living room, resisting the urge to eavesdrop on their muffled conversation. I simply had to trust she
wouldn’t say anything stupid. A minute later, she reappeared. “Okay, so I’m going to head out. Have a
good night.”
“You too,” I ground out. I needed to remember plans were changing but that didn’t mean my night
was ruined. Going with the flow wasn’t always easy but it had become my norm over the past few
years. I followed her to the door, locking it once she was on the other side.
Not wanting to completely fuck my coworkers, I pulled the phone out of my pocket and scrolled to
the contact info. I could have called Jack directly, but this way there was a chance I’d get Sam
instead. Unfortunately, neither of them possessed the throaty rumble that answered the phone. “The
Lodge, this is William.”
Shit. He wasn’t even a real employee, so why in the hell was he answering the phone?
“Hey, William, it’s Corey. Is Jack around?”
“Nope, he’s off for a few days,” William informed me. “Anything I can help you with?”
He already hated me, so I could only imagine how he’d react when I told him I wasn’t coming in.
If he had the authority, he’d probably fire me on the spot.
Okay, so maybehatewas a bit strong, but he definitely wasn’t a fan of mine.
“Well…um…I…”
“Spit it out, Corey. I’ve got shit to do before we open for the night.” Patience was a virtue
William had never heard of and it showed.
“Something’s come up and I can’t come in tonight. I know it’s short notice, and if there was any
way I could be there, I would,” I said in a rush, hoping he’d hear the remorse in my voice.
“I see.” There was a long pause. A heavy sigh. Something sounding like a growl. Another sigh.
“Well, I’ll pass the message on to Sam, but you have to know this doesn’t look good, Corey. It’s very
unprofessional to call in less than an hour before your shift starts. Have you called to see if anyone
can cover for you?”
“I haven’t had time yet,” I admitted. I did not tell him I’d been so caught off guard by Lisa that I
hadn’t even thought to call the other bartenders first. My sole priority had been making sure Jack—
well, William, apparently—knew. “I’ll do that next but seriously, William, until about ten minutes
ago, I was expecting to be there. It’s… I had a family emergency.”
William let out another exasperated sigh. “Well, I guess if there's nothing you can do, there's
