Page 42 of Her Defiant Heart (Damaged Hearts 1)

“You’re going to be okay to work tonight, right?” Savannah asks as we walk into the club.

Nodding, I head straight for the time clock and punch in, Savannah right behind me. “Yeah. I need everything to get back to normal, you know?”

I can’t sit around and feel sorry for myself any longer. I need to forget what happened with Greg the creep, and I definitely need to forget about Rhett and my plans to ruin him and his family.

Yeah, I was selfish taking that one last night with him, but I thought it might get Rhett out of my system.

Instead, I think it made everything worse. He’s all I can think about. I’m fucking obsessed.

It sucks.

I also couldn’t stand the thought of going back to my house in the crappy neighborhood and staying there alone. Rhett could find me there, too, and that’s the last thing I want. Savannah’s letting me stay at her place, thank goodness. She said I could stay as long as I wanted, which was a huge mistake. At the rate I’m going, I’ll never leave, but I?

?m grateful for her friendship.

I went back to school, trying my best to catch up on my assignments, and begging my professors to let me retake a couple of tests I missed. I thought I would give up on the college dream, but what else am I going to do? I already spent all my money on my education, so I need to see this semester through. What I’ll do after the semester ends, though, I’m not sure.

I’ll worry about that later.

Don is glad to see me back at work, I can tell just by the look on his face, and I let him embrace me for a brief moment before I extract myself from his beefy arms.

“You’re looking good, doll,” he murmurs, his expression sincere. “I was worried you wouldn’t come back.”

“She shouldn’t come back,” Savannah says, coming to stand right beside me. “Not after what happened.”

At least Don looks contrite. “Never again. I promise we won’t let something like that happen,” he says firmly. “We’re planning on establishing more strict rules at the club. There will be a meeting about it soon.”

The moment he walks away, Savannah rolls her eyes. “Right. He’s too greedy to not take money from customers for ‘extra’ services. He’s just saying that because he feels guilty.”

I don’t respond. Honestly, I don’t want to talk about what happened to me. I’d rather forget it ever happened in the first place. Scrub it from my brain forever.

“Seriously, Jen, what are you going to do if that guy shows back up here?” Savannah asks as we walk over to our lockers. “He could, you know.” She’s referring to Greg.

“He won’t,” I say firmly, just as I swing my locker door open. Maybe if I believe what I’m saying, it won’t happen.

Yet I can’t help but have those thoughts. He could totally show up here whenever he wants, and what would I do? Scream and run? Kick him in the nuts and call him an asshole? Call the cops?

I can’t do any of that. So I have to keep believing Greg is never going to come back to City Lights again.

“He might,” Savannah says, ever the positive thinker. “I swear I’ve seen that guy around here before.”

Curiosity gets the best of me and I have to ask, despite my wish to never talk about him again. “Do you think he’s a regular?”

“Maybe? I’m not sure.” Savannah takes off her T-shirt and tosses it into the locker. “After a while, they all start to look the same, I swear.”

“I didn’t recognize him.” Though there was something about him that was oddly familiar. So maybe Greg is a regular? A semi-regular? “I didn’t realize you saw him that night.”

“Yeah. I did.” Savannah shuts her locker door, her gaze locking on mine. “I saw you taking care of his table. He was originally at one of my tables, but when I came to take their drink orders, he asked for you specifically.”

Unease slips down my spine, leaving me cold. “What do you mean? Did he request me by name?”

“Yeah.” Savannah tilts her head to the side, frowning. “Or maybe not. Now I can’t remember.”

“Try your best to remember.” How would he know who I was? And why would he request me? It makes no sense. Unless he’s some sort of crazed stalker.

“I’m not sure.” Savannah offers a helpless shrug. “Maybe he didn’t ask for you by name. Maybe he just thought you were cute. Did Don say anything?”

“No, not really.” I shake my head. Though I do remember being confused when Don told me I needed to serve that table, since that section wasn’t one I usually worked.

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