had said about William. It was clear the kid practically worshiped his uncle. Given how relaxed he
seemed here, knowing what type of club they were in, I had to assume they were close.
Why was it I seemed to be the only one who caught an asshole vibe from the guy?
The rest of the night flew by. I caught William looking in my direction a few times, but before I
could decipher the expression on his face, he always turned his attention back to whoever he was
talking to. Dammit, I really needed to figure out why I was suddenly confused about him and why it
even mattered. Right as I cracked a huge yawn, Sam flashed the lights, signaling that it was time for
everyone to go home.
My favorite time of the night came as I waved to the last customer heading out the door. The snick
of the deadbolt locking released the tension I always carried around in my shoulders. I didn't care
how much work there was left to be done. This was my time. Sam had already collected the tills and
was back in his office counting cash and balancing the books, trusting me to get everything cleaned up
front.
Jack had toyed around with the idea of hiring a service to come in and clean but that seemed like
an unnecessary expense to me. And I didn't want to have to worry about anyone rushing me out the
door. Some nights, when I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep no matter how exhausted I was, I hung
around long after my work was done. If Jack knew, he’d never said anything about it. Sam was aware
of my routine. Some nights, he’d offer to sit with me but most of the time, he reminded me to set the
alarm on my way out as he ducked out the back door. Overall, I was pretty damn lucky to have such a
chill workplace.
Tonight, my attention kept wandering to the sealed off room to my left. Soon, the temporary walls
would come down, revealing the first of the changes Sam had suggested to Jack. I hated myself a little
for how drawn I was to that space. The door felt like the lid to Pandora's box. Everything I wanted
might be on the other side of the wall but there would be consequences for even looking.
“Stop it,” I scolded myself. “Just because you're intrigued by something doesn't mean you have to
do anything about it.”
“That's where I'd say you're wrong.” I jumped at the sound of William's voice echoing through the
darkness. The pint glass in my hand crashed to the floor, shattering into a million little pieces.
“There's nothing to be ashamed of here, Corey. You know that.”
“For other people, sure,” I argued. I swallowed hard, pursing my lips before blurting out all the
