I chuckled, shook my head, and glanced up toward the ceiling, offering up a silent prayer for
patience because god knew this boy was sent here to test me.
“I suppose I had that coming.” I held up the bottle, offering Corey a drink even though I knew he
was getting ready to start a shift. He shook his head, refusing the drink as I had expected, but at least I
had shown more manners than I had earlier. “If you’re not up for working as many shifts as Jack has
you scheduled, you could cut back.”
“I could, but that sort of defeats the entire purpose of having a second job so I can make ends
meet,” he quipped. “Working one job would be ideal, unfortunately it’s not in the cards for me right
now.”
“Are you sure about that? Running yourself into the ground won’t do you any good either.” My
fingers itched with the urge to reach out and brush the pad of my thumb over the dark bags under his
eyes.
“I’m fine,” he reiterated, straightening even more. Standing this close, I realized how tall Corey
was. It was unusual for me to show any sort of interest in someone who towered over me. “Not all of
us have the luxury of working when we want and floating from one project to the next. Some of us
have responsibilities we have to uphold.”
It seemed I wasn’t the only one making incorrect assumptions. I nearly argued that he had no clue
why I structured my life the way I had but refrained from tipping my hand.
I held up my hands in surrender. Fighting with Corey was both pointless and a waste of time. “I
didn’t come over here to argue or question your life choices, Corey. I just wanted to apologize for
being a bit…abrupt when I found you sleeping. I’ll let you get back to setting up for the night.”
Corey shrugged. “I’m ready to go. Like I said, I know how to get my shit done efficiently. It’s
essential when you’re trying to keep as many plates spinning as I am. Have I ever given you a reason
to doubt my ability to do my job?”
“Never.” It wasn’t a lie. Other than last week when he’d called out without notice, his work ethic
was impeccable. It was something about him that left me uncertain. “We should have a good group
tonight. If anyone comes up asking questions you don’t know the answer to—”
He cut me off before I could finish delivering the canned speech I gave the staff every Wednesday
night. “Send them to you. Got it. Don’t run my mouth if I don’t know the answer. I swear, it’s like I
haven’t been doing this shit for almost a year.”
