Everyone in the city knows that Romano’s means fine Italian dining, and even back here in Kevin’s cramped little manager’s office, the furnishings are nicer than any place I’ve ever lived. My sister, Jessie, looks totally out of place with her hot pink cast, oversized glasses, and crooked pigtails. Or maybe it’s the pitifully small stack of plastic garbage bags at her feet, the ones that I’d hastily shoved our belongings into after the landlord showed up to enforce the eviction notice I’d found on the door a few days ago.

Kevin looks pained as he glances down at Jessie, obviously agreeing that she doesn’t fit in here.

“No, Hannah,” he says to me, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’d get fired if I let her stay. Just take the night off, okay? The short notice isn’t great, not on a Friday night, but this isn’t a daycare.”

“I can’t take tonight off,” I say, my stomach twisting into a tight knot as I will myself not to cry. “The tips are going to get us a hotel room later.”

While the section Kevin has me scheduled in isn’t the VIP room—I don’t have enough seniority for that—it will still guarantee me some big tippers. Jessie’s emergency room visit wiped out my checking account, and since my landlord hadn’t been sympathetic to that, tonight’s tips are my only hope for the two of us to sleep somewhere that isn’t out on the street.

The scuff of expensive leather shoes on the floor behind me and the way Kevin stiffens and plasters a fake smile on his face are my only warning before Trey Romano’s hand lands on my shoulder. His palm is always a little clammy, and the way he’s always finding excuses to touch me makes my skin crawl.

“You need a place to stay tonight, huh, sugar?” he asks, leering at me. Then he winks. “That can be arranged.”

I freeze, barely stopping myself from shuddering.

“No thank you, Mr. Romano,” I tell him stiffly, not daring to pull away. Trey is the absentee owner’s son, and as much as I hate the way he always looks at me, I need this job. Especially tonight.

I dart a glance over at Jessie, hating the nervous look on her normally cheerful face as she stares at Trey’s hand on me. I’d only been eighteen when our parents died two years ago, but I’d sworn to her that I’d always take care of her, and I’m about to let her down now. That means more than just making sure we don’t end up out on the street; it also means not letting her see how desperate and scared I’m feeling right now.

With that in mind, I make myself give her a confident smile, forcing my body to relax. Unfortunately, that seems to give Trey the idea that I welcome his touch or something, since he immediately starts rubbing that clammy hand up and down my arm.

Jessie’s eyes widen, and I grit my teeth.

“Heard you say you needed to make some good tips tonight,” Trey says, his tone making my stomach roil.

If there’s one good thing about his constant interest in me, though, it’s that at the moment, he’s not commenting on Jessie’s presence.

“If I thought it would be worth my while, maybe I could be persuaded to talk Kev here into letting you work the VIP room,” Trey goes on, throwing in one of those smarmy winks. “Me and my buddies are gonna be back there celebrating.”

I have to fight the urge not to squeeze my eyes closed and whimper in despair. Working the VIP room would be amazing… if I didn’t have to serve Trey. Back there, it will be even harder to avoid his groping, and I don’t even want to imagine what his friends might be like.

“I should be fine in the front of the house,” I tell him quietly, sending Kevin a look of desperation. No matter how bad things are right now for me and Jessie, I’d much rather give up VIP-room tips if it means staying away from Trey.

Kevin gives me a slight, apologetic shrug along with a subtle shake of his head, and my stomach sinks. He probably needs this job just as much as I do. No way is he going to stand up to Trey Romano for me, not now that Trey’s made it clear where he wants me tonight.

“It’s not like you can work the front with all this… baggage,” Trey says in a harder voice, his eyes finally zeroing in on Jessie.

I swallow hard, thankful beyond measure that she’s only ten. Not that I like how he’s looking at her—at all—but it’s with contempt rather than lust. I have no doubt that if my sister were just a few years older, though, her catching Trey’s attention would do more than just make my skin crawl. Even though it would guarantee that we’d be sleeping on the streets tonight, if she’d caught his eye that way, I’d have had to get us out of here.

“What is all this shit, Hannah?” Trey sneers at me, his grip tightening on my arm almost to the point of pain as he waves his other hand toward Jessie and our bags. “This is a classy place, and you brought in garbage?”

My spine snaps straight, and I almost forget myself and tell him off. Sure, I had to pack our stuff in garbage bags—it was all we had—but the way he says it, I can tell he’s including my sister in that statement, too.

I’m dressed in my server’s uniform—a slim-fitting black dress that’s sadly the nicest clothing I own—but Jessie has on scuffed, second-hand boots, ripped jeans and a sweatshirt with a stain on it. She looks like exactly what we both are. A little bit desperate. Always behind on bills. Struggling every single day to make ends meet.

I try to support Jessie the way she deserves, and I have to swallow down a lump in my throat as I think about how far short I’ve fallen on that. Christmas is in a few weeks, and not only will there not be any presents, I’m still not sure where we’ll even be sleeping.

Honestly, it’s been all I can do just keep my head above water since I became her guardian. I don’t make a great replacement for our parents, but I have no choice. I’m all she has, and I won’t let Jessie down.

“I’ll work the VIP room, Mr. Romano,” I say quietly, swallowing down bile as I realize what I have to do.

Not what he wants me to do, but if I’m going to work tonight, I really don’t have a choice about it. And I can do this. I have to.

Trey starts to smile, and I rush to add, “I just need a place for Jessie and our… our stuff to stay during my shift. I thought maybe here in Kevin’s office? She won’t disturb anything, sir.”

“So, you’re asking me for a favor,” Trey crows, sounding almost gleeful. “Might even say that if I say yes to this—if, Hannah—you’ll owe me a little something, yeah?”

I want to be sick. All I have to do is get through this shift, though, and pray that whatever else they do, Trey and his friends don’t forget to tip me.

“Thank you,” I manage to make myself say. “I’d really appreciate it if you’d let her stay, Mr. Romano.”

No way am I going to agree to “owing” him, but I also can’t risk an outright no.

Trey doesn’t seem to mind. He grins, his grip still tight on my arm. “Looks like you’ll have yourself some company tonight, Kev,” he says, keeping his eyes trained on me even though he acts like he’s talking to Kevin. “A pretty young girl for you, a pretty young girl for me. Guess it’s a lucky night for both of us.”

I do shudder this time, I can’t help it, and Trey seems to like that, too.

“Hann?” Jessie asks quietly, her voice coming out so small that it doesn’t even sound like her.

She’s a smart kid, and I’ve got no doubt that she can tell Trey isn’t just being nice to me out of the generosity of his heart. He wants something… something that, no matter how desperate I am, I’m not going to give. Not to someone like him. I can’t let Jessie worry, though.

“It’s fine, Jessie,” I tell her, doing my best to reassure her with a bright smile that I can tell she wants to believe. Game face on. I can do this. “Just stay out of Kevin’s way and read your book,” I tell her. “I’ll be done in a few hours, honey.”

“And then we’ll go to a hotel?” she asks, eyes darting to Trey before locking back on mine. “Like you promised?”

I nod, but Trey laughs, low and dirty. “A hotel? Your sister isn’t going anywhere until after she finishes serving me and my friends.”

He makes the word sound so dirty that I feel like I need a shower, and Jessie’s eyes get big behind her glasses. She’s ten, not stupid. I give her another one of the smiles I normally reserve for customers, though. The ones that I’ve trained myself to put on like a mask over whatever I’m really feeling.

“We’ll sleep at a hotel tonight,” I tell Jessie firmly, not daring to look at Trey. “I promise.”

She nods, trusting me, and I know I’ll find a way to get us through this. I have to.

I’m all Jessie has, so there really isn’t any other choice, is there?