“And look like a whore looking for her next sugardaddy?” she asked. “No thank you, I have standards.”
I threw a look her way. “Gee, thanks,” I said.
Raya laughed and waved me off. “You know I didn’t mean you,” she said. “Besides, I’m thinking about taking off anyway.”
“In the middle of your shift?” I cocked an eyebrow.
“Yeah, why not?” she smirked. “I can always get another job. This one is getting old anyway.”
“Must be nice,” I muttered. I looked up at my friend, and realized I'd miss her if she went. “You really going to leave me all alone? With him?”
I pointed at Tommy who was slinging drinks for a couple surfer-looking dudes further down the bar.
“Come with me,” Raya said, taking my hands in hers. She smiled wide. “We can work at some coffee house or get a job selling t-shirts on the boardwalk in Santa Monica. Anything beats this place.”
“Yeah, except the pay doesn't add up to the same,” I said. “And I have responsibilities. As much as I'd love to walk out, I'm going to have to pass.”
“Not everything is about money, Casey,” she whined
“Sure, except when you don't have enough to go around, or you're struggling to make ends meet, then it kinda is all about money.”
I groaned and walked away before I got into it with her. Raya's parents might have been hippies, like serious hippies that actually named their daughter Raya Sunshine, but they were fairly wealthy hippies. Not super rich like Malcolm Crane or his buddy Greg's parents, but well off enough that if Raya wanted to, she could just sit at home and make art all day, every day.
They owned their own business, something artsy and popular with the hipsters. I tried to avoid talking about parents if I could, because it inevitably lead to the other person asking about my own parents, and that was a conversation I didn't care to have.
My bladder reminded me that it had been hours since my last bathroom break. Since I didn't see Leon anywhere out there on the floor, I figured it was safe to take a quick break. A really quick break. As in, I ran over to the bathrooms as fast as I could, trying to keep an eye out for Leon. In the madness of trying to sneak a pee unseen by my boss, I wasn't watching where
I was going and ran smack dab into someone.
I fell backward, but he caught me, grabbing my arm and keeping me from falling ass over teakettle onto the ground.
“Easy there,” he said.
I looked up into the gorgeous face of Malcolm Crane. My heart fluttered a bit when I looked into his eyes. Sue me, I couldn't help it. He had to be the most attractive man I'd ever seen, and yeah, if I were being honest, I'd admit to the fact that I had the tiniest of crushes on him.
Not that I'd have ever actually dated him – he was too rich and powerful and alpha male for my liking. Besides, he hung out with guys like Greg, and I figured that said a lot about his personality.
Still, my pulse raced as I stared into those baby blue eyes.
“Thanks,” I said, righting myself. He still had ahold of me, almost like he was afraid to let go. “I really need to use the bathroom, can't you tell?”
Oh, great. Way to be smooth, Casey, talk about going to pee. How sexy. “Funnily enough, that's where I'm headed to,” he said.
He just stood there, staring at me as if he expected me to say something. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I just stood there, looking like an idiot, with my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Finally, I managed to stammer, “I'm really sorry about your dad.”
Nice job, Casey. Remind him of his dying dad. Yeah, that's great. Really sensitive.
He looked confused for a second, then the conversation we'd heard earlier hit him. His face fell, and he looked down at the floor. The pain in his eyes was unmistakable. He was obviously close to his parents, which was something I admired.
“Thank you,” he said. “I mean – well, what am I supposed to say in a situation like this? I have no idea. There's not an instruction manual for dealing with grief or anything.”
“Sometimes just talking about it helps,” I said without thinking. Like this uber rich guy was going to reveal his deepest fears and sorrows to the girl that brought him his scotch.
I reached out and gave his arm a squeeze, which surprised us both.
“I really need to –”