Page 15 of Pretend for Me

Bridget stepped away from the bar and flipped her hair aggressively over her shoulder, placing her hands on her hips as she squared off in front of me. “What are you doing here?” She groaned. “Shouldn’t your fancy degree allow you to read the signon the door that says ‘closed for an event’?” She hissed the words out through gritted teeth.

“I hope Holden doesn’t know you're here,” Bridget warned.

I shook my head. Unfazed by Bridget’s venomous tone, I walked around the bar and poured myself a few fingers worth of bourbon.

Bridget opened her mouth to say something, but she snapped her mouth shut when I hit her with a steely glare.

“You fired Cassie?” I questioned, obviously knowing the answer, but I needed to start somewhere.

Bridget nodded. “Yes, Cassandra was terminated Thursday. The little scene the two of you caused was unacceptable. She knew the rules when she agreed to work for me. She broke them, so we came to an understanding about her continued employment.”

I took a swig of the liquor, the fiery liquid coating my throat as it went down, burning me in a good way. The action gave me a moment to decide how I wanted to play this. I hadn’t come in here with guns blazing because I didn’t think Bridget would respond well to such a direct approach. I figured it would make more sense to try to sell the idea as one she came up with. So far, she’d proven to be more stubborn than I realized. I took another sip as I settled on my next move.

“You know, it would be in your best interest to hire her back.” I narrowed my eyes, holding my glass in my hand as I assessed her. Her back stiffened at my veiled threat. I walked around the bar and sat on the barstool next to where Bridget was leaning.

“You don’t get to come into my restaurant and tell me what to do, Mr. Adams. I don’t give a fuck who your father is, or what school you went to, or even who you’re friends with. You will not tell me what I should and shouldn’t do, especially when it comes to some silly waitress. This ismyrestaurant.” Bridget leaned forward and put her hands on either side of the bar, cagingme in. It was a power move to show she was not afraid of me, that I would not intimidate her. “Now if you’re done with your showboating, why don’t you get the fuck out of my face.” She stood back, giving me room to move.

“I was trying to be civil, so you really shouldn’t have played it like that, Bridget.” I made a tsking sound, scolding her. “But if that’s how you want it, I guess this is about to become a whole lot more fun.”

Bridget’s eyebrows furrowed, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that my father, the one ‘you don’t give a fuck about,’ is quite chummy with the owner of theTimes,and I may have asked him for his number. I have it right here.” I pulled out my cell phone, showing her the preset number already programmed to be dialed. “See, let me tell you how this is going to go. You will hire Cassie back, and you will treat her right. Maybe even give her a raise.” I spoke cautiously, thinking of any other stipulations I may have. “Oh and Holden doesn’t need to know about this, and neither does Cassie. You will just tell them both that you had a change of heart and are short staffed to begin with. That you had been too hasty in letting her go.”

Bridget inhaled a deep breath, slowly exhaling as her eyes narrowed, assessing the situation. If steam could come out of her ears, it surely would. “Fine.” Bridget crossed her arms, seething.

“Smile. We all win here. Cassie gets her job back. You’ll get a great feature in theTimes.” I winked, slammed back the rest of my drink, set the glass on the bar, and then began walking toward the exit. My footsteps were lighter as I made my way to the front of the restaurant. I even went as far as twisting a flower arrangement so it was centered. “This is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” I called over my shoulder as Bridget followed me out.

Just as I was about to get into the vehicle, the double doors to the restaurant opened. I figured it was Bridget coming to bitch me out some more, but when I looked over my shoulder, I saw a petite woman in her late thirties approaching.

“Hi, Matthew, right?” she asked, extending her hand for me to shake. “I’m Audrey, Cassie’s roommate.”

I couldn’t hide my shock. This was another mystery uncovered about Cassie and her living situation. I shook her hand nervously, pulling away a little too soon. I felt uncomfortable about everything I didn’t know when it came to Cassie. Everything I’d missed in the last ten years.

“Yes, that’s me.” I flashed her a megawatt smile, hoping to get on her good side. “Nice to meet you.”

Audrey nodded politely. “I just wanted to thank you for that.” She pointed her thumb behind her toward Bridget and the double doors. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help but eavesdrop,” Audrey confessed.

“No worries. It was my mess to clean up anyway, so no thanks needed. Although I should be thanking you I suppose,” I mused, trying to hypothesize how Audrey and Cassie had met.

“Me? Why?” Audrey questioned, pulling back in surprise, fixing the strings of the apron on her waist.

“Yes, you’re a friend to Cassie, and by the looks of it, a good one. She needs that. So thank you.” I hung my head in shame, imagining the horrendous things that Audrey must have thought of me. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you please keep this between us?”

Audrey nodded, doing a mouth zipping motion.

“Audrey!” Bridget bellowed from the doorway, “Stop goofing off and get your ass back in here. These wine glasses are filthy.”

Audrey jumped, startled by the sound of her boss chastising her. “I better get back.” With a wave, she ran off to do her duty.

Sighing, I got into the town car, thinking about the next steps in Operation: Get Cassie Back.

“Hey!”I greeted my uncle Parker at the copy machine, where he stood sorting through some papers.

“Good afternoon, Matthew! What are you doing here?” Parker questioned. “It’s Saturday.”

“Eh, I was up early. Had an errand to run and figured since I’m out, why not stop by and get some work done. In peace and quiet for a change,” I reasoned.

It wasn’t exactly a lie. After I’d left the restaurant, the thought of going back to my empty apartment didn’t thrill me so I’d directed the driver to take me to Adams Point. It didn’t help matters that my mind couldn’t seem to shut off after my brief talk with Audrey. I had so many unanswered questions when it came to Cassie. As I sat in the town car, a text had come in from Wyatt and it filled me with dread. I couldn’t help the guilt I felt as I stood here chatting with my uncle, having knowledge of my father’s newest demands. Parker was genuinely a good guy who didn’t deserve a lot of the shit thrown at him, especially by my father. I had so much respect for both him and his wife, Joy, that my stomach churned as I tried to play off why I was really here.

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