Page 68 of Tapped By My Roommate
“You know, I’m thinking about hiring a bar manager. Step back even further, so I can travel more.”
“Oh?” I wasn’t sure I liked the idea. Of course Hal deserved to enjoy his retirement. I worried a little about how someone new might mesh with the current employees and how many things they’d want to change up.
“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. Any interest?”
I was flabbergasted. “Um, oh…I’m in college, so I’m not sure I’d have the kind of time you’d need for that.”
He nodded. “Right, right. Man with a college degree might do a good job. The position would come with a significant raise. Think about it, hmm? What’s your college major again?”
I grimaced. “Computer science.”
He barked a laugh. “Not exactly planning to run a bar for a living, then,” he said. “But hell, this place could use an update to modern times, huh? I still cut checks the old-fashioned way.”
I chuckled. “Yeah. I mean, if I could go back and major in business to be a better fit, it’d be tempting, but… I’m kinda too far down the road for that now. Computer Science seemed like it’d guarantee me a job at graduation time.”
“Sure, sure. Well, think about it, Rhett. I don’t really care much what that piece of paper from your college says on it. Knowing I’ve got a smart man who knows his business is more important to me. If you decide you want to give it a go, we can figure out the rest.”
“Okay, I’ll let you know,” I said.
It was a tempting idea. I knew Tracks. I knew bartending, had trained and managed half the staff myself. And I wasn’t intimidated by a little bookkeeping. Compared to algorithm analysis and software programming, it seemed easy. But if I took the job, what then? Hal might not care that my degree said computer science, but what happened when I needed another job after managing Tracks? By then, my degree wouldn’t mean much to the ever-evolving tech industry, and my experience at Tracks might not mean enough in other business pursuits without a related degree.
I took my place behind the bar and pulled a beer for one of our early customers while I mulled over the realities of my situation. As much as I felt enticed by Hal’s offer, I knew I couldn’t take it. I’d be tempted to drop out of school and waste the time I’d poured into classes. Even if I didn’t, I’d be derailing my potential future for something that sounded appealing now, but might not last.
It was good to feel appreciated though. It was nice that Hal thought of me before he put out advertisements to bring in someone unknown.
And despite the limbo I found myself in with Ethan, I looked forward to telling him that I could help him with the fundraiser.
It wasn’t much, but it was a way for us to stay connected. And I found myself desperate to maintain that, regardless of what came next for us.
* * *
ETHAN
Linh knelt by the coffee table, coloring in bubble letters on a poster board. Alphabet stencils laid scattered all over the surface of the table and a few on the floor. Markers too. Linh’s tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated, and she looked like an adorable eight-year-old hard at work on a coloring book.
“Are you sure this is necessary?” I asked. “It’s just a proposal, not—”
“Do youwantto impress your boss?”
“Yes.”
Linh didn’t look up from the T she was coloring orange with black stripes for what I guessed was supposed to be a tiger look.
“And do you want approval to hold an event at Rhett’s bar and give you an excuse to spend even more time with him?”
“Ye—huh? What do you mean by that?”
She finally glanced up, smirking. “You’re gone for the boy. Anyone can see it.”
My face went hot. Could Rhett see it? Did he know, even as I agreed to call off the hookups, that I still wanted him? That was embarrassing. No, more than that. It was humiliating. I must seem so pathetic. He’d given me so much, and still, I wanted more. And I was the one who’d written the rules in the first place!
I should have never shown him that stupid notebook. I should have never maderules. I’d been so stupid and a teensy bit afraid I’d end up in this very situation. Reeling from the amazing sex and silently yearning for more while Rhett happily moved on to the next guy. Writing down rules had been a ridiculous way of managing my expectations—and in the end, it hadn’t worked anyway.
Linh was already moving on, oblivious to the chaos in my brain.
“Do you want to draw some lizards?”
That was an easier question to answer. I seized on the distraction. Plus, I always said yes to lizards.
