Nell’s head shot up. “You’re thinking of staying?”
“What? No.” My stupid mouth opened, closed. “No, of course not. I don’t know where that came from. I already have a career, I’m a real estate agent.”
“No, you’re not. You got fired.”
“Thanks,” I replied drily. “Actually, I need to read over the settlement from the Delaneys tonight. Get that sorted out.”
“So you’ll be receiving a payout?” She set her elbows on the table and clasped her fingers together, watching me with bright beady little eyes. “How much, do you think?”
“Hopefully enough to buy me a decent used car and help me resettle somewhere else.” I crossed my legs, getting comfortable. “I honestly don’t know what it will be. I’m a little afraid to look. My savings are not immense.”
“You have a job here, a place to stay.”
“Nell, these are just emergency measures. You’ll find a new waiter and Vaughan will be gone soon, the house sold.”
She flinched.
Regret flooded me. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s the truth.” Her shiny red hair had been pulled back into a bun. It still seemed too bright against the pale of her cheeks, the shadows under her eyes. It was concerning.
“You’re still looking a little off. Do you think you might have caught whatever bug Rosie’s family has going around?”
“Maybe.” She scrunched up her face. “I’m just so damn tired lately. Everything’s getting to me.”
“You’ve been dealing with a lot.”
“Mm. Eric’s apologized and is carrying his weight again, but Pat still won’t step foot in the place. I don’t see that changing anytime this century.”
All I could do was frown on her behalf. Men sucked so bad sometimes.
“I just wish I had the money to buy him out,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. “My share of the tattoo shop doesn’t account for half of what I’d need. Going all out setting up this place is biting me on the ass.”
“If you hadn’t you wouldn’t have the booming growing business you’ve got. The investment was sound.”
“Yeah. Just a shame my marriage wasn’t.” Her eyes were glossy with tears. “I’m so proud of this place, Lydia. I can’t lose it.”
It was a hard situation. False promises wouldn’t help, so I kept my mouth shut.
A heavy sigh. “At any rate, how would you like some more work? We had a great bookkeeper, but she retired last Christmas. I was hoping between all of us we’d be able to keep on top of this, but it’s not happening. Joe’s got the computer and program all set up, ready to go. What do you say?”
I pinned my lips shut, considering the consequences. More money. Less time with Vaughan. A very sad thought indeed.
“It’d probably only take you a day or so to get us up to date,” Nell wheedled, flopping back in the seat. “And you’d be sitting down the entire time. I guarantee it won’t hurt your feet at all. Please, Lydia?”
“You already used ‘please’ on me today.”
“Pretty please?” The face she made was truly pathetic. Some sort of cross between a hound dog and a depressed redheaded sloth. It wasn’t pretty. “I’m willing to beg. Kissing your smelly feet I draw the line at, but begging could definitely happen.”
“God. Fine,” I said, slowly rising. “But you start looking for a new bookkeeper.”
“Absolutely.”
“And a new waiter.”
“Yep.”
“I mean it, Nell.” I waved a pointy finger at her.
“I know you do.” She smiled beatifically.
I didn’t trust that smile one bit. “I have to go meet Vaughan.”
“Speaking of which.” She delicately scrunched up her nose, eyes alight with mischief. “Can you please use more concealer on the hickeys next time? Either that, or ask my bro to stop using you as his chew toy. You’re bringing down the class of the place with your kinky sex play. It’s not okay. We’re a serious, well-respected establishment.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said sarcastically. “Playing punk music all day definitely reinforces that image.”
“It was Boyd’s turn to pick the music. He says he chooses punk to soothe the ghost of Andre Senior.”
“Do you really think the place is haunted?” I asked, curious. No ghost had ever crossed my path, but you never did know. There was a lot in this world I could neither explain nor label.
Nell just shrugged. “Might be. The old man was definitely married to the place. He hardly ever went home, ask Andre Junior about it. His mom was a model, always traveling for work. Eventually she met someone else and settled in New York. Andre traveled back and forth a bit, but he basically raised himself.”
“Tough childhood.”
“Yeah. Andre Senior loved this place so much it didn’t leave much room for anything else.”
“Some people shouldn’t have kids,” I said, sounding more than a touch bitter. Memories poisoned my present, the same as they ever did. “Self-absorbed assholes, it’s ridiculous.”
“Yes.”
“It’s not like you have to. There’s no legal requirement to reproduce. But people with no real intention of actually bothering to be a parent keep doing it just the same.”