“Ambrielle. Bri for short.”
“Do you have waiting experience?”
“I do. And I happen to have a résumé with—”
“Are you available to work tonight from seven to eleven?”
Straight to the point, I see. “Yes.”
“You’re hired.”
I stand in shock for a moment. Liem said only a small percentage of open jobs are listed online, but I never thought I’d walk in and get hired on the spot. I can’t deny an opportunity the universe thrusts into my hands. “Thank you.”
“Come with me. We’ll get you your uniform and paperwork.”
“Great!” What—and I mean this appreciatively—the fuck just happened?
~
The night flies by. A simple evening of carrying a very popular tray of caviar on crème fraîche. I didn’t have to make small talk with guests or lift heavy objects, only switch trays and clean a bit at the end. The pay is good enough to cover the gig jobs I could have done during that time. If I pick up enough events, this will be enough to swing an apartment until I can land a salaried position.
It’s midnight when I get home, but I’m still buzzing from the day’s excitement. Liem hasn’t video called me since before my visit. He’s probably busy trying to recalibrate after everything we did lastweekend. I am too. I haven’t been fucked like that in . . . ever. I imagine it affected him even more.
I send him a text, just to see.
Me: Are you still awake?
He texts me right back.
Liem: Yes
Poor baby. I tuck myself away in my room and video call him. He answers on the second ring, his gorgeous face appearing with a hesitant smile.Overworked or overthinking?“Hi.”
“Hi, babe,” I say back. His couch is behind him. He must be sitting at his coffee table working again. He’s always working. “Still clocked in?”
“Yeah. Work’s been a mess. There’s been rumors of layoffs, so everyone is picking up extra work to keep from seeming expendable.” Even as he talks, he’s looking at his computer rather than the phone screen, one hand on his keyboard, the other on his mouse. I don’t know where he has me propped up, but I don’t mind. This would be my view if I were there with him.
“Are you going to be okay?” I ask.
“Me? Yeah. Sai’s portfolio is too big to lose, and he won’t let them let me go.”
I hate that he works so much, but I love how much his boss cares about him. Though Liem rarely speaks ill of anyone, I get the sense he genuinely likes Sai. He likes working for him, at least.
“Tell me about your day,” he says. Our favorite.
“I visited that apartment this morning. The cute one near Keisha’s rental property.”
“The green one with the pool and the vines,” he describes from memory. “Was it as good as the pictures?”
“It was, and I want it so bad, but I came up short of qualifying.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, remorse deepening his voice even though he’s still not looking at the phone.
“Are you sure I’m not distracting you?”
“Ineeda distraction. Tell me more.”
“Okay, good, because I have some big news.”
