Page 7 of The Jilted Lovers Club
“Here, take this one.” Ashton shoves his drink at Griffin, the beer splashing over the rim onto the bar.
“Whoa dude, relax. I’m teasing.” Griffin pulls a glass from below countertop and fills it with water before placing it in front of me.
“Is that food almost up?” Ashton asks.
“I’ll check,” he says, staring at Ashton for a moment before disappearing.
I sip more of my Manhattan, but Ashton takes it out of my hands before I can finish.
“Hey, I wasn’t done with that!”
He places it on the other side of him, then pushes the water to me. “You also can’t stay in your seat. Drink some water, and eat, and then if you still want it, you can have it.”
“God, you sound like you’re my boss or something.” I pout, but I drink my water. I have to admit, I’m suddenly super thirsty. It’s not as good as the Manhattan, but at the same time, it feels like the best thing I’ve consumed all day—which isn’t much. I finish it off, then push the empty glass aside. “My boss made me come all the way down here to start planning the designs for the new store that’s going in there. You know what’s going in?”
He shakes his head, and keeps glancing at the kitchen. “No, what?”
“A luxury watch shop. Because what this town needs is some time to move into the future. You know what was there before?”
“A seed shop,” he murmurs.
“A seed shop. A brilliant space full of archteshur… Architcher…”
“Architecture?”
“Yeah, Italian Renaissance arcisher, and it was filled with boring old seeds. No wonder the place went under.”
“Here’s the burger,” Griffin says, then places it in front of me. I’m pretty sure it’s burnt, judging by the black brick laying on the open-faced roasted bread. But I don’t care. I grab the ketchup and smother the dark patty, then slap the sandwich together before taking a big bite. I can barely taste it, but my senses are fired up at the first bite of bread I’ve had in years.
“It’s really good,” I say around my burger, my mouth completely full. I take another bite, a little more aware of the burnt parts, but not completely caring. “It’s a bit overdone, but good.”
“Listen, I’m going to head out,” Ashton says, then takes out his wallet. “Let me take care of your meal. Are you staying at the hotel? Can you walk there okay?”
I smack his wallet out of his hands, then laugh when it lands on the floor. “Don’t pay for my meal. I got it. I got everyone’s tab.” I smooth my hair back from my face, wobbling a little as I turn to the bartender. “Griffin, take my card and charge everyone’s bill to it. It’s on my boss, for making me stay in this shithole that smells like shit and treats me like shit and is a shit place to stay. I might as well pay for everyone’s meals since all you clueless country hicks are forced to stay here, and I’m just here until I finish my job. And god help me, I plan to finish it fast so I can get the hell out of here.”
I toss the card across the bar, and Griff catches it with a grin. “Well, darling, that’s awfully nice of you. Everyone, Jordy here thinks we live in a shithole, but she’s paying for all your meals.”
The whole restaurant pauses, and then one guy whoops before everyone else joins him in applause and cheers. I grin, feeling like a million bucks.
Until I don’t.
“Oh god.” It’s all I can get out before I lose the little bit of burger I ate all over my beautiful shoes and the concrete floor.
Felix Family Farm
Ashton
“Whoops, I got you.” I leap up, pulling Jordy’s hair back as she vomits again.
“Shit. Get her out of here, Ashton.”
“Chill, dude. You gave her three strong drinks in an hour, what did you think would happen?” It serves Griffin right. I watched him make her Manhattans doubles, but I’d said nothing, so I’m just as much the asshole as he is. I even foundit funny at first, but when she started slurring her words and nearly fell, I knew we’d taken it too far. And then she started to talk shit … well, I was just going to cut and run.
Now I feel like the biggest asshole. The girl has no one on her side in this town, and now she’s in a vulnerable situation. I’d received a text message earlier today that, I suspect, was sent to just about everyone in town—a photo of her glaring face with a clear message:“This woman is with the assholes who took over The Till. You know what to do.”
I’ve lived in this town for just a few years, and have learned quickly that if you aren’t from here, you’re an outsider. I’ve earned a quiet respect from my neighbors, but I’m not exactly on the inside. And this girl? She’s obviously the enemy.
Jordy moans, and I scoot her away from the pile she’s left on the floor. “Here’s her card back,” Griffin growls, tossing at me as one of the waiters laid paper towels over the area. The tables closest to us file out of the restaurant. “Tell her I gave us a 20% tip.” He glares in her direction. “Now, get her out of here.”
