Chapter Eleven: Rebecca
We didn’t talk about it afterward.
I was afraid that if I said exactly what I was feeling, the mixture of fear and desire, then something would change between us. When I opened my mouth and kissed him, the world seemed to light up around me. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the climb, but that wouldn’t be everything. So much of him seemed to be designed to drive me insane.
By Friday, I was beginning to stress about the silence. I knew I could fix that pretty easily by just talking to him, but with every passing second there seemed to be a new obstacle put in the way. By the time I felt like I was ready to say something, it was already too late.
Reid was gone a lot during the week. He was either running guide jobs or he was out climbing or he was at some party that I wasn’t invited to. It almost seemed like he was too busy for me.
Except that I noticed the way he looked at me, like he was hungry and couldn’t stop staring, or at least that was how it felt.
“Hey, lady, you still working?”
I looked up, startled. The guy was staring at me like I was the biggest idiot in the world. I tightened my apron and moved across the Blue’s floor toward him.
“Sorry. Can I help you with something?”
“Yeah. How about some refills here on our coffee?”
I frowned. “Sure, right away.”
“That’s a good girl. Be quick.”
Fucking asshole
, I thought as I went over to grab the coffee.
It was nearing the end of my Friday shift and I was already exhausted. I had started really early and was finishing up mid-afternoon. My last table was a bunch of asshole businessmen dressed up in suits. I had no clue what businessmen wanted with Ridgewood, but they were obnoxious and a pain in my ass, the perfect way to end my shift.
As I returned and started to refill their mugs, the most obnoxious guy of the group leaned closer to me.
“You know, you’re not so bad looking,” he said, grinning at his friends. “For a waitress.”
They all burst out laughing. I smiled at him, but my eyes said I will rip your spine out, creep
.
“Anything else, fellas?” I asked, trying my best to ignore him.
“Check when you get a chance.”
I nodded, relieved, and hurried off. Working at the Blue had been pretty good so far. The pay was decent, considering the tips, but the hours were long and I was always on my feet. I didn’t see Lindsey as much as I wanted, mostly because she got the good shifts.
Once the check was paid and I gathered my meager ten percent tip, I went into the back and hung up my apron.
“Hey, Becca!” Lindsey said, walking into the room.
“Hey, Linds. You just starting?”
“Yep. I’m your replacement. How is it today?”
“Not terrible. I just had one awful table, but otherwise okay.”
“Those business guys?”
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
She made a face. “They were being obnoxious as they left. I bet they’re terrible tippers.”
I laughed. “They really were.”
“Hey, listen. Feel like coming to another party tomorrow? This time I promise I won’t ditch you.”
“Will Josh be there?”
She shook her head. “Nope, and neither will Reid.”
“How do you know that?”
She shrugged. “I just heard he was busy, that’s all.”
I frowned again, noting her awkwardness, but decided not to press. “Okay, sure. That sounds fun.”
“Cool. I’ll text you.”
“Enjoy your shift.”
She grinned and waved as she walked out onto the floor.
What did Lindsey know about Reid that she wasn’t telling me? Reid acted like he wasn’t close with Lindsey at all, and yet she seemed to know more about his schedule than I did.
He claimed she was a pill addict, but I hadn’t seen any evidence of that.
Annoyed, I headed back home, looking forward to taking a long bath.
I sat on the edge of the tub as the warm water began to fill the white expanse. I put my hand under the tap and smiled to myself, excited to finally relax.
“Becca, you in there?” Reid’s voice came as he suddenly started knocking on the door.
“Who else would it be?”
“You busy?”
I sighed. “No, not yet.” I stood up and opened the door.
Reid stood there grinning at me.
“You could’ve looked away. I might have been naked.”
“Exactly. That’s why I was staring.”
“What’s so important that you needed to interrupt my bath?”
“Come for a hike with me.”
“No way. That’s the opposite of what I want to do right now.”
“Come on. You can take the longest bath in the world after we’re done.”