Page 74 of Crash
Stepping out of the kitchen, coffee in hand, I almost ran into Bobby, and I gasped as I nearly tipped my morning energy boost over us both.
“You beat me in,” he exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.
“Is it such a bad thing I know how to work the coffee machine?” I asked, righting the cup before it could spill.
“Nope, but I like to keep the pot hot for the ladies.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
I knew he was only playing, so I laughed at him. “So what’s your deal, Bobby?”
He tilted his head to the side. “My deal?”
“Yeah, your deal.”
Bobby leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, before Pulse, I was working shit kitchen jobs trying to land a gig like this.”
“How did you manage to get Ash to give you the job?”
He ran his hand over his face before tucking it back under his arm. “I was working at a little place on Sydney Road. Long story short, I caused a scene, got fired and literally ran into your brother on the way out the door. We almost got into a punch up I was that pissed, but we got to talking and he offered me the gig.”
“Just like that?” I narrowed my eyes. I knew with Ash that there were always terms and conditions, but he was also good at reading people. It came with the fighter thing, being able to spot tells in your opponent.
Bobby shook his head and smiled. “From that look, I can see that you know there is more to the story than I’ve let on, so I’ll leave it at that.”
Taking a sip of my coffee, I glanced across the gym and spotted Ash weaving through the weight machines.
“I like this version of you,” Bobby said kindly. “Linc’s a good guy.”
I flushed and glanced into my coffee cup. “Yeah, he is.”
Turning back to Ash, I saw that he’d stopped and was watching our exchange. He smiled as our eyes met, and he moved away, disappearing upstairs.
“I’ll catch you later,” I said, my gaze on the stairs.
“No problems,” Bobby replied, and I began to move away. “Hey, Violet?”
I paused. “Hmm?”
“I don’t know what happened to you before you came to work here, but whatever’s happened since…” He shrugged. “Don’t let anything change you again.”
He spoke like he knew a little something about life-changing experiences. It wasn’t my place to press, so I just smiled. “Thanks, Bobby.”
Following Ash upstairs, I left my coffee in the office and ventured down the hall to the apartment space. I hadn’t seen much of my elusive brother in the last few weeks, and for us, it was strange. Life was changing, and it was a good thing, but I didn’t want my relationship with my brother to suffer for it. After all, he was my only family.
I found him in the kitchen, bent over the counter and looking at some paperwork with his phone in his hand. My footsteps echoed in the empty space, and he looked up. When he saw it wasme, he shoved his phone into his pocket and walked over for a hug.
“Hey,” he said, grasping me tightly.
“Hey.” I pulled away and spread my arms out. “The apartment looks great.”
I cast my gaze around the gigantic open space, taking in all the things that had changed over the past six weeks since Ash and Ren had gotten back from Thailand. There was still a way to go, but the kitchen had been installed and the plaster was up and rendered through the dining and living room areas. The wood laminate flooring had been laid even though it was currently hiding away underneath plastic sheeting to protect it from scratches.
“The painters are coming in tomorrow to give the place a lick of color,” Ash said. “The bathroom and laundry still need to be done. That’s the big one, but other than that, we’re just looking at finishing touches. The skirting and windows, a couple of door handles…”
“Quick turn around,” I said, peering into one of the bedrooms. There was a nice inbuilt robe anda door that leadthrough to the bathroom, that was still a shell waiting for waterproofing to go in.
“You know me, Vee. All or nothing.”
“Yeah, all ornothing meaningright now.” I threw him a smile and moved over to the kitchen, running my hand over the marble countertop. “Does Ren like it?”
