Page 14 of The Billionaire's Fortunate Accident
“Okay, okay. I’ll clean it up. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
I had no idea where Jessa was, since she normally would’ve been the one dealing with this. “Um, hello,” I called out.
A short, chunky man came out from around the corner and stepped up behind the counter. “Oh, hello. Sorry about the wait, sir. What can I get you?”
“I’m here to see Jessa.”
For a moment, he just looked at me as if he was trying to figure out who I was asking for. “What?”
“Jessa. I’m looking for the night manager. Is she here?”
“Well, we’re not supposed to tell anyone about the employees. Now, can I get you something to eat or drink?”
“No.” I didn’t know how to make myself clear with this guy. “And who are you?”
“I’m the night manager, Bill.”
“Okay. So, she’s not working then. She’s got the night off.” I was more than a little disappointed.
“I’m not able to tell you that, sir.”
I hated this little guy already. “Yeah, I don’t need you to tell me that. If she were here, she’d be out here already.” I wondered about the surly girl who’d been working the last couple of nights. Maybe she’d see fit to give me Jessa’s phone number.
“Where’s… um,” I’d forgotten the girl’s name. “You know, the surly girl who works here? She worked last night. Taylor or Tara or something like that.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about, and even if I did, I couldn’t tell you. No females are working this shift,” he let me know.
“Tammy!” I finally remembered. “That’s her name. You know Tammy. She’s a real bundle of joy, that one.”
“Sir, if you’re not here to eat, then I don’t think I can help you. And I’ve got work to get to. So, goodnight.” He walked away, leaving me standing there.
Chewing on my lower lip, I turned and headed to the door. I didn’t like the disappointment I felt. I hated that I hadn’t gotten Jessa’s number the night before.
We’d been having a pretty good conversation when she suddenly looked at the time and said she had to get some things done. She said she was sorry but had to return to work. And then she was gone.
I didn’t like the way things were going. I didn’t like the total lack of control I had over this situation. I liked the girl. She liked me. Or so I thought. She definitely smiled at me like she did.
I knew she had little time for me. But I’d take whatever I could get. I’d never felt so desperate for anyone’s attention.
Climbing back into my truck, I wondered how I’d gotten this way in such a short time. Whatever I’d become, one thing was for sure — this new guy had some determination.
I drove to the drive-thru, taking the last chance of getting some information on her. Some guy spoke over the grainy speaker, “Welcome to Hamburger Hut, where the customer is number one and so are the burgers. What can I get you?”
I crossed my fingers that I would get an answer as I asked, “Is Jessa going to be working tomorrow night?”
“Yeah,” he said without any hesitation.
“Thanks.” That was all I needed. I drove away, whistling along with the radio again, feeling happy that I at least knew when I would be able to see the girl of my dreams again.
Chapter Eight
Jessa
The candlelight flickered in the darkness as I settled into my bed after a long session of classwork. The day had been productive, and I couldn’t have been happier about all the progress I’d made. Somehow, I’d managed to finish a whole hour ahead of my usual schedule, so one more hour of sleep was in store for me.
I’d lit a lavender-scented candle to help me drift off to dreamland quickly, hoping for some deep sleep to help me start the next day fresh. A slight smile held my lips as I thought about the way I’d been feeling — happy.
It had been such a long time since I’d just felt happy. I’d felt tired. I’d felt stressed out. I’d even felt anxious. But happy hadn’t been in the cards for me in years. And the only thing that had changed in my life was the late-night visits from Stone.
