Page 9 of Blame It On The Carols

He shrugged and leaned his head back on his shoulders.

“I don’t know. I guess a lot of them are still young and don’t really want to work. Most of them have been high school kids, and we all know how that goes. No one likes to get up that early to come to work, and in my line of business, our day starts before the rooster crows.”

I nodded because I knew how that went. I’d gone through the same thing a few months ago looking for bussers to help clean up with the evening crowd. It was light work, mainly clearing the tables and washing dishes, but no one wanted to do it.

It was quiet for a few minutes while I finished closing out the register. I stuffed the cash and the paperwork into the money bag and then put it in the safe so Jackie could take it to the bank in the morning.

“You ready to go?” I asked, pulling my keys out of my pocket so I could lock up.

As we headed out into the cold, Sam stopped and stared at me.

“I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’m going to say it anyway.”

I pulled my shoulders back and waited.

“Makayla still looks at you the same way she did six years ago.”

My heart plummeted in my chest because as much as I wanted his words to be true, I knew that they weren’t.

“We’re just friends,” I lied, mainly because I wasn’t sure you could even call us friends at this point.

He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets as we headed toward our vehicles.

“I’m just saying, you didn’t see how she looked at you when she thought you weren’t looking. I know that look, Aiden. And I know you well enough to know that you’re going to do everything in your power to avoid allowing yourself to see it. But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t come to you, offering you some sage advice and shit,” he teased, nudging my arm with his.

“Part of me wishes that were true,” I admitted, glancing at him over my shoulder. “I miss her. Having her here has been a harsh reminder of what I lost. But the fact remains that I can’t give her what she wants. It doesn’t matter whether I still love her because deep down, I know that what she loves isn’t me.”

Eight

Makayla

“Last night went well,” my mom said, pouring herself a cup of coffee while I sipped mine at the island. I’d gotten up a few minutes before her, mainly because I couldn’t sleep thinking about Aiden. He had been on my mind so much last night that I found myself wanting to hump my pillow to get rid of the building tension I felt between my thighs every time I pictured his stupid dimpled smile.

“It did,” I agreed. “You guys have really mastered the songs. I think maybe a few more rehearsals as we get closer to the competition will help, but other than that, we are good to go.”

“I reached out to Aiden this morning, and he agreed to let us use the stage at the bar before they open so we can keep practicing. The girls can all meet there around one this afternoon, but I thought it might be good if you and I got there a little early. Then you could get some solo practice in.”

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