“Not for a struggling model. I’m well past my prime. Twenty-eight is only young to be a club owner. If only I had Drew’s unlimited funds.” He shakes his head.
“Drew Lawson is only twenty-eight? That is really young to own a club. How does someone come into something like that? Family business?”
“Nooooo. That’s a long story, but I will say this. He was a pretty hard party boy several years ago, and after some shit went down, he cleaned up, and he’s been on the straight and narrow ever since. He’s a good dude.” He sips his coffee and yawns.
“I need to hit the sack. I can hardly keep my eyes open,” I drawl out sleepily.
The bell on the diner door chimes, and a group of people come through, laughing animatedly. I turn to look over my shoulder, and the blood drains from my face. My head snaps forward, and my body slumps down into the booth.
“What’s up?” Carter asks, frowning at my strange reaction.
My eyes close, and I blow out a deep breath. “It’s my sister and her boyfriend.”
His brows lower over his eyelids. “And that’s a problem?”
“Yes, it’s four o’clock in the morning, and seeing as I used to be an addict . . . with a prosecuting attorney for a sister, this won’t look good.”
He clenches his teeth and grimaces. “So, basically she’s a mother hen?”
“Not usually, but that’s because I rarely leave my apartment.”
“Incoming,” he says, alerting me to her approach.
“Don’t mention the club,” I hiss under my breath, and somehow, he seems to understand.
The group passes by our table without incident. I throw money on the table and go to make a mad dash, but per my luck, Harper sits on the side of the booth facing me. When her eyes meet mine, they go wide before lasering in on the back of Carter’s head, then narrowing.
Fantastic. She thinks I’m up to my old habits.
“Bailey?” she questions, as though she’s not sure her eyes aren’t deceiving her.
I raise my hand awkwardly as three additional sets of eyes look upon me. Cal’s face pales, surely deducing why I’m here at this hour.
“Hey, Harp,” I call, and she stands, making her way toward us.
“What are you doing here, Bailey?” Her tone is sharp and accusatory. “Do you realize what time it is?”
“I could ask you the same question,” I bite with a frown, nodding my head toward my guest, hoping she’ll take the hint and not make an unnecessary scene. When her arms cross over her chest, I know she’s not backing down. “This is my friend, Carter,” I say, motioning to him. “I couldn’t sleep, and he invited me to grab breakfast with him.”
Carter stands, holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you,” he says, smiling wide. Harper’s frosty expression melts. She’s putty in his hands. Of course.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she says, head tilted to the side as she takes him in. “How did you two meet?”
My stomach sours as I attempt to concoct yet another lie in my head, but Carter jumps to my rescue again.
“I live close by. We became fast friends,” he says, taking a seat. “Bailey and I were just discussing her future plans. We were talking about different college options.”
I kick him under the table, and he yelps, but Harper’s beaming so bright, she doesn’t even notice. Does he have any idea what he’s done? Now, she’s going to nag me until I’m back in class.
“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” I say, through partially gritted teeth. “I need to make sure it aligns with my work schedule.”
“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” Harper praises. “You know I’ll help you if it means you’re back in school.”
I groan. “I don’t need your help, Harp. But thank you.” I nod my head toward her table. “Your friends look like they’re waiting on you to order.”
She looks over her shoulder. “Oh, yeah, I better go. We ended up going out tonight. We ran into Stan and Rachel in Soho, and they took us to some dive bar around the corner from here.” She laughs like it’s funny. “Enjoy your night. I’ll call you tomorrow,” she says, bending down and pulling me into her. “He’s cute,” she whispers, and I grin across the table at Carter.
“Talk to you tomorrow,” I say, waving at her, Cal, and the other two at her table.
“That was . . .”
“A close-ass call,” I mumble, leaning over the table. “If she found out I’m working at Silver, that whole interaction would’ve gone sideways fast. Thanks for your quick thinking.”
He grins. “Women can’t resist my charm.”
I giggle. “Thank God for that.”
“You know I get it,” he says, turning serious. “She clearly loves you, Bailey. If she’d have a problem with you working at the club, it’s only because she cares.”
I know he’s right, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m out of options. What I need is for her to believe in me. To know I’m a different person. I can do this even if I shouldn’t.
“Let’s get out of here. I’m exhausted,” I suggest, not wanting to go down that rabbit hole. Incredibly, Carter never pushes. It’s like he already understands when to let stuff go. I appreciate him more and more with every minute I spend with him.
Carter insists on paying the bill, and we say our goodbyes for the night—well, morning. Having a normal night out with a potential friend was just what I needed. I think I can do this city after all.
5
Drew
My life sometimes feels like an endless cycle.
Every day, I spend it doing the same thing—wake up, work out, go to work. Occasionally, I indulge in other pleasantries, but ever since I’ve decided I wanted to branch off and open something new, do something new, I’ve been too busy.
So now, I eat, sleep, and work.
I’ve been here since around nine this morning. Most would think owning a club like mine is fun, but it’s not.
I work all the goddamn time.
I’m a control freak and do everything myself.
Then there’s the fact that I’m planning on opening a restaurant soon. That brings on a whole other set of problems and responsibilities. If I were smart, I’d hire someone to manage the whole process for me.
Phone calls and meetings have me sequestered in my office until well past dinner, and it’s only going to get worse.
Looking at the clock, I see it’s already after ten.
The club is not at capacity yet, but enough of the high-paying clients are present to have a full staff on the premises.
Give it a few hours and it doesn’t matter what night it is—Silver will be packed.
As much as I’d love to stay cocooned in this office and get ahead on my paperwork, it’s time to head downstairs and check out how the night is going.
I’m particularly interested in how my new employee is faring. Whether it’s to ensure she’s keeping clean or simply to catch sight of her, I haven’t a clue. I don’t even want to examine that one. She’s off-limits for so many reasons.