Chapter Seven
Jennifer tried to take in a few breaths but was having trouble breathing, as if the air had been sucked out of the room. She dropped her hands from the hem of her shirt as she continued to stare dumbfounded at her parents.
This was her safe place, the one place where no one knew anything about her and didn’t treat her like she was some child. She turned back to Eric, who seemed less shocked and more annoyed that they had been interrupted. Not that she could blame him.
So much was bubbling below the surface with the two of them. It seemed like something was bound to happen, and that would have been today if her damned parents hadn’t walked in on them.
Jennifer stood and brushed the dirt off her jeans. Not that it mattered really. Her parents walked down the steps slowly, trying not to touch much as they did. She cringed as her mother stepped around a few droplets of blood on a step from the creep Eric handled earlier. The bar was not really the kind of place her parents would normally go.
Jennifer turned to Eric. “Thank you for—”
He jumped up from the chair. “It’s nothing,” he said, his words clipped. He stared behind her at the stairs her parents were standing on.
His gaze cut to her, and she knew that the moment from earlier was long gone. Anger clouded his eyes, and she wondered if what she thought she’d been sensing had ever really been anything more than being a warm body at the right time. Something inside her screamed that wasn’t the case, but doubt wormed its way in.
“I’ll let you catch up,” he said.
Eric brushed past her. She could smell his crisp citrus soap, and part of her yearned to just follow him into the back to finish what they started.
“Jennifer,” her father said, finally smothering what little excitement remained.
She turned to look at her parents. As expected, her mother was in a matching skirt and blazer, her father a suit and tie. They looked every bit the part of people with money. The disgusted looks on their faces fit in well with the persona and only showed her just what they thought of the place and situation of their daughter.
“This can’t be where you work,” her mother said finally. Her chin-length brown hair bobbed around as she surveyed the place.
Jennifer cleared her throat. “I’m trying to work up my way to marketing for them.”
Her father stared her down. “We can see that.”
His tone was flat and implied more than it should have. Her cheeks heated. A slap in the face might have hurt less.
“By waitressing,” she said quietly. As much as she wanted to say something else, it wouldn’t be worth it. He had already made up his mind. Jennifer looked away.
“Is this what you had in mind when you graduated?” her mother asked. She waved a hand around the bar and scrunched up her nose.
“You know it’s not,” Jennifer said, and started clearing some of the mugs from the table.
It might be best to keep her hands busy so she wouldn’t resort to throwing something at them.
It was always the same with them. If she wasn’t doing what they wanted, it must be wrong. It all started when she picked a major that they didn’t approve of. The only thing that seemed to smooth it over was that she was dating Charles. Now that the relationship was over, they had no reason to hold back. In fact, she fully expected them to double down on their efforts.
“Well, help us understand,” her father said, and followed her to the bar. “Because for the life of me, I just can’t understand why you didn’t come to us.”
Jennifer set the mugs down in the sink a little harder than intended. The loud clang filled the empty room. Hands on the sides of the metal sink, she stared down at the water. Finding the composure to talk to her parents was harder than she first thought.
“How was I supposed to?” She turned to look at them. Pain filled her, and a lump formed in her throat.
“Pardon?”
She gave a hollow laugh. “First thing you would have said was that I picked a field I shouldn’t have.”
“Given the current circumstances, I think we were right.” Her father’s hand hit the table to emphasize his words.
Jennifer stared at her father. His features were hard and unforgiving. With his chest puffed out, he was sure of how right he was. Maybe he’d spent too many years on the bench. It had only reinforced his sense of self-worth.
“You aren’t right,” she said. “I’m good at marketing.”
He scoffed loudly and ran a hand behind his ears to smooth his salt and pepper hair.
“If that was the case, then why did Bob tell Charles that you refused to do the project correctly?” He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her response like she was still a child not getting the correct grades.
Of course Bob had called Charles. He was the reason she had even gotten the job. Still, it burned her up inside knowing the two of them had sat around discussing her and everything that she lacked. She’d bet that the two of them had a good laugh now that they were both rid of her.
“Bob is a dick,” she spat out.
“Jennifer!” Her mother stared at her in horror, but it didn’t seem to faze her father. Nothing ever really did.
“Oh, please,” Jennifer said, and leaned against the counter. “He wanted me to bend knee and put out sexist crap that wasn’t going to sell. I was right with what I did.”
Her father studied her, his dark brown eyes staring deep into her. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, there was a piece of her that was him. The person that could tell if it was the right call or not. That made snap judgments on what others did.
“What did the client ask for?” he asked finally.
She thought for a moment. “They wanted something that would draw in the refined drinker but also had girls jumping up and down in bikinis. It was conflicted.”
He shook his head and sighed. “Then you should have made them see your side.”
She frowned. See her side. Jennifer thought that was what she had been trying to do. Convince them which would sell more.
Maybe she could have been more persuasive. Maybe she could have tried a little harder. She wasn’t quite sure how, but maybe her father had a point.
Silently, she picked up the towel next to her and started wiping the bar down.
“When do you get off?” her mother asked. She seemed to have calmed down a bit and was willing to have a rational conversation.
“She can be off now if she’d like,” Eric said from the doorway to the back.
Jennifer turned to look at him. He’d spent just enough time dodging her parents and only chose to show up when it benefited him. Her parents kept her on her toes, and Eric was proving to be just like them in that regard.
She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by her mother.
“Good!” Her mother stepped forward and waited for Jennifer to step out from behind the bar.
“I can’t leave,” she said to him. Her eyes dropped to his hand, and she could see that he had put on a fresh bandage.
Eric waved a hand and avoided looking at her. “It’s fine,” he said. She watched him closely as he nodded to her parents and busied himself at the bar.
“See,” her mother cut in. “Your… boss will be fine,” she said as she struggled to get the words out. She scanned the room quickly and stepped forward. “Besides, it’s not like there is anyone in here.”
Jennifer cringed at her mother’s observation of the obvious.
“Helen,” her father said quietly.
She watched the silent exchange as her father nodded over to Eric. It was clear that her father seemed to get the implications. Her mother, on the other hand, thought the worst of the place and wanted to get her out of there as quickly as possible.
They hadn’t been wrong. The place was dead, and if there was ever a night to cut out early, this was it. Jennifer sighed. She moved to stand next to Eric as her parents watched in horror that she would be so close to someone like that.
“You sure it’s okay?” Jennifer watched as Eric went through the receipts and tallied up the numbers.
“Sure,” he said without glancing at her. “Crystal will be back soon.”
Irritation bubbled deep inside. They had been so close before and now, once again, he was closed off to her. She bit back her annoyance and tried again. All she needed was for him to look up just once.
“I wouldn’t want to leave you short-handed,” she said, and offered a smile.
Jennifer jumped when he slammed a hand down beside the papers.
“Damn it,” he ground out. He turned to look at her. His eyes were just as cold and unfeeling as the first time she’d met him. “I have work to do. I think I can manage fine without you.”
Something snapped in her. She yanked at the ties on the back of her apron and pulled it quickly over her head.
“Enjoy your work,” she said harshly, and slapped the apron against his chest. When he grunted from the force, she gave him a satisfied smile.
Not bothering to look back at her now stunned parents, or her surly boss, Jennifer walked out the door.
* * *
Eric watched in shock as Jennifer stormed out the door. He’d wanted her to leave but now that she had, he didn’t feel as good about it as he thought he would.
Without even sparing him a glance, her mother hurried out the door after her. Not that he expected her to say anything. It was obvious what she thought of him.
He turned to find Jennifer’s father drilling holes into him with a glare. The older man just smelled of money. They all had, and maybe he’d just been blind to it when it came to Jennifer. Wrong side of the tracks didn’t even begin to cover where they stood.
“This is a phase,” her father said, and stared pointedly at him. “You are a phase.”
Eric balled his fists behind the bar. No reason to let her father see how his words had struck him.
“I’m her boss,” he said flatly.
The older man’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh?” he said. “And it’s typical for you to have your employees on their knees in front of you?” He let out a harsh laugh. “Let’s not act like I’m stupid.”
He stepped closer to the bar. His expensive old man cologne filled the air.
“Did she happen to tell you what I do?” he asked quietly.
The question filled the air, and Eric could feel the dread creeping in. He shook his head.
“I’m a judge,” the man said, and narrowed his eyes. “I deal with people like you all the time. Preying on those weaker than you. Using them until there’s nothing left but an empty shell then tossing them aside. Making babies all along the way. Little trophies of your conquests. It’s people like you that keep me up at night.”
Anger flowed through Eric. The emotion burned in his veins and kicked his heart into overdrive.
Eric leaned forward, slamming his palms hard on the counter.
“You don’t know the first fucking thing about me,” he said. His voice was low and rumbled in his chest as he spoke. “And you know even less about your daughter.”
The judge leaned back. The color drained from his face, and he started sweating as he watched Eric.
The panic that showed was clear. He might rule in the courtroom, but now they were in Eric’s bar. The judge’s authority didn’t mean shit there.
“Don’t you tell me what I do or don’t know about my daughter. She’s nothing to you.” His voice was hoarse with anger. “I could make things difficult for you,” Jennifer’s father said, his voice slightly higher than it had been before.
Eric responded with a harsh laugh. It echoed in the hollow room and seemed to spook the judge even more. “Good luck,” he said, and pinned him with a hard stare. “You couldn’t begin to touch the demons I wrestle.”
Eric took a deep breath and stared at the bar as he tried to reign in the emotions that threatened to spill out any second.
“Now, get the fuck out of my bar,” he said quietly.
“Pardon?”
He looked up from the bar at the older man. It was likely his first time being kicked out of anywhere, and Eric found a bit of satisfaction in that he was the one to do it.
“Get out,” Eric said simply. He grinned. “Or do I need to call the cops?”
The judge huffed loudly, his irritation evident. When he reached the steps, he turned to look at Eric.
“You do anything to hurt her, I’ll make sure you know what real pain is.”
Eric turned away. He didn’t think that would be an issue since she didn’t seem too keen on coming back, and he’d bet his ass that they encouraged that. His heart twisted at the thought.
When the door slammed shut, he resigned himself to the loss and what that might mean.