Page 2 of A Highland Gargoyle's Lucky Star
He scratches his bushy beard. “I know, but for some reason, you seem to attract problems—and costly ones at that.”
My shoulders slump.
I don’t blame Jared. He’s a pretty good guy and treated me well as a boss. The odds were just stacked against me, like always. Tonight just happened to hit a new low point in the cosmic clusterfuck that is my life.
He isn’t telling me anything I don’t already know, and I can’t really deny what he’s saying. Is it epically unfair that this is my fate? Fuck yes, it is. But I’ve also had a good twenty-six years to get used to it.
As much as one can, that is.
Mom always explained away my bad luck by saying that I was born under a wonky alignment of the stars.
“Noah, you were born under a Sagittarius Sun, a Scorpio Moon, and Capricorn Rising. It makes you adventurous, hardworking, and emotionally attuned to the world around you—but that Scorpio Moon. Scorpio moons are intense. They’re focused, they overthink. They’re not in the moment, so when you’re not present, that’s when bad luck happens.”
I don’t know if I believe in all of that astrology stuff, even though Mom has talked about it since I was a toddler, but there has to be some reason why I seem to attract more than my fair share of trouble.
Sometimes, I worry it’s karma from a past life. But I can’t imagine what kind of terrible person I must have been to warrant any of this.
“I understand,” I tell Jared.
I really need this job, but I can’t argue with the man. He’s given me a lot more chances than some of my other employers, and for that, I’m grateful.
“I’m really sorry that all of this happened,” I add.
He gets up and comes around the desk to clasp my shoulder in one of his big hands. “Like I said, it’s not directly your fault. It’sa tough break, but I can’t afford to keep filing insurance claims and losing money because of situations like this.”
I grimace. I don’t even want to think about how much money’s worth of damage was caused this evening.
Biting my lip, I look up at him nervously. “Am I going to have to pay for tonight?”
Jared gives me a reassuring smile. “Nah, that’s what my insurance coverage is for. When the cops were here, I filed a report for them again. It’s only the third time I’ve had to do it, so things should be fine. After all, it’s not unusual for a bunch of rowdy drunks to cause trouble in a bar.” He gives me an apologetic smile. “As long as I’m not filing insurance claims for this kind of thing on a regular basis, I’ll be fine.”
The underlying implication is clear, and I’m not an idiot. Besides, I don’t want to cause problems for a good guy like Jared.
He goes back to his desk and opens a drawer to pull out a stack of bills. Jared counts out some cash, folds it in a wad, and hands it to me.
“Your final pay.”
I take the cash, wide-eyed. There’s more here than he probably owes me.
“Are you sure?”
He nods. “Consider it severance. You’re a hard worker and that bright and cheerful personality of yours means my customers love you. I’m sorry to lose you, but I’ve got to focus on the business’s bottom line. Still, I appreciate all that you did for me in the time you were here.”
I’m oddly touched. Jared and I are nothing more than boss and employee, but he’s been one of the better people I’ve worked for over the years, and a lot more sympathetic to my situation than most.
Usually, folks just get irritated and frustrated before washing their hands of me.
Sometimes there’s a lot of yelling and pointing of fingers involved, but this is one of the more sedate firings I’ve ever undergone. I have to admit, I’m quite grateful.
Getting to my feet, I hand him my branded server apron. “Thanks for putting up with me as long as you did. I’m sure I’ll land on my feet somehow.” I give him a wry smile. “I always do.”
I don’t really have any other options anyway.
Jared shakes his head sadly. “I know you told me about your situation, but I never imagined your bad luck would be quite so…”
“Bad?”
“Yeah.”
