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I nod. “I love you, too.”
Hanging up, I slip my phone in my pocket and walk to the office, arching a brow as I stand in the doorway.
“Yeah?”
He tosses a notebook at me. “I need you to go in the back and do inventory.”
“On it,” I reply, snagging a pen off his desk. Maybe I should point out that this is his job but I’d prefer to be in the back room today. I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that someone is watching me since I started my shift two hours ago.
Once in the back room, I start going through the shelves and my mind drifts to Lincoln. I hate myself for it but I kind of miss him. Before Friday night, he would send me at least one text a day asking me how I was doing but my phone has been painfully silent since I drove away from his house. I guess I can’t be surprised though. If he wasn’t already thinking about ditching me, tasing him probably sealed the deal.
Whatever.
I don’t need him.
“So, Tate,” Reed says and I gasp, glancing up to find him standing in the door. “I was thinking about what you said to me last week. It was very disrespectful.”
“And?”
He takes a step toward me and I wish I had my trusty Taser in my pocket right now. “And I can’t have my employees speaking to me like that.”
“Maybe you should act like our boss instead of a prick, then.”
Another step closer and he wags his finger at me, chuckling. “See, there’s that mouth again. Why keep flinging barbs at me when I can think of such better uses for it?”
My brow arches and anger surges through my veins. “You mean like filing a police report on you for sexual harassment?”
“Who would believe you? I mean, with your past and all…” He trails off and my mouth pops open. “You see, one of my buddies used your services once and when he came in here to see me, he recognized you. I gotta say, though. You look better than any hooker I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m done,” I snap with a deadly smile on my face as I shove the notepad into his hands. This job is not worth the fucking trouble. I try to slip past him but he reaches out, wrapping his hand around my arm and I react without a thought, clocking him in the side of the head with my free hand. He blinks in shock and stumbles but doesn’t release me so I stomp on his foot with the heel of my boot and he shrieks in pain as my arm falls out of his grasp.
He limps after me as I jog to the counter and grab my bag from under the register. When he comes toward me again, I slip the knife out of my bag and hold it out in front of me. His hands shoot up in surrender and I circle around him until my back is to the door.
“You can’t just walk away from me, bitch,” he snarls and I smile, backing away from him.
“Fucking watch me, pervert.”
When I get to the door, I slip outside and walk to Mia’s car, keeping a firm grip on the knife until I’m safely inside with the doors locked. Sighing, I glance up at the gas station and relief washes over me knowing that I’ll never have to come back here.
* * * *
“Thanks for letting me borrow the car,” I say to Mia, handing her the keys as we walk into the restaurant where we’re meeting Willow and Lexi for lunch.
“No problem. What did you need it for?”
Sighing, I shake my head. “Lincoln invited me to his cabin over the weekend.”
Her eyes light up but she doesn’t get a chance to say anything as the waitress approaches us.
“Hi! Just two?” she asks.
“No, we’ve got two more coming.”
“We’re here,” someone says from behind me and I peek over my shoulder as Willow and Lexi walk up to us. Turning back to the waitress, I nod and she grabs four menus before instructing us to follow her. The girls are all whispering about something and giggling but I can’t be bothered to even pay attention. Not after this past weekend and yesterday when I quit at the gas station.
The waitress leads us to a table and sets a menu down in front of each chair as we all circle it, plopping down in a seat.
“Can I get y’all something to drink?” she asks.
