Page 13 of The Holy Grail
Instead of responding, he began cleaning up, which she watched with a frown. “You work a full shift, then clean up by yourself?” she asked.
“Not always, but a lot of times, yeah.”
“Why?”
“I send staff home when I can to save on payroll.”
She knew he had to be exhausted, and so instead of leaving and going home, she began helping him.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Helping you. I know how to wipe down tables.”
As they worked, she asked a few more questions, before asking who did all the accounting for the bar.
“Everett does,” Evan answered.
“Do you ever look at the books?”
“No. One, I don’t have the time, and two, Everett would probably tell me to piss off.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s like that. As the oldest sibling, he wears the crown, so to speak.”
“Hmm.” Jules was beginning to think Everett was a bit of a controlling douche, but kept that to herself for the time being. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What’s your annual salary, before taxes?”
He didn’t even blink at the personal question. “Thirty-six grand, give or take.”
She stared at him. “Are you kidding?”
“I wish I was.”
“So, after taxes, your annual salary is around …” she trailed off to do a little math in her head. Assuming he was in the 12% tax bracket, his taxes would be $4,320.00, making his annual salary … “$31,500.00?”
“That sounds about right.”
“Can I ask you something else?”
“Sure.”
“What are Everett’s and Evelyn’s annual salaries, before taxes?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never asked.”
“Why not?”
“I just … haven’t. I know they make more than I do, but that’s because when we took over the bar and did all the upgrades and renovations, they had more money to put into the business than I did, so my pay reflects that.”
“Can I ask you something else?”
This time he stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. “Sure.”
“How long has this been going on? Living just above poverty level?”
