Page 68 of Never Kiss and Tell

“Bailey,” Charles calls from his office. “Can you come here a second?”

Fuck. Am I going to get fired from my kind-of job?

The high I had been briefly riding on collapses and a pitforms in the bottom of my stomach. I step up to the door, feeling like a child who’s been sent to the principal’s office.

I peek my head in, fully prepared to get my ass chewed again, but to my shock, Charles is smiling. He has the camera’s pulled up in front of him and I can see the table where Priscilla and her friends were is vacant.

Thank God.

“Good girl.”

It takes me a minute, then I understand what he’s saying and I can’t stop my own smile.

I nod to him and shut the door behind me to go back to work with the biggest smile on my face.

When we close that night, I hurriedly finish my closing tasks and practically run out the door before Charlie can notice I’m ready to go. I don’t want to walk home with him after he screamed at me earlier. He told me to mind my business, so I will.

I mean, how dare he tell me I can’t stand up for myself. Not only that, stand up forhim. If this is how she talks about him to me, I can only imagine what she’s told other people.

Even if I don’t like him most of the time, Charlie doesn’t deserve that. Not in the fucking slightest.

I’ll admit, it’s a little nerve-wracking walking home in the dark, but I manage. As I’m almost to the house, my phone rings and I groan outwardly.

It’s probably Charlie calling to ask me where I am.

It’s a number I don’t recognize, though.

I answer it, like an idiot, and wait for the telemarketer to start reading their script when a different voice comes through.

“Hey, Bailey. I don’t know if you remember me. It’s Peter from the art show.”

I stop on the sidewalk, a small thrill shooting through me.

I smile. “Peter with the boat. Of course, I remember you.”

How could I forget. Charlie practically branded me as off-limits in front of him.

Peter chuckles, sounding nervous. It’s kind of cute, like a boy asking out his crush for the first time.

“Well, I got your number from Tom. He’s a good friend of mine. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Can’t stop thinking ofme? Me, of all people?

“I’ve been thinking about you, too.”

Maybe not in the sense that he thinks, but I have thought alotabout what Charlie said about him. How bad can the guy be? He seems nice enough, and Charlie is no peach, either. I’m sure it’s just your classicmy dick is bigger than yoursfeud.

“Really? That’s great,” Peter chuckles and I can sense he’s smiling. “Oh, well, listen, I was just wondering if you’d want to get dinner whenever your free?”

A date. Haven’t been on one of those in months. Unless we’re counting Charlie taking me for crawfish the other night. That was really just because he realized he was being an asshole, though

Just then, my phone buzzes and I pull it away from my ear.

Charlie: Where the fuck are you?

What a freakingjerk.

He would be pissed if he found out I went on a date with Peter. Hedidtell me to stay away from him. I almost tell Peter no, until I remember Charlie doesn’t own me. No one does.

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