Damaged and the Knight (Damaged #2)

My first day at Denny’s wasn’t stressful. I’d waitressed enough that I knew the drill. Prepared for how unflattering the uniforms were, I didn’t mind looking dowdy. I wanted praise for my hard work, not my body.

The girl I shadowed the first day was named Larkin. She said to call her Lark and I thought the name suited her. With bright green eyes and her dark hair in a short spiky style, she looked a bit like a pixy. She smiled so much and it wasn’t fake either. Soon, I was smiling like crazy too. Lark had an infection quality and I felt lucky to share a work schedule with her. Everything was already looking up and it was only my first day on my own.

At the end of our first shift, Lark checked ketchup levels while I wiped tables nearby. When she glanced at me, her green eyes sparkled.

“A lot of guys ask us out. I know the nightshift girls get the rowdy guys, but in the morning, they’re usually the preppy frat boys. If you want to go out with them, you can, but keep it quiet. You won’t get in trouble, but it’s not considered a great idea. If you don’t want to go out with them, say it’s against the rules.”

“Do you ever go out with them?”

“No, but I would if I had a choice. A few of them are cute and nice. They just want to hook up with the local girls and blow off some steam.”

“Why don’t you have a choice?”

For the first time, Lark’s expression wasn’t happy. She just shrugged. “My mom married an asshole and he thinks he’s my dad now. He is always telling me what to do. I should ignore him, but I don’t want to move out and pay for rent, since I need my salary for college.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, unable to say much else.

“Yeah, he drove my sister away. Raven and I were tight. Best friends like you and your sister, but she took off when Edward started with his rules. He’s bossy with my mom,” Lark said, glancing around before whispering, “They have this dom sub thing in their relationship and she likes having him tell her what to do. It works for them, but Raven is wild. She challenged him constantly and things got out of hand a few times, so she bailed. Left town with a guy she met and headed to California.”

“I’m sure you miss her.”

“I do,” Lark said, sighing quietly and fighting a frown. “We were on a roller derby team together. We did everything together then she just left. I know she wasn’t ditching me, but it felt that way. I mean, I couldn’t go because I’m working on a degree, but I wish she had moved into a place in town and we could have lived together. She couldn’t stand Edward and they got into a fist fight. He threatened to call the cops and she took off.”

“Maybe she’ll come back?”

“She and the guy she ran off with fight a lot. He’s a jackass, so she’ll probably bail him too. It’s like she went from one ass to another, but I don’t know if she’ll ever come back here.”

Leaving the table I was cleaning, I walked to Lark and hugged her. She never seemed the least bit surprised and hugged me back immediately.

“I know some people don’t like their sisters,” she whispered, “but mine is great and I wish she hadn’t left.”

“I know. When Farah left for college, I felt like nothing else mattered.”

Lark smiled sadly. “You know you can live without them, but it’s just tougher. Nothing is as nice without your best friend around.”

“If you told Raven that, she might come back and put up with the asshole.”

Lark sighed as her gaze flickered to the door. “It’s not just him though.”

Following her gaze, I saw a tall handsome young man with a mohawk. He frowned at Lark and tapped his watch. The way he watched her made me think he was her boyfriend.

“Edward’s son. My brother, I guess,” she said, finishing up the tables. When she passed me to check out for the day, Lark whispered, “Jerks run in their family.”

Lark and her step-brother walked out to the parking lot where she climbed on the back of his Harley. After they road off, I realized I should probably head home too. Yet, I felt nervous about spending the night in the apartment on my own. The night before I chickened out and slept over at Farah’s. She had made us popcorn then painted my nails. Cooper just sighed and shook his head as if we were still discussing the move and he figured he might win with enough disapproval.

This evening, I wouldn’t run to Farah for safety. I would tough it out especially since I noticed a biker following my busses home. Clearly, Cooper had people keeping an eye out for me. Yet, I needed to prove I was capable of being out on my own.