Second Chance Boyfriend(11)

Dad’s gaze meets mine, his eyes full of contempt. I’m making a scene and he doesn’t like it. I really couldn’t give a shit. “If she’s so great, why aren’t you with her?”

The truth falls from my lips with ease. “Because I’m not good enough for her.”

I leave the restaurant without another word.



Fable



“You look different.”

I smooth my hand over my newly colored hair, my freshly painted nails catching my eye. They’re red, as bright as the color coating my lips, and I feel like a different person. But I want to show indifference. As if this sort of thing is common for me. That handsome men who just so happen to be my boss whisk me to a popular and expensive hair salon in the late afternoon without an appointment and pay for my complete makeover. All the while he’s standing by with a satisfied grin on his face, like he’s solely responsible for my transformation.

Which he sort of is.

I should be insulted. Colin taking me to the salon is basically saying I don’t look good enough to work for him. I need to change—at least physically.

But secretly, it’s also flattering, his attention. No one pays attention to me. They all just…count on me to get stuff done. My mom, my brother, my old boss at La Salle’s—yep, I gave notice this morning, finally. Drew paid attention for a little while but he’s too wrapped up in his problems to worry about mine.

I miss him. I hate that I miss him but I do. Funny how someone can come into your life for such a brief time but leave such a lasting impression. He permanently imprinted himself on my heart, and I permanently imprinted his name on my skin.

It’s silly, longing for a man who doesn’t long for me.

“Your hair—the blonde is darker.” Jennifer smiles at me, nodding with approval. “I like it. Suits you better.”

Colin is a great boss but he employs a bunch of bitches at his restaurant. And I’m starting to realize why they’re so bitchy—we’re all in direct competition with one another, not only for being the most wanted waitress at The District, thus getting the most in tip money at the end of the evening. But we also want to be the most wanted waitress in Colin’s eyes. Which is all sorts of fucked up if I think about it too long.

So I banish the realization from my brain, like I’m so good at.

Jennifer so far has been the nicest to me, but she was the new girl on the block until I showed up so she’s probably thankful there’s a fresh target here for them to hate. She’s pretty in an exotic, almost mysterious way, which I find amusing considering her standard, every-girl name. She has long straight-as-paper black hair, large dark brown eyes, olive-colored skin, and she’s so incredibly tall, I get a crick in my neck if I stare up at her for too long.

She’s everything I’m not. We’re complete opposites in every way.

“Did Colin take you to get your hair done?” she asks as we set the tables for the evening. I’m doling out the silverware, she’s setting out the freshly polished glasses and I’m so startled by her question, I stand there with my mouth hanging open for a second. Long enough that she speaks again.

“It’s okay to admit it. He took me for a haircut and mini makeover when I first started.” She smiles, her cheeks tinged red. “Colin likes to take in strays and fix them up. Bring us to our full potential, is how he phrased it to me.”

Her words make me feel the tiniest bit less special, and I want to smack myself. “Don’t you think that’s sort of…”

“Weird?” she finishes for me with a rueful smile.

“Yeah.” I finish setting the silverware on the table and watch her as she carefully adjusts the last water glass, making it sit just so. The table linens are a perfect, creaseless white, with an equally perfect silver bowl sitting in the middle, full of freshly cut flowers the colors of spring. All vibrant pinks and lavenders and whites, they add a touch of sophisticated glamour to an otherwise plain palette.

The entire restaurant is like this. Sexy yet restrained elegance. No wonder all the beautiful people love to come here.

“Colin likes to think of himself as a knight in shining armor to all of us. Like he swooped in and rescued us from our horrible lives and gave us new ones,” Jennifer explains.

I frown. I don’t need someone in my life with a hero complex. With Drew, I’m the one with the hero complex and that got me absolutely nowhere.

And why the hell does everything still have to come back to him? I need to let him go, once and for all. “That’s ridiculous,” I say.

Jennifer shrugs. “It’s the truth, isn’t it? Where were you working before? I was at some crappy bar on the outskirts of town, where the customers couldn’t keep their hands off me. I hated it. Colin came in there one night over a month ago, all clean and golden and shiny. He practically begged me to come work for him but I didn’t trust him.” Her eyes darken even more, shading secrets from me, I’m sure. “It was just before Christmas, I was pretty much broke and alone. He took me in and I haven’t looked back since.”