Page 77 of Edge of Unbroken

Her eyes widen. “Oh, shoot, we did? I don’t know why I thought we agreed on one-fifty,” she says, placing the last of the ten-dollar bills on the table.

I get the distinct impression she’s purposely shorting me. Normally I’d say it’s the perfect reason to take my skates and leave, to renege on the deal. Obviously the universe is telling me that my skates are more important than any amount of money, but I’m desperate. The money is due to Adam tomorrow morning, and I can’t think of another way to come up with $150 this fast, let alone $200. Ugh, my heart is screaming in my chest.

I deflate. “Yeah, we did. But we can do one-fifty, I guess,” I say quietly.

“Oh, are you sure? I don’t want you to think I’m ripping you off or anything.”

Idothink she’s ripping me off, but I don’t think I really have a different choice at this point. “Yeah, it’s fine,” I say, suddenly very aware of the fact that, once more, I’m allowing someone to walk all over me. Do I have no backbone?

Tillie and I finalize our transaction, and I leave the coffee shop only moments later, the money securely stowed in my pocket. I still need to figure out a way to come up with an additional fifty dollars by tomorrow, and I have no clue how to do it.

I decide to stop by the bank to deposit the money, then head to Murphy’s early. I’ll just wait for Tori there. Maybe the bartender, Jack, will take pity on me and sneak me a shot of tequila so I can numb the dread in the pit of my stomach.

***

It’s a quarter to five when I arrive at my destination, and already Murphy’s is loud and lively. It’s not a total surprise, though; Murphy’s is always popular, and their happy hour from two to five bridges the lunch-to-dinner gap, ensuring a steadily revolving door of patrons from the moment Murphy’s opens for brunch at eleven until it closes at two in the morning.

I don’t really know any of the people who work the day shift at Murphy’s. Last summer I was usually here when Ronan worked, which was mostly in the evenings. Since Ronan’s departure I’ve been at Murphy’s much less frequently, and there are definitely some new faces amongst the servers.

I figure I’ll seat myself and wait for Tori. I look around for a spot with a good vantage point for her to ogle Shane while we eat dinner. I know that would be a priority to me if Ran was here, so I find a small booth and wander toward it. The patrons who sat in it before me must have only just left because the table still hasn’t been cleaned, but I don’t mind. They’ll get to it soon.

I slide onto the cushy leather bench seat and stack up the empty plates, pushing the dishes to the end of the table for easier cleanup. I notice the twenty-dollar bill on the table—obviously the tip left for whoever provided service.

I don’t know what sort of evil spirit possesses me in that moment. Without even thinking, I glance around, then swipe the twenty bucks off the table and deposit them in my pocket.

Oh my god, Cat. What the hell is wrong with you? You didn’t have to do this! Your dad was right, you are a bad kid.

“Hey!” Shane’s deep voice snatches me out of my thoughts and my head jerks in his direction. “Are you okay?” he asks, a crease between his eyebrows as he studies me and my red-hot face.

“Oh, yeah, hi Shay,” I stammer.

He raises his eyebrows. “What just happened? Did I interrupt some dirty thought you had of Ran?”

I force my lips into a smile. “You caught me,” I say, feeling that twenty-dollar bill with my fingertips. I should put it back. It’s not right for me to take it. In fact, it’s very,verywrong.

“I figured as much. Your face is always such a dead giveaway. Where’s my girl?” Tori obviously told him about our plans to have dinner at Murphy’s tonight.

“She said you always run around all frenzied when you first get here, so we were going to meet at five-thirty. I’m just early,” I say, and laugh at Shane’s offended expression.

“She said I run around all frenzied?”

“Well, actually, she said you run around like a chicken with its head cut off, so…” I laugh even louder when Shane visibly pouts.

“Unbelievable,” he mutters, shaking his head.

“Aww, but Shay, if it makes you feel any better she was very sad at school today, telling me how much she missed you because she hadn’t seen you since Saturday.”

His face softens, a lovestruck look flashing in his eyes. “Yeah, I’ve been working a lot,” he says. “Okay, well, do you want something to drink or, like, an appetizer while you wait for her?”

What the hell. I’ve already made one bad decision after another today. What’s one more? “Yeah, actually, do you think I could maybe… could I maybe get one of those L.A. waters Jack makes?”

Shane expels a throaty chuckle. “Rough day, huh?”

I nod. “You could say that.”

“You got it. Jack should get here any minute now. I’ll make sure you’re his first order of business.”

I get up from my seat and follow Shane a few steps as he makes his rounds through Murphy’s while I head to the bathroom.

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