“Is any of this legal?” she asks. “Why don’t we take a quick break? Rafe and Dom are up next, and nobody’s going to be happy with empty glasses.”
I nod and head for the bathroom, but just before I reach the door, I go out back instead. I don’t know if it’s just hot in there or if my head is spinning from everything I’ve just been told, but I need fresh air.
The metal door closes behind me. I step a few feet away before I take a deep breath and lean against the wall. I gulp in the fresh air, suddenly feeling suffocated by it all. I rip the wig off and stare up at the sky.
I focus on the stars until the world, and my mind slowly stops spinning. I swallow as visions flash in my mind, visions that often come to mind when I look up at night.
My parents. Watching me at dance competitions. Cheering for me from the crowd. In the kitchen, making their famous tacos. Dancing and laughing while listening to music.
I shake my head to make the memories go away. Sometimes they’re too painful. Then I see something. A silhouette. A man.
I turn, suddenly alarmed, and then I realize who it is.
“Dominic,” I say his name without thinking about it, and he slowly walks towards me. He is in his shorts, and his hands are wrapped and ready to go. Slowly, he moves towards me, stepping into the light and looking down at me. His eyes dilate, and I realize he recognizes me.
“Mila,” he says my name, and my breath catches.
Chapter 14
Mila
He knows who I am.
In the streetlight, without my wig and flashy makeup, he’s figured it out.
“You work here,” he states as he looks down at me.
“I do,” I say, swallowing hard.
There’s no expression in his eyes, nothing I can read. Then his jaw tightens, and I move around him, going back inside.
The next morning, I dread going to work at his house. For one, I’m exhausted. I didn’t get home until four in the morning. Even the few hours I was in bed, I spent most of the time unable to sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about what was going to happen. There were no answers in his eyes. I couldn’t tell if he was angry, surprised, disappointed, or even pleased. Nothing.
Despite my exhaustion, I get to work as soon as I step inside. I make sure the coffee is hot and ready. I open the blinds and curtains and begin dusting. I clean the new mirror on the wallwith Windex until it sparkles. I see my reflection in it. I put on a little makeup today, mostly to hide the fact that I look like a zombie. For a moment, I wonder what he sees or thinks when he looks at me. Then I gasp.
I see Dominic’s reflection in the mirror, standing behind me.
I spin around, feeling the heat in my cheeks. “Your coffee is ready.”
I watch as he picks up the mug and then his eyes just fall on me. Then, after a beat of nothing, he turns and walks away. Once the office door is half-way closed, I exhale.
Well. He didn’t fire–
“Mila. Come in my office for a moment,” Dominic calls out.
Damn.
I take a deep breath and step inside, keeping my posture as tall as my five-foot one frame will allow. I don’t want him to think I am afraid of him.
“Sit,” he motions, looking up from his desk.
I walk over and sit in the chair across from him and wait. I’m normally not afraid of him, even if I should be. But I know he could fire me at any moment, and without having the Ring Girl job secured, I know better than to be cocky right now.
“I think we need to talk about–” Dominic starts, and immediately I freak out.
“Dominic, I’m sorry,” I blurt with enough franticness that he stops talking. “I should have told you. The first time I saw you fight, I should have told you I was a waitress at the Cockpit. But I really wanted both jobs. I need both jobs if I am ever going tomove out of my crappy apartment. I didn’t mean to lie to you. And I never told anyone that you and I…that we…” I motion back and forth between us.
It isn’t until right then that I realize I am crying.
