Denying the Bad Boy(8)
“Listen, I am trying to plan when the bridesmaids are coming, and I need you tell me if you’ll be here any earlier. It isn’t like you have anything else to do that weekend, or any weekend for that matter.” Bitch. “Mom’s having dinner Friday night, so I know you’ll be there, but are you coming up any earlier?”
Mary gritted her teeth, biting back a smart-assed retort. Just one more month of Bridezilla and all of this will be done.
“Why don’t you just tell me when you want me there and I’ll work my schedule around you.” Mary made sure to add a bite to the last part, because frankly she was sick of this high and mighty act that Margo put on. It was like the world would stop rotating if things didn’t go her way, and at twenty-three her older sister should have grown up a little bit.
“I need you at Mom’s no later than nine in the morning on the sixteenth, all right?”
“Yeah.” Margo rattled off a few more things, but by then Mary wasn’t paying attention. “I’m at work, so I got to go.” She hung up before Margo could add another ten things she wanted Mary to do before the wedding and picked up her pace. With her house just a few blocks from the coffee shop she worked at, Mary usually opted to just walk, but only if the weather permitted. As soon as she walked into Just One More Cup, the trendy yet retro styled coffee shop, the scent of coffee beans and freshly baked goods filled her nose. It was going on eight in the morning, and already the interior was packed with college students. The few tables that they had were already filled with people, their books splayed out in front of them, and what was most likely already their second cup of coffee in front of them.
Polly, a newer barista who had only started about two weeks ago, looked frazzled as she wrote down every customer’s order. Mary smiled and headed toward the counter. Polly let out a relieved sigh and stepped aside so Mary could take her place.
“Thank God you’re here. I am about to rip out my hair.” Mary grabbed an apron and tied it around her waist. “Kristen called off sick, and I have been here for only half an hour and am already about to walk out.”
“You should have called me. I would have come in sooner.”
Polly twisted her apron in her hands.
“Anyway, I’m here now, so don’t sweat it. Mark comes in at noon, and he is the fastest barista here.” She gave Polly a reassuring smile and turned toward the girl waiting impatiently on the other side of the counter. “Sorry about that. What can I get you?”
“Caramel latte, extra foam, and I’d like cinnamon on the top.” The girl rattled off her order, slapped a five dollar bill on the counter, and immediately went back to texting on her phone.
Polly wasn’t very good at taking the orders, but she was pretty efficient at making the drinks. They did that for the next few hours, and when the morning rush died down a bit Mary was able to slip in the back for a short break. She sat her ass down on a box and breathed out. She was tired, her feet hurt already, and all she wanted to do was go home and sleep the rest of the day away. Of course that wouldn’t be happening. She had to help a freshman understand calculus, and God did she hate math. It was a curse and a blessing that she excelled in subjects, though, because at least she could use it to support herself. Mary didn’t even drink coffee, and in fact she loathed even the smell of it, but the tips were decent, and the extra money went a long way in helping her.
She finished off the rest of her shift, and headed to the backroom again to change into something that was not stained in cappuccinos and lattes. Lifting her hand in a wave to Mark and Polly, she headed back down High Street and to her house. She’d only have an hour to relax before she had to head out again, but it was an hour she was looking forward to. The only problem was the entire morning she had one image ingrained in her head, and that image was of a bad boy named Alex Sheppard. It was like running into him had made everything so much worse, and even if it had only been last night she was already getting sick of wanting him. She had to keep reminding herself that anything that had to do with him was only going to end up costing her a whole lot of grief in the long run, which when it all came down to it was a ludicrous thought since there wasn’t even anything going on between them. Ugh, she should just check herself into an insane asylum, or maybe join the Alex Sheppard fan club, because this shit was getting ridiculous.
Chapter Three
“Damn, that fucking sucks, man.” Alex sat across from Racer at their kitchen table. He glared at his roommate, but kept his mouth shut. Yeah, it did fucking suck, and he didn’t need or want someone else pointing it out. “What are you going to do? You kick ass on the field, and putting you on probation is really going to put a hurt on the team.”