Grabbing the jeans and T-shirt she’d worn to work last night from her locker, Penelope went to the restroom, locked herself in a stall for privacy, and hurried to change. Once she was finished, she went to the sink, washed her hands and pulled her hair up in a ponytail to get it out of her way. When she returned, there were several people lingering in the break room. A couple downing sandwiches at the table, one reading a book, another doing a quick round of calisthenics. Their emotional energy pinged Penelope from all directions, but luckily, no one seemed to be overly maudlin.
“How’d you do tonight, Pen?”
She smiled at Jenny, one of the new girls working near her section. “Not too bad for a Monday.”
Taking a seat in a nearby chair, Penelope pulled on her Converse, tied them.
“Hey! Did y’all hear what happened to Jessica Brighton?”
Looking up, Penelope watched as Melissa Miller rushed over, all long legs and bouncing boobs. Her eyes were wild, mouth hanging open, thin brown hair dangling lifelessly around her face.
“Who’s Jessica Brighton?” Jenny asked, her curiosity rolling over Penelope like a tidal wave.
“Waitress at OMNIA. Stick-thin blonde? She always wore bright red lipstick?”
That described nearly half the waitresses on the strip.
Jenny shook her head, clearly not knowing who Melissa was talking about. Penelope was in the same boat she was.
“They said she had a heart attack,” Melissa announced in a conspiratorial whisper. “Cleaning crew found her under one of the tables in the club Sunday morning. They think she might’ve sat down to take a breather. Keeled right over.”
“Heart attack?” Jenny’s hand went to her chest, rubbing absently. “Oh, my God.”
While she appeared at a loss, Penelope didn’t feel true pain coming from her. More keen interest than despair.
“It’s horrible,” Melissa continued. “She was only twenty-nine. Her boyfriend just moved here last month. They were buying a house.” Melissa’s voice lowered. “They don’t want us talking about it. Said it wouldn’t be good for the guests to overhear. Anyway. It’s horrible.” She forced a smile. “I’ll see y’all tonight.”
And there you go. Drop the big death bomb and head off to do your thing. Bad news drive-bys were a trend around here.
“See you tomorrow night, Jenny,” Penelope offered with a quick wave.
Jenny’s gaze trailed after Melissa, still stunned by the delivery of bad news. “Yeah, you, too.”
Penelope didn’t stick around, grateful she hadn’t been overwhelmed by the emotional turmoil. With her purse draped over her shoulder, she strolled toward the parking garage, trying not to think about that poor waitress or the fact she would never buy that house with her boyfriend.
The sound of muffled voices had her looking up, noticing the sexy mountain of a man she’d encountered earlier. He was standing near the exit doors, engaged in conversation with another man. This one not quite as intimidating with his perfect hair and fancy suit. Unlike the mountain who reminded her of a warrior, this one looked more like a lawyer. Penelope studied them both for a second, curious.
Evidently, her staring triggered his internal radar, because her mystery man’s head turned in her direction. He then nodded to his friend. The second man shot a quick smile before strolling out into the night.
Alone, the big guy’s full attention shifted to her. Not sure what she was going to say to him, Penelope considered running in the opposite direction but managed to hold her ground, continuing on her path to the exit.
“Heading out?” he prompted when she approached.
“I am, actually. Heading home.”
“How about breakfast?”
His offer caught her completely off guard. Earlier, he hadn’t said more than one word to her. Now he was asking her out on a date?
“I … uh … I actually don’t date customers.”
The smirk that formed on his sinful mouth had a tingle of awareness dancing down her spine.
“Good thing I’m not a customer.”
Okay, fine. He had her on a technicality. Since she hadn’t brought him a drink, he wasn’t a customer.
But still.
