Page 29 of Bet On Me, Daddy

He’d deliberately used the same inflection on his ‘Thank you’ as he would if he’d outright called her a good girl, and judging by her sudden, sharp intake of breath, the tone wasn’t missed on her.

“You’re welcome, Sir.”

For a long moment, they simply stood there, his amusement growing with every second that passed without her making a move.

Until he finally took pity on her, pulling his wallet from his pocket and holding up a credit card.

“Oh! Right! Um, just tap the card here,” she said as she turned the screen around to face him.

He paid, taking an extra moment to add a hefty tip before tucking his wallet back in his pocket. “Have a good day, Ruby. I’ll see you tonight.”

Ruby

Jesus Christthat man waspotent.

She could only hope her face wasn’t actually as red as it felt, considering it felt like her cheeks were on fire.

Forcing her attention away from Beckett and his ridiculously well-fitted suit, she turned the screen back around to ring up the next order.

And nearly choked at the figure on the display.

The tip he’d left would have been enough to pay her rent for the month if she didn’t have to split it with the other workers. Even so, it was nearly four times what they usually made in tips in a single day, even during the holidays when people were feeling especially generous.

Why would he leave such a huge tip? Was he just showing off? Trying to win her over by flashing his money in her face?

Not again, not again, not again.

Pressure wrapped around her chest, squeezing until she couldn’t drag in a deep enough breath to actually fill her lungs and her heart beat so fast it felt like it was trying to take gold at the Olympics.

“Ruby? You okay?” Jay’s concerned voice was muffled, as though someone had shoved cotton in her ears.

A glance down the counter showed Beckett waiting for his order, a smug smile on his face.

Fucking asshole.

She needed to get out of there. But if she ran now, Beckett would undoubtedly follow, and right then he was the last person she wanted to talk to.

So she forced the panic back as much as possible, forced herself to smile and nod as she took the next order and then the next. Forced herself to return Beckett’s wave as he turned to leave with his drink in hand.

Finally.

“Need a break.”

Without bothering to wait for Jay’s approval, she spun away from the register, shoving past her other coworkers as she stumbled toward the back of the shop.

Cold, crisp air slapped her in the face the second she stepped outside. The drastic, sudden change in temperature immediately eased the band of panic around her chest and she closed her eyes, letting her head fall back as she dragged in as much air as she could manage while she counted to five.

In for five. Hold for four. Out for five. Hold for four.

With each breath in and out, she focused on how the cool air felt in her nose, in her lungs. On the hard ground beneath her non-slip shoes, the sound of someone laughing in the distance.

As her heart rate slowed, she forced her eyes open, taking in the bright blue sky overhead.

I am at work. I work at Charleston Brews in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. I am safe.

I am safe.

“I am safe,” she repeated out loud, and this time when she breathed in, her lungs felt like they might burst from how much air she filled them with.

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