"Doesn't he usually close up every night?"
"Yeah, but I open Sunday mornings anyway, so it's not a big deal. Once the side work is done I won't have too much to do when you leave. Can you just try to get that done before you go?"
Nodding, Julie said, "Yeah, of course. I can stay a little longer if you need me to."
Leigh shook her head. "No, it'll be fine. I can do it, just catch up all the side stuff and you can go whenever your shift ends…or whenever she does, but if she doesn't leave by eight I'll probably just kick her out."
"Who is she?" Julie asked.
"Just some dumb whore," Leigh stated, then she turned her attention to whatever she was writing in pencil on the clipboard.
Man, that Shannon girl really knew how to bring the place down, Julie thought as she walked back out to start on all the side work she hadn't gotten around to doing yet.
It was exactly 8:02 when Leigh finally came out of hiding, sat the clipboard down and said, "You need to leave, we're closing up."
Looking slightly startled, the redhead said, "But your sign says you're open until—”
"The sign lied," Leigh stated. "Aaron left anyway, he isn't coming back, so you may as well go. He doesn't want anything to do with you, he never will. Just leave him alone. You've done enough damage."
"It's really none of your business, is it, Leigh? You probably shoved Aaron out the door—wouldn't want him to have a chance to actually talk to me, now would you?"
"Get out, you stupid bitch," Leigh said.
Looking a little surprised, the redhead stood, but she didn't look like she was done. "I made a mistake, Leigh."
"Damn right," Leigh agreed without hesitation. "Now you can leave, and don't come back—you're not welcome here."
"I don't think you have the authority to ban me from this restaurant," Shannon said, her eyes twinkling.
Leigh smirked, her eyes hard. "Bet me."
Shannon lost her smile, and her expression turned vaguely annoyed. "Whatever. The coffee was cold anyway, and since you made Aaron leave…" The redhead opened up her little purse, asking, "How much do I owe you?"
Julie was about to tell her the actual cost of a single cup of coffee, but before she could Leigh said, "Three forty-nine."
Her perfect eyebrows shot up. "For a cup of coffee?"
"Yep," Leigh stated.
Rolling her eyes, the girl dug in her purse. "Whatever, be a bitch, doesn't really matter to me." Then the girl put three dollar bills and two quarters down on the table, saying, "Keep the change."
With that, Shannon Hamilton got up and walked out the doors—and Julie found herself hoping it was the last time.
Glancing tentatively at Leigh, Julie ventured, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Leigh said, her voice a little tired. "If all your stuff is done, you can go. I've got this from here."
Nodding, Julie said, "Okay. Well, I'll see you Monday."
Forcing a slight smile, Leigh said, "Yeah, Monday. Have a good night, Julie."
"You too," Julie responded, grabbing her coat and her purse and offering one last wave before she made her way out the doors as well, almost eager to get home and see if Aaron was there.
---
He wasn't home.
She didn't know why she had expected to see Aaron there when she got home, but unless he was hiding in a closet, he definitely wasn't there.