I have to go; bunch of errands. Tomorrow works for dresses.
Lexi whipped through the store, grabbing the items they needed for pie and a few other necessities. She ignored her phone buzzing in her pocket and focused on what needed to be done. On the drive home, she got caught up thinking about how Gwen had opened up. She hadn’t gotten her mom out of the house but the fact that now she knewwhymeant maybe she could approach things differently.
The Seattle traffic conspired against her and Lexi ran, literally, into Fairway Bistro about four minutes after the time she’d promised. The place was packed. With a quick glance at Brett, she set herself up and asked one of the waitresses where she was needed.
Three hours into one of her busiest shifts ever, she was actually feeling pretty good. Sure, she’d messed up a little here and there, but the good thing about the hectic pace was she couldn’t dwell on it.
But like all of the things that threw a kink in her step, the next moment happened without warning. When she came around the wall that separated the pass-through bar from the dining area, she saw Carolyn and Will’s mom walk in. When she turned to go back the way she’d come, panic zipping through her veins, she smacked into Brett, not only knocking him back a step but causing him to drop the salad he was carrying.
She heard the muttered curse words under his breath as she bent to help clean up the mess.
“Leave it,” he said, his irritation barely masked. “Just go greet the two women who came in. Seat them in Reese’s section.”
“I can’t,” she whispered, picking up lettuce and putting it back on the plate. “I’ll go get someone to remake this. I’m sorry.”
She couldn’t go out there. God. She could just imagine Carolyn’s face if she greeted her as a waitress. Will’s mom’s disdain. Carolyn’s triumph? No thank you. She tried to take the plate from Brett.
He yanked it, sending more salad flying. “Justgo. Help them.”
Okay. Time to appeal to her already cranky boss. “Brett, please. I can’t help those two women.”
She watched his jaw tighten. “Why?”
Oh, because I’m fake engaged to the older woman’s son and the younger woman would love a reason to get further into his mother’s good graces. Because it would be humiliating and I can’t handle that right now.
“I just can’t.”Please let it be good enough.
“Lexi. I’ve exhausted my patience where you’re concerned.”
She frowned at that. “Hey. I’m here covering a shift because you asked.”
He shook his head. “Greet the women or go home. And don’t come back.”
Her mouth dropped. Her fingers were sticky with the salad dressing and her heart felt like it might leap out of her chest.
“You can’t fire me over this,” she whisper-hissed.
“I didn’t say you were fired. I said do your job or leave. And don’t come back.”
Lexi undid her apron and tossed it on the plate he was still gripping like a ledge he was about to fall off.
“I’ll pick up my last check next week. Make sure my tips are added to the envelope.”
Lexi walked past him, grabbed her stuff from her locker, and hurried to her car. It felt like she held her breath the whole way there and when it came out in the safety of her car, tears came with it.
Twenty-six
Will frowned at his phone, only half listening to his father run through the pros and cons of walking away from Home Needs versus staying the course. Lexi had canceled on him last night and wasn’t returning his texts.
Their night together had been incredible and he knew, without a doubt, he was falling in love with her. Of course, he couldn’t tell her that. She was a runner. A fast one. With a fear of falling. Those two things were not a good combination.
“William,” his father snapped, slapping his hand down on the table. “If it’s not too much, do you think we could have your input?”
“I swear, William, ever since meetingthatwoman, you’ve been a different person.” His mother had her hands folded on the table, looking at him like he was an abstract painting she couldn’t understand.
She was right, though. Lexi was changing him. “Thatwoman’s name is Lexi. My input is we walk away. They wanted to ride our reputation because Nolan is wrecking theirs. I’m not sure why we feel the need to expand so dramatically. We’re spread thin as it is. I’ve been talking to Holden Wright of Comfort Plus. He’s agreed to a meeting.”
“With what goal?” Maddie asked, leaning back in the black leather chair.
