviness of the emotions trying to take root inside me, I turn away from Ainsley only to lock onto jade-green eyes that are already watching me from across the cafe.
I want to look away, but it’s as if we’re both locked in this moment.
The revelation of what he must go through every morning, waking up without the person he thought he’d be spending his life with, all because she chose to save him.
That’s a type of pain I can’t even imagine.
Slowly, he lowers his brows. His expression becomes angrier the longer our eyes are locked onto each other, until thankfully, I snap out of it.
What the hell.
I try shaking it off by staying busy and doing my job as I breathe in all of the freshly baked pastries behind our glass display case and head to the register to take the next group’s order that walks in, but Ainsley beats me to it.
“Can you grab their order?” She nods toward the group of firefighters that I was hoping to avoid at all costs, and I internally curse myself.
“You sure you don’t want to say hi to Billy?” I tease, knowing Ainsley is who they’re probably hoping for, but I reluctantly head over anyway.
I walk through the other patrons and up to their table, avoiding Levi’s heavy, flat-out angry gaze the best I can.
I’m seriously starting to wonder if that’s the only emotion he knows how to display.
“What do you want?” I ask, skipping over pleasantries.
When Mark and Billy look up from their conversation and see it’s me, they both flinch, provoking an instant eye roll.
Idiots. I’ve told them both off a time or dozen over the years for so many idiotic things that I’ve lost count.
But the worst was when they almost blew their fingers off with firecrackers during a pep rally in high school, and damaged my brand-new, one-of-a-kind Louis Vuitton shoes.
I’m pretty sure I made one of them cry that day, though I’m not sure which one.
And now these are the men responsible for putting out the fires in our town. .. lovely.
“Delightful as ever,” Levi mumbles under his breath, but this time, instead of taking the bait, I brush him off, acting like I didn’t hear him as I finish taking everyone else’s orders.
“And for you? The usual?” I grit out through a forced smile. The news of what he’s been through is still fresh in my mind, and it must be why I’m not in the mood to spar with him today.
“I think I’ll skip the usual crappy cup of coffee today. Thanks.”
I grind my teeth so hard I’m reminded of the cavity I’ve been meaning to go see the dentist about.
“So nothing then?” I exhale slowly through my nose. If he makes me crack a tooth, I will yank that beard hair right out of his stupid face.
“How about a decent cup of coffee and a turkey club? Think you can handle that?” His eyes narrow, and I swear there’s a hint of a smug smirk tilting at the corner of his lips.
“Sure,” I bite out, walking away before I tell him exactly where he can shove that turkey club.
I punch the order into the computer with a ferocity that has Ainsley staring, concern etched into every little line on her face.
“You know, if you keep looking at me like that, you’ll get wrinkles,” I mutter, the edge in my voice dulling a little as I finish at the computer and start on the order.
She snorts. “I’d be more worried about my face gettin’ stuck like yours right about now. Honey, you look like someone stole the last piece of pie and then threw it at you.”
“I’d like to throw a piece of pie at his face,” I grumble, huffing as I wipe off sugary powder from my face that somehow always seems to wind up everywhere.
“Oh.” She nods her head, playing with one of the flowers in her hair like she’s not sure what to say before returning to mind her own tables.
As I wait for the cooked food to be ready, I make the turkey club and brew a fresh pot of coffee, because damn it, as much as I hate admitting it, I want to shut this man up with a good cup of coffee.
I’ve gone through almost every blend we have here over the past month, and he’s had something negative to say about every single one.
He swears that the only good coffee comes from some fancy coffee shop back where he lives.
Good. Maybe he should go back there.
“I really think you should consider hiring an extra set of hands. At least for the summer. There’s no way we’re going to be able to handle bigger rushes than this on our own,” I tell Ainsley when she comes back behind the counter.
“Funny you mention that. I asked that girl who’s been coming in every morning if she’d be interested.”
“The pink-haired girl?” I ask, skeptical that she’d be a good fit, although I never thought I would be, so maybe she’s perfect.
Ainsley shrugs. “She said she’d let me know.”
I’m helping Ainsley with her orders when I notice one of the locals, a cute little kid, eyeballing one of our fresh pastries.
His face is smooshed up to the glass, eyes so wide they look comical.
Instead of ignoring him, I decide to set my bad mood aside and do something nice.
I make a show of looking around before sneaking one out and handing it to him.
He beams up at me, and I hand him the pastry. Smiling after him as he runs off.
“Uh, Tris,” Ainsley calls from the register. “You have a phone call.”
What the hell.
“Hello?” I drawl out, confused as to who would be calling me, let alone at my job.
“Miss Thorne. This is Harding, your father’s lawyer.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” I snap, ready to hang up.