“Go for it,” I said with a nonchalance I shouldn’t feel. “Be careful, because he’s been pissy. But maybe it’ll make him feel better.”
She nodded readily. “I think I’m just gonna offer to be a friend,” she stood up, “to be safe.” She took a breath and looked down at me. “Now what do we do?”
I blinked at her. “What? Do you mean?”
She gestured between us. “I don’t like this. I don’t like that I don’t see you. I don’t like what’s happened here since you were with Darius.” She looked uncomfortable. “I had hoped that getting him to agree to this thing we’re doing would fix things.” She put her hands on her hips. “But there’s still strain on this and I’m tired of it.”
I shook my head. “I’m not avoiding you. I’ve been working my ass off, that’s it. I’ve only been to Adam and Cam’s twice since Kyle found us out.” I shrugged helplessly. “What do you want me to do?”
“Be my friend,” she said heatedly. “Be like it was before you came busting up into my job, accusing me of shit I didn’t do.” She looked down at me and I could see how much she hurt. “Before we came up with this bad idea.”
I deflated. I didn’t know how to do that. Well, I could just cut off Adam and Cam. But I didn’t want to do that. I could quit working at the dealership. I bit my lip. That was probably the best thing I could do.
Would Dad be mad at me if I did?
“Maybe I can get my hours cut at the dealership?” I suggested. “I’d still be home late, but I would have more free time.”
“Why were you working there again?” she asked.
“I thought I might gain some pull and help Adam get his job back,” I explained with a flush. “At the time, he wasn’t speaking to me, so I figured it was worth a shot.” I shook my head. “But he told me he doesn’t want to go back to work there. So I guess I don’t need to keep working there.”
“Why not quit working at the bar?” she suggested. “You’d have most of your day off.”
“I wouldn’t make as much money,” I pointed out. “And I’d be stuck seeing my family more often than I want to.”
“Look,” she huffed, “if you’re working nights all the time, you’re missing out on your men. If you want any sort of chance with Darius, you’ll need to make time for him.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Consider it. More free time means more time to date.”
“But money—” I objected.
“Talk to your dad,” she said dismissively. “I bet he’ll make sure you’re able to pay your bills if you work full time for him.” She shrugged and started toward her bedroom. “I’m going to bed. I was just suggesting what makes sense. But if you don’t want to make sense, that’s fine.” She waved a hand as she stepped into her room. “I’ll see you when I see you.”
Chapter 16
Grace
Igot to the dealership early. I was exhausted, but I was here before Dad. I hung out by the coffeemaker, drinking way more than I should have. The waiting room was pretty sparse, but there were a few older men hanging out as they waited for work to be done on their cars. It was awkward, and because I worked there, any time I emptied the coffee I had to remake it.
This would’ve been easier if I had asked Dad what time he came in. But no, I just assumed he’d be here first thing in the morning. I grumbled as I poured three sugar packets into my coffee, hoping that it would give me the pick-me-up I needed.
“What are you doing here so early?” Kyle asked as he cut through the waiting area. He didn’t look happy to see me, but he looked like he was in the same shape as I was. “Your shift doesn’t start until ten.”
“Why are you keeping track of my hours?” I asked, not bothering to answer his first question.
“So I can kick your ass out of here the first chance I get without Dad having to guilt trip me afterward,” he answered honestly as he doctored a cup of coffee for himself. “I don’t need youdragging this business down and I don’t want to clean up your mess because you feel you need to twist a dagger in my back.”
“What? You can twist a dagger in mine, but I can’t do it to you?” I asked.
He immediately made a face at me, and without me having to ask, he just shook his head. “You were being stupid. What you were doing would have either put someone in jail or left you injured, or worse.” He took a pull from the coffee cup. After taking a generous sip, he looked into the cup then looked at me. “That’s what all this was about, isn’t it?”
“It’s funny that’s the only thing that sticks out to you,” I grumbled, and waved a hand. If I was gonna try to work here full time, I’d have to let it go. I’d see him every day. “But I just have to suck it up.” I looked up at him. “It’d be a serious pain in the ass to move forward with a grudge.”
“Are you trying to say I need to overlook you sleeping with my friends?” he asked. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
“You slept with my friend,” I pointed out. “And I didn’t tell your friend that you slept with his sister. So that has to even out somewhere.”
“Fuck off,” he snorted, sipping at his coffee. Then his eyes widened, and he looked at me. “Why do you want me to overlook this shit?” He immediately narrowed his eyes and growled at me, “I am not rehiring Adam.”
“He doesn’t want you to,” I said with a shrug. “He has taken this opportunity to figure out what he wants to do with his life, something that doesn’t have to do with sales.”