My nerves are jumping under my skin, but I draw in another breath slowly and exhale. Then I try—I really try—to smile.
“May I help you?” A thin gentleman behind the podium asks.
“Yes, thank you. Is a manager available?”
“Linda is here. May I ask what this is regarding?”
“Yes, of course. I understand that the restaurant is looking for servers. I’d like to speak to Linda about the possibility of employment.”
“Yes, we are. She’s talking to someone else at the moment, but I’ll let her know you’re waiting if you’d like to have a seat.” He gestures to the bench, where Leif is already sitting.
I smile again—or try to. “Thank you very much. I’m happy to wait.”
“Could I get your name?”
“Yes, of course. It’s Kelly. Kelly Taylor.”
The young man makes a note on a Post-it, and then he leaves the podium. I head to the bench and sit down next to Leif.
“So?” he says.
“The manager’s talking to someone else right now. She’ll get to me in a minute.” I frown.
“Great.”
“What’s great about it? Someone beat me here. The person who’s here is going to get the job, and I won’t.”
“Oh my God.” Leif rubs his forehead. “You are going to be the death of me, Kelly.”
“No one’s forcing you to be here.”
He doesn’t reply. Just shakes his head, sighing.
I sit, clasp my hands in my lap, trying to ease the shivers. Already I have goosebumps on my forearms. This place is as fancy as Versailles. Not that I’ve ever been to France, but I’ve seen photos. I got a look at a crystal chandelier when I was talking to the host.
I check my watch every couple of seconds. Check my emails on my phone. Even attempt to play Candy Crush.
Nothing soothes my nerves.
After what seems like hours, an attractive woman with blond hair walks toward me. “Are you Kelly?”
I rise. “Yes, I am.”
“I’m Linda Parker.” She holds out her hand. “It’s great to meet you. Come with me, and we’ll talk about the server position.”
I attempt to smile once more. I want to look to Leif for reassurance, but I force myself not to. I go with Linda, and she leads me to a table in the dining room near the back.
“Please, have a seat.”
I take a seat.
“Would you like some coffee? Water?”
“Thank you. A glass of water would be nice.”
“Of course.” She signals to a busboy setting tables.
He comes right over.
“Could we get a couple waters please?”
“Sure thing, Linda.” He waves and walks away.
“So, Kelly,” Linda says. “Tell me what kind of experience you have serving.”
“I’m originally from Phoenix, and I was a waitress at the Junction Diner for five years.”
“Any experience in a fine restaurant?” Linda glances at her tablet.
“No, but I’m certain I can do the job. I’m great on my feet, and my customers were always satisfied.”
“What made you leave Phoenix?” Linda asks.
Oh, God. I should’ve thought about what to say. And now I have no clue. Should I tell the truth?
“It…wasn’t by my choice.” I look down.
Then I draw in a breath, trying to gather what little courage I have and resisting the urge to come out fighting.
I meet Linda’s gaze. “This isn’t something I like to talk about, Linda, but I was abducted from my restaurant in Phoenix. I was held captive on Derek Wolfe’s island for five years.”
Linda’s eyes widen. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that question.”
No, you should have known. Those are the words I want to spew in her face. But instead—
“You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s a valid question. But I want to be truthful with you. I didn’t leave of my own volition. I might still be working there if I hadn’t been taken. But I would like the opportunity to work at one of the best restaurants in Manhattan. I’m a good server, and I believe I could do this job.”
“Kelly, the job is yours.”
I stop my jaw from dropping. “Just like that?”
“The Wolfe family dines here a lot. If I can do anything to help any of their father’s victims, I want to do that. I believe you can handle the job, and I would like you to have it.”
“But the only reason you’re giving it to me is—”
“Kelly, no. As much as I want to help Derek Wolfe’s victims, I wouldn’t give you the job if you didn’t have any serving experience. I might try to find something else for you—in the kitchen, or upfront. But we only hire experienced servers here at The Glass House.”
“All right. Thank you.”
“Come with me. We’ll go back to my office and get your paperwork done. When would you like to start?”
“As soon as possible, I guess.”
“Perfect.” Linda taps on her tablet. “How about tomorrow night? I have openings for both lunch and dinner shifts, but dinner shifts make bigger and better tips, so I’ll give you the option.”
I swallow. “Dinner it is then. What time do I need to be here tomorrow?”
“Dinner seatings begin at five, so get here at four and I’ll have one of the experienced servers orient you. Our uniform is simple black pants and a white blouse. The pants you’re wearing are fine. Do you have a white blouse?”
“Like a plain white blouse? Like what I’m wearing, only in white?”
“Absolutely. The blouse you’re wearing is lovely. It just needs to be white.”
“Yes, I have a white blouse.”
“Excellent. You may want to buy a few more. You’ll be wearing them every night, so you’ll need a few if you don’t want to be doing laundry every day.”
I nod. “Of course. I’ll do that.”
“All right. Follow me to my office, and we’ll get you set up.”
* * *
About a half hour later, I’m fully employed and ready to start at the restaurant tomorrow evening. I walk back to where Leif is still sitting on the bench in the waiting area. Already people are lining up outside for lunch. Leif has his head down, and he’s typing something on his phone.
I clear my throat.
He looks up and smiles when he sees me. “You were back there a long time. Can I assume that it went well?”
“Why would you make that assumption?”
He shakes his head.
God, why did I do that? Why is my first instinct always to fight? This man is not my enemy.
“For your information, it did go well. She hired me. But only because of the Wolfe family.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“She asked me why I left my previous job. What else could I tell her? It wasn’t my idea to leave it. I’d probably still be in Phoenix working there but for…”
Leif rises and nods. “But for being abducted and sent to the island.”
I gulp. “That’s right.”
“It’s okay. It’s good that you didn’t lie.”
“Except that when she found out my history, she offered me the job on the spot.”
“So?”
“So the only reason I got it is because of my…checkered past.”
“And the problem is…”
“The problem is she didn’t hire me on my qualifications. I was a two-bit waitress at a local diner. I’m not qualified to work here.”
“The manager thought you were.”
“The manager was taking pity on me.”
“So what? You got the job. If she doesn’t think you can handle it, prove her wrong. Be the best damned server The Glass House has ever seen.”
I feel a smile emerging on my face. I’m enjoying this—this constant sparring with Leif. I tend to spar with everyone, but he fights back. I’m actually having fun. I don’t normally have fun when I’m sparring because I’m always in a bad mood. Always striking out.
But with Leif?
It’s different.
Oh, I’m still lashing out. But instead of feeling like crap while I’m doing it, I’m kind of laughing inside. Enjoying it.
Sure, I could tell him that Linda said she wouldn’t have given me the server position if I didn’t have any actual serving experience. That she may have tried to find me something else in the restaurant. But that would be too easy. It’s more fun to verbally spar with him.
“What?” He holds up his hands in mock surrender. “No comeback to that?”
“What if I fail?”
“You won’t. Tell yourself that you won’t. You’re strong, Kelly. You can do anything you set your mind to. You’ve survived the worst. It’s all smooth sailing from here.”
“You have no idea what I’ve survived.”
“I have a general idea.”
“From who? Aspen?” I shake my head. “She doesn’t have a clue what I’ve survived.”
“Fine. I don’t know. It’s all between you and your therapist. I will never say that I know exactly what you’ve been through. Do I have a general idea? Yes, I do.”
“You may have a general idea of what I went through on that island,” I say. “But that’s all you have. You don’t know what my life has been like. You don’t know what I’ve been through.”
He reaches toward me then, touches my upper arm.
His touch burns through me. Through the fabric of my blouse, through my skin, through my flesh and muscle, straight to my core.
I step away from his caress.
And it’s difficult because what I really want to do is step toward him.
But I don’t get close to people. People only lead to heartache.
“I apologize,” he says.
“Get over yourself. You don’t need to apologize to me.”
“Apparently I do.”
“You don’t. No one apologizes to me.”
He cocks his head, rests his gaze on me. What is he thinking? He seems confused, but I could be wrong. I’ve never been the best at reading people.
“Very well then,” he says. “No more apologies. I’m here for you, Kelly. I’m being paid very well to be here for you. So if you don’t want apologies, you will get no more from me.”
“Fine,” I say. “I need to go shopping.”
“Okay.”
“You’re not going to interrogate me about why?”
“Why would I do that? Why would I question everything about you? If you say you need to go shopping, I’m taking your statement at face value. Let’s go shopping.”
“I have to go to Macy’s. To get some white blouses for work.”
“Good enough. Did I ask for an explanation?”
He laughs then. He fucking laughs. Shakes his blond head and laughs. Then he holds out his hand and ushers me out the door.
And I don’t know whether to be angry or turned on.
Because it dawns on me that I’m both.
Damn.