Page 9 of Betting Blind
Sitting in the passenger seat of Juliana’s Firebird, I lean against the open window and close my eyes, breathing in the fresh evening air. It tosses my blonde hair about as wildly as my stomach rolls. I’m unsure if the reaction is from accepting a position that terrifies me or the prospect of seeing Jack.
“You never told me; how did Bruce take the news of you stepping out on him?” She nudges me gently, trying to pry a smile from my frowning mouth. I pick at my fingers, recalling the conversation I had with our boss earlier this week.
I remember the erratic beat of my heart as I quietly rapped my knuckles against the cheap wooden door of Bruce’s office. His space resembled more of a broom closet than an office, with tight quarters and a desk that has been piled floor to ceiling with paperwork for years.
“Cassidy!” The rumbling of his voice was loud enough for the cooks to hear. “Come on in, sweetheart.”
I shuffled my way around the disaster he calls an office and gently cleared off a chair for me to sit in. Bruce sat across from me expectantly, his big belly grazing his desk. The air was stale, and as Bruce’s soft, wheezing breaths touched my ears, I briefly thought that he should take better care of himself.
I fidgeted, repositioning myself. My cheeks heated uncomfortably, and I found it difficult to ask him for permission to work in a place of business I was sure he wouldn’t approve of.
“What is it, Cassidy?” he asked.
His genuine smile had my shoulders dropping slightly, allowing me to finally let loose a string of words. “I wanted to ask you…” I fumbled to a pause, unsure how much I should tell him. I knew the moment I told him about my plans, he would offer to give me money instead of letting me suffer through the next few weeks, but I wasn’t about to take another unearned cent of the man’s money.
“Um, I’ve been offered a weekend job to help pay for something that has come up… unexpectedly.” Sweat began to bead at the base of my neck, and my face carried on its bright red hue. I wasn’t fond of the idea of becoming an inconvenience to someone I’ve come to think of as family, but I’d made my decision and I wasn’t backing down.
His eyebrows slowly climbed their way toward his thinning gray hairline. “Wow, that is quite the shock. Cassidy, you know all you have to do is ask—”
I leaned forward to hold his rough, calloused hand. The gold of each ring adorning his fingers made them heavy in my palm. “No, I couldn’t possibly ask you for another dime after everything you have done for me and Momma. I figured since I’m already off this weekend, it would be a good time to train at this other place, and it’s only for a few weekends. I cleared it with Jessi this morning, and she said she had no problem picking up my weekend shifts. You won’t even notice I’m gone!” Smiling wide, I leaned back in the creaky old chair and inhaled the first true breath I’d taken since stepping inside his office.
He chuckled, wheezing when his laugh got away from him, and he tapped his fingers on his desk. “Oh, I doubt that very much. If it weren’t for you and Juliana, I couldn’t keep this place running.”
I smiled at the compliment.
With a groan, Bruce pushed his chair back to stand, and I took his lead, smoothing out invisible wrinkles on the front of my clothing. “Well, Cassidy, you know I can’t tell you no, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious who is lucky enough to borrow one of my best girls.”
His question made me suddenly self-conscious to admit where I’d be working. I had no idea what I was going to be doing for Jack, but I wasn’t exactly eager to announce it to the world.
Shifting my gaze to the stained carpet beneath our feet, I shrugged. “You’re not going to believe this. It’s a temporary position at a bar not terribly far from here. You may have heard of it. The Pound? It’s no big deal, honestly, just some light work.” I remember the lie coming easier than I’m usually capable of, and my stomach knotted from the weight of it.
When I flicked my gaze back to Bruce, his entire body had gone so perfectly still, and I feared he may have stopped breathing. I shifted my stance, tilting my head slightly. “You okay, boss?”
Shaking his head, he responded, “I’m sorry, darlin’. You’re right, my ears can’t believe what they’re hearing. A sweetheart like you doesn’t belong in a place like that.” He walked close enough to gently take my hand.
I don’t take kindly to being told where I do and don’t belong, but coming from Bruce, I understood. He’s always fussed and worried over me and Jules, so I painted on a smile and brushed his concerns aside.
“Don’t worry.” I patted his hand lovingly and released it when he nodded.
“Well, alright then. If Jessi is okay with taking your shifts, then I don’t have a problem with it. As long as you promise it’s only for a few weeks.”
“I promise.”
Juliana’s soothing voice pulls me back to the present as we pull into the parking lot of The Pound. “Relax,chica,” she says. I run my tongue over the raised skin inside my cheek from where I’d been chewing it. “It’s going to be okay. You’re hot as hell and smart as a whip. These guys won’t know what to do with themselves when they get a load of your badassery, trust me!” She gives me a playful wink and a warm kiss on the cheek.
I’m still in my uniform—black short shorts, a white collared shirt, and my food-stained apron. My white sneakers mock me from the floorboard, and I curse Bruce for his stupid uniform requirements. “I look like I just left a costume party.”
She eyes me from head to toe. “Yeah, well, if it makes you feel any better, I’d still hit it.”
I laugh lightly. “On that note, I have to go.” I pull the apron up over my head and toss it onto the seat. I’m trying to own it and coax my confidence to the surface, but it’s a little hard when I look like one of the country club wives. Stepping away from her cherry-red vehicle, I begin my trek into a world unknown.
“Make good choices!” she hollers at me, and my shoulders tense toward my ears. A group of suspicious-looking fellas gathered outside turn their attention to me.
“Jesus, Jules,” I mutter under my breath, quickening my steps.
As I enter The Pound, I’m greeted by familiar faces from my adventure here the first time around. I recognize what must be regulars as I scan the crowd, and my eyes halt on the beefed-up woman who has a talent for body slamming. That woman could double as a professional wrestler. She’s assuming her spot by the felt game table, unaware of my gawking, and I’m startled when I turn to the behemoth glaring down at me from his post to my right. The doorman’s arms are crossed as he eyeballs me with a sneer, and I shuffle a step away from his towering form.
“Uh, I’m here to see Jack,” I say, placing my ID in his open palm. As he inspects the card, I lean around him to get a better view of the place. There’s a crowd forming in front of the long bar, and I stretch up on my tippytoes to see who is occupying the space behind the bartop, but I can only make out Derrick and another man with skin the color of deep, rich chocolate. I appreciate his broad, muscular shoulders and light brown eyes that are complimented by an easy smile.
