Page 10 of The Version You Hide

I see the way that Harper loves Noah, like he’s the best thing in her world. I admire her courage to raise him on her own.

“Seriously though, I could really use a night off,” she says, mindlessly picking at a blade of grass in front of her.

“Yeah. I know how you feel,” I reply automatically.

“No, you don’t,” she laughs, throwing the tiny pieces of grass at me.

“No, I don’t.” I agree. “I just mean, Henley and Kristen. I feel like I’m crowding their space. They’re getting married and they’re so in love. You should see them after dinner. They sit on the couch so loved up and all cutesy and then there’s me on the other side of the room in the single armchair, scrolling through my phone pretending I can’t hear their kissy sounds.”

“Oh, wow. Okay, you win. Sounds like you need a man of your own,” she says, nudging me in the ribs with her elbow.

“Hell, no. You know that’s the last thing I need.”

Hear hear, sister,” she raises her hand as if holding an imaginary wine glass and I mirror the action as we mime a cheers.

I’m not looking for a man. Been there, done that.

It only ends in heartache. Or in my case, a few broken ribs, and a trip to court to have my beloved contained to a prison cell.

Chapter 3

DYLAN

Things have been running like clockwork at the tavern today, and I know I owe a lot of that to Mackenzie. She’s efficient, to say the least, always taking the initiative whenever a new task arises. We breezed through the onslaught of lunch time customers, without any complaints this time, and now we’re in that in-between lull.

The calm before the happy hour storm.

Not that I need to be concerned with that today. I clock off in exactly thirteen minutes. One of the things I love about this job is that I don’t have to take it home with me. There are no urgent emails to tend to during dinner time, no after-hour phone calls.

I slide a couple of clean glasses into the cabinet behind the bar, looking up in time to see Jesse stroll in through the tavern’s bulky doors, raking his shoulder length hair back from his face.

I’d been sharing the managerial tasks with Corey since I started here, but Jesse was hired as a third bar manager when I’d expressed to Steve that I wanted to step back a little from my role to focus on other commitments. I’d been afraid to raise the subject, but Steve had been nothing but supportive and had hired Jesse within a week.

I doubt he could have found a better co-manager to run this place. Jesse is never late to a shift, and he knows his shit. He’s a hell of a lot easier to work with than Henley had been, but knowing what I know now about Henley, I can’t say I blame him for his tardiness and unlikeable attitude. The guy had a plane load of baggage. I realise now that he was just trying to survive, to get through his days without drowning.

In hindsight, I regret how I treated him. He didn’t deserve the way I’d blatantly dismissed his behaviour, simply labelling him an asshole. Normally, I’d apply more effort in getting to know a person, to find out what was going on inside their head.

But I wasn’t myself. I was preoccupied with my own drama at the time. I had a lot riding on this gig at the tavern. I still do. I can’t take any chances with anyone messing it up for me.

“Hey, Dylan.” Jesse greets me from the other side of the bar, a backpack slung over his shoulder, his nose ring glinting under the overhead lights. “Did we get that order this morning?”

“Sure did,” I answer. “Mackenzie has already unloaded it and updated the inventory.”

Mackenzie’s head snaps up at the mention of her name.

“Could hardly leave it to you two slackers. The job would never get done,” she chides as she slides another drink across the bar to Jade.

I know I can always count on Mackenzie’s sarcasm to amuse me in some way. I get the impression she likes to keep me on my toes. Though the stunt she pulled this morning with that aggressive customer had been unethical, I have to give her props. The girl has guts.

“You are a force of nature,” I tell her, an unexpected grin playing on my mouth.

“Yeah. I’ve heard that before,” she says smugly and then turns to Jade. “Seriously. You have no idea how painful it can be to work with this one.” She throws her thumb over her shoulder in my direction as Jade’s eyes find mine.

My smirk spreads wider when Jade’s left eyebrow arches in question. I give a subtle shake of my head, signalling her to stay silent. What Mackenzie doesn’t know is that Jade knows exactly what it’s like to have me as a co-worker, but I’m not ready to reveal that side of me just yet.

I turn back to Jesse to fill him in on the details of today’s shift, something we do at every handover. “So, as I said, that order has been received and sorted. Bad news is the seafood delivery we were supposed to get is delayed so we’ll have to cut the salmon from tonight’s menu. Shouldn’t be too much of an upset though. And I had to hire an electrician to fix that light that kept flickering.” I turn to the back of the tavern to where said electrician stands, a tall ladder leaning up against the side wall. “But he shouldn’t be too much longer and …. Oh my god.”

I’m only mildly embarrassed by the gasp that escapes me and the way it demands the room’s attention.

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