But she knew that couldn’t explain all of it. He’d been acting strangely ever since they’d gotten to town.
While he was away, the waitress came back to pick up the bill, and she brought Kenzie with her. Kenzie was short, with dirty blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was pretty, but her face was sort of weathered, and she had a look in her eye that said she didn’t want to be messed with. “I hear you’re looking for a waitressing gig,” Kenzie said, sticking out her hand.
Caelyn took it and the woman’s grip was like a vice. “Yeah,” she squeaked, as Kenzie squeezed and then released.
“Well, I’m the owner of this little establishment, so you’re talking to the right person.”
“Oh,” Caelyn said, gulping nervously.
“Any experience? It’s okay if you don’t have any.”
Caelyn explained how she’d waitressed at Friendly’s in high school.
Kenzie asked her why she didn’t have a job at the moment, and Caelyn hesitated to answer.
“Listen,” Kenzie said, her blue eyes penetrating. “The only thing I expect is the truth. Don’t lie to me.”
Caelyn decided to be honest. “I left college,” she said. “I drove here and just arrived today. So that’s why I’m not currently employed.”
“You left college? Where did you go to school?”
“Cambridge, in Boston.”
Kenzie laughed. “Come on, you’re serious?”
Caelyn nodded. “You wanted the truth.”
“And where are you planning to live?”
“I don’t know. We’re in a hotel right now.”
“You and your boyfriend?”
“We’re just friends,” she said. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do next.”
Kenzie looked pained. She sighed, kneeling down. “Look, Caelyn. I’m not sure what your story is. But you seem nice and you must be a hard worker if you got into Cambridge. So I’ll tell you what. You can work here for as long as you want—“
“Really?” she said, her eyes widening.
“I’m not done yet,” Kenzie said. “I even have a room you can stay in, it’s got its own door, like a little unit off the side of my house that nobody’s using right now.”
“I can’t ask you to do that for me,” Caelyn said, blown away by the offer.
Kenzie stood up. “You’ll find I’m fair but I expect my girls to work hard,” she said. “If you work hard, you’ve got a job here for life. Okay? And if you decide to go back to school, I won’t be mad.” She grinned.
Elijah was returning to the table as the conversation ended. He eyed Kenzie warily, and she him. “This must be your friend?” Kenzie said, and her voice carried an odd tone, as if she immediately found him wanting in some way.
“I’m just a guy,” he replied. “No big deal.”
Kenzie nodded. “Sure. Just a guy. Well, okay, guy. Can’t say I have a job for you—“
“I wasn’t asking for one.”
“But you,” she said, turning to Caelyn, “are good to start tomorrow. Eleven a.m.
sharp for orientation and training.”
“Absolutely,” Caelyn said. “Thanks again. Thanks so much.”
“After work tomorrow, I’ll show you that room I was telling you about.”
“Okay,” Caelyn smiled.
Kenzie waved, walked off to another part of the restaurant.
As they left Mean Margarita’s, Elijah was walking slightly ahead of her. He was heading toward the motel, but going at a quick pace. Caelyn struggled to stay with him.
“Hey, slow down,” she said.
“I’m tired, I want to get back to the room.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing. I just told you, I’m tired.”
Caelyn grabbed his forearm, and he finally slowed. His eyes met hers and now she could see the hurt in them. “Elijah, something’s wrong. Why won’t you just tell me?”
He stopped walking. “So you got a job, that’s cool.”
“I thought so,” she replied, wiping a strand of hair that had blown into her eyes.
“But what was that stuff about her showing you a room?”
“She mentioned that she has a spare room in her house—“
He interrupted with harsh laughter. “Of course she does.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He just shook his head and started walking again, albeit a little slower this time.
“Elijah, she said. “What’s wrong with her showing me a room?”
“For free?” he said.
“She didn’t say. But at least it’s something.”
“And what do you have now? Are you sleeping on the street?”
“No. You paid for a room, but—”
“Oh, I guess it’s nothing, though.” He waved her off.
“Elijah, I’m totally confused.”
“That lady is a creep,” he said. “The minute I saw her, I got a bad vibe. I don’t know what her deal is, but I don’t trust her.”
“I don’t see what’s so bad about her offering to let me stay somewhere for awhile.
Maybe she’s used that for other waitresses in the past.”
“I’m sure she has,” he laughed.
“I don’t get it.”
“Of course you don’t.” He didn’t elaborate.
They walked in silence until they got back to the room. Once inside, the room felt small and almost claustrophobic. Elijah spread out on the bed and turned the TV on, while Caelyn sat in a small, rickety chair nearby.