Page 11 of The Off-limits Grump Next Door
I opened my mouth to explain, but Antonio jumped in first, explaining the situation in his usual condescending tone, painting me as the sole culprit. I felt my frustration rising again, but I didn’t get the chance to defend myself.
"Kendra, please apologize to Mr. Michaelson," Lily said softly, her eyes pleading. "He’s one of our best customers."
My stomach dropped. Lily hadn’t even asked for my side of the story. Of course, it was "the customer is always right". But this time, I wasn’t going to let Antonio win. I wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction… even if it meant losing my job on my first day.
I shook my head firmly. "No way. He started it."
Lily’s face tightened. "Kendra, I’m asking you nicely. Apologize."
"You can cut my pay or make me work extra shifts," I said, my voice steady. "But I won’t apologize to him."
The silence stretched between us, the tension thick. Lily’s expression shifted, sadness flickering in her eyes. "I’m sorry, Kendra," she said quietly. "But I have to let you go."
I nodded, my decision was made. "Fine. At least I’m not the only one leaving with a stain today." I shot a glance at Antonio’s ruined shirt, and a small, defiant smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
As I turned to leave, I caught sight of the guilt flashing in Antonio’s eyes. But I didn’t care. I was done with him—at least for today. Lily turned to Antonio and said, “please let me apologize on behalf of my staff…” I heard her say something about getting him a fresh glass and taking care of the shirt as I turned and walked away.
After returning my uniform to the kitchen, I stormed out of the diner and headed straight home, anger radiating through my entire body. I slammed the door behind me as I entered my apartment, feeling the weight of everything that had just happened.
In a huff, I made my way to the kitchen, where I poured myself a bowl of cereal, trying to focus on something mundane. But my hands were shaking, and the milk spilled all over the counter.
"Stupid!" I muttered, wiping up the mess.
I needed to vent, and there was only one person who could calm me down—my brother Tom. Grabbing my phone, I dialed his number and waited for him to pick up.
When his face appeared on the screen, his brows furrowed in concern. "Hey, Kendra. What’s going on?"
I launched into a detailed account of everything that had happened. Tom listened quietly, his expression growing darker with every word. Lucinda, his wife, joined the video chat, her eyes wide with sympathy as I finished my rant.
"That’s so unfair!" Lucinda exclaimed. "You didn’t deserve that at all!"
Tom nodded in agreement. "Yeah, sis, it sounds like that guy’s a complete jerk!"
I let out a heavy sigh. "You have no idea." I can’t believe Antonio Michaelson is such a big jerk.
Lucinda’s expression shifted, and she turned to Tom with a thoughtful look. "Wait… didn’t you mention a guy Kendra had a crush on in college? What was his name again?"
Tom’s eyes widened, and he stared at me with a knowing smile. "Kendra, you don’t mean—"
I groaned, cutting him off. "Yes, it’s the same Antonio Michaelson. But that was years ago. It doesn’t matter now."
"Doesn’t matter?" Tom said with a teasing grin. "You’re still talking about him like he gets under your skin, sis."
Lucinda raised an eyebrow. "Maybe he still does?"
I rolled my eyes, trying to deflect. "Whatever. The point is, I’m out of a job now because of him."
Lucinda gave me a thoughtful look. "Maybe it’s more than that, Kendra. Maybe you need to think about why Antonio’s still affecting you so much."
I scowled, feeling a little defensive. "I'm not angry about him, okay? I'm just angry about the situation."
Her words hit a little too close to home. Was I really that affected by him? I brushed the thought away as we ended the call. But deep down, I couldn’t shake it. Was Antonio really still the same guy I’d crushed on all those years?
I have to focus on my immediate problem: finding a new job. But as I sat down to eat my cereal, I couldn't shake off the feeling that this was only the beginning of a complicated and messy situation.
As I took a bite of my cereal, my phone buzzed with an incoming text.
"Hey Kendra, hope you're doing well," the text read. "I just wanted to follow up on our conversation earlier. I think I might have some good news for you...
