Page 26 of Bloom and Burn
Jack tsks. “Uh-oh. What a bomb you are dropping on us today, Ryan.” For a second, I believe his fake shock. “But it’s fine. I mean, it doesn’t really change anything, does it? Once we convince your mom to sell, getting him to approve the construction should be a walk in the park.”
I wouldn’t go as far as to think any of this will be easy, but if—no,whenthe Blooming Orchid signs over its share of the old brick building to Jack, that’s a lot of the legwork already done. If mom is onboard, dad will follow suit, too. I just hope it doesn’t take too long so Jack can build the facility, do his tests and start Emily on the experimental paralysis treatment.
“Don’t jinx it!” She smacks him on the arm playfully.
We pause our conversation after that so we can focus on our delicious food. Emily wins. She’s on the smaller side like me, but she’s a real Olympian when it comes to demolishing burgers. I admire her.
“I’ll go wash my hands and sort out the check,” Jack excuses himself once we’re ready to leave.
That leaves Emily and me alone at the table. She studies me with a mix of curiosity and fondness in her gaze that makes my heart flutter. She likes me, right? It’s not all just a front while she secretly evaluates me and figures out all my flaws?
When speculating gets a bit unnerving, I blurt out, “So, uh, from the three properties we checked out, which one did you like best?”
We’ve been over this, haven’t we? But she doesn’t seem to mind as she laces her hands together and hums. “The last one, by the cinema. Good size, easy to renovate. The closeness to the bus stop will also help drive more traffic. Plus, the other half is for sale, so eventually, you can buy that too and expand.”
I’m so happy she agrees. And the prospect of having my garden center there eventually excites me so much I can barely sit still. This can really work, I’m more convinced of that with every passing day.
Giddy, I spot Jack by the counter near the venue’s door. “Shall we get going?”
Her eyes find him, too. “Yep.”
We head over and just as he sees us and waves us over, glass breaks somewhere behind us. Both Emily and I twist back to see what happened.
“Watch where you’re going, dumbass!” a bulky guy with sunglasses barks. He looks a couple years my junior, practically still a kid.
His companions laugh as he looks smugly at the floor, where a shattered plate and its greasy contents have made a mess I can imagine will be a pain in the ass to clean.
Looking like he wants the earth to swallow her, the waitress who must’ve dropped it dips her head and mumbles an apology, then scurries over for a dustpan and brush. She kneels down to start cleaning when the dude slides one foot clad in expensive-looking trainers and causes her to trip. A hiss of pain escapes her as she braces her hands on the floor right in the middle of the pool of food and glass while his friends are wheezing from laughter and calling her names.
I feel sick to my stomach. None of the customers say anything though, choosing to ignore the disgusting behavior of the kid as they carry on with their meals. Some of them even join in and laugh, snapping pictures and cheering the asshole.
I’ve had it. This is unacceptable behavior. Kid or not, the guy needs to be put in his place and if none of the adults are willing to do it, I’m going to. I might not be that olderthan him, I mean, I graduated high school just a few years back myself, but tripping staff and making fun of them for no reason is not okay. Clearly, his parents have failed badly at the whole parenting thing if that’s the kind of thing he pulls just for shits and giggles.
Before I can even take a step, Jack whooshes past me, making it in five big strides to the table where the dude and his friends are still laughing. A storm lives in his eyes, but otherwise he seems calm. Collected. Mature. He helps the waitress up, checking for injuries, then whispers something to her and sends her away.
“Why did you trip her?” he demands in a flat tone, crossing his arms.Is it so he can appear more authoritative or to keep himself from beating some sense into the kid?
“I didn’t trip anyone, man,” the kid responds, snorting. “The bitch is just dumb and slipped,” he says, his words making his friends cackle and hum in agreement.
Jack’s eyebrows slant down in distaste. “Do you think this is funny? Tripping people over? She could’ve hurt herself.”
“That’s not my problem.”
“It will be if she ends up in the hospital,” Jack counters.
Fuck, I’ve never seen him like this. All serious and full of authority. It’s kind of scary, but at the same time my heart is beating like crazy. Cheering him on. I love the way he’s handling this, that he didn’t just do nothing like everyone else.
The shitty guy shrugs, uninterested. “Chill, dude, she’s fine. And now she will also know to be more careful next time.”
I’m surprised by the lack of remorse as he waves Jack off and laughs. He’s like a modern version of those bulliesGreg and Ben who used to pick on kids when I was a high schooler myself, down to his mannerisms and looks. Are they related somehow?
“I think you are the one that needs to be careful and have a long hard think about your shitty behavior. How would you feel if someone did this to you,” Jack tells him as Bo, a big man and the owner of the restaurant, comes over to the table.
“I apologize for the mess, kids. Which one of you tripped my employee?”
When no one says anything, Jack tilts his chin at the kid. “That smartass over there.”
“It was an accident, man, I told you!” the asshole whines as some of his complacency leaves him.
