Page 1 of Proposition 2

1. Cadence

“Ihave a proposition for you. Meet me at eleven.”

The clatter of dishes jarred me back to where I was. My heartbeat fluttered in my throat, and I sucked in a deep breath to calm myself.

How easy it would be to give in. I knew Leo had the means to solve my financial issues, but I was supposed to be forgetting about him. Moving on. He was bad news.

I wasn’t supposed to be thinking about that night in his bed.

Or how if I sold myself to him for enough money, I’d be able to quit working seventy-hour weeks.

I crammed my phone back into my pocket when the bell dinged for me to pick up my plates. Doing my best to ignore the thoughts racing through my head, I served the table before making an excuse to Shannon and slipping to the back for a break.

My gaze lingered on his message, fingers hovering over the keyboard before I finally forced myself to type a response.

“No.”

My stomach roiled as I hit send. I knew it was for the best, but I couldn’t help the sick feeling that I was making a mistake.

My brother had the number to the diner and knew to contact me here if there was an emergency, so I turned my phone off. I had no idea how Leo would react, and I couldn’t spend the rest of my shift focused on my phone.

Dropping it in my purse, I gave myself a shake and blew out a breath. I reminded myself we were caught up on the mortgage payments, and I could find a way to take care of the car and other issues without relying on anyone else.

I pushed all thoughts of Leo and money aside, focusing on my customers. The rest of the night passed in a blur, and by the time ten thirty rolled around I was exhausted and ready to go home, but the sight of my phone in my purse as I fished out the car keys made me pause.

Was I really too stubborn to take the easy way out?

Yes.

I left the phone where it was, not bothering to turn it back on before climbing into my Toyota and heading home. I didn’t even bother to check it as I plugged it in.

Flopping on my bed with a huff, I was dead to the world in seconds.

The alarm blaring in my ear had me groaning as I groped for the off switch. Sunlight flooded my room, burning my eyes as I forced them open. My room was on the east side of the house, so it was nothing I wasn’t used to.

I rolled from the bed, stretching before making my way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for work. I was rushing for the door, scared I was going to miss my bus, when I remembered the message from Leo.

Pausing mid-step, I stared at the dark screen of my phone, but I didn’t have the time to deal with what I expected to find. Leaving it off, I shouted goodbye to my family as I rushed out the door.

I barely made it to the bus in time, not even able to catch my breath before it rolled to a stop in front of me. Flashing a smile at the driver, I tapped my card on the reader and slid into the seat behind him.

The ride to the office took about thirty minutes and I usually spent it scrolling through my phone. Fidgeting, I finally hit the power button, holding my breath as the screen lit. I waited a full minute after the home screen appeared before letting it out, deflating as the air left me.

There were no waiting messages.

I opened my texts in confusion, thinking something had to be wrong, but my single ‘No’ was the last message on the thread. Leo never responded.

A myriad of emotions played through me as I stared at the screen. Disappointment hit first, but I was quick to bury it. I was the one that said no, there was no reason to be disappointed that he accepted it without argument.

I told myself I was relieved he hadn’t responded, but it plagued me throughout the day. I lost count of the number of times I checked my phone, going so far as to have a coworker text me to be sure it was working. I couldn’t help the spark of hurt that I hadn’t been worth fighting for. If he thought about me as much as I did him, he would have tried harder to convince me to come.

The feeling of rejection lingered throughout the bus ride home, the only distraction from it the brief period I spent eating with my family before changing into my waitressing outfit. I’d never fully explained to Michael what I’d done to get the money to pay back what he owed the Galleons, and there were times where he gave me a look so full of sorrow it left guilt gnawing at my insides.

It was a reminder why I needed to keep my distance from Leo. We were from two different worlds. It had already been a month since that night, and if I could only hold out a bit longer, surely the draw to him would fade away.

I sighed as I slipped into the front seat of my car. It took a minute of fumbling to get the belt buckled, and I paused to say a prayer before turning the key.

Wincing at the noise it made, I put it into gear and headed back to the diner. I may technically spend more time in the office, but it felt like I might as well live at the diner. It was the harder of the two, and far more draining, with no hope of a better future.

I pulled into my usual spot, thankful to have made it in one piece. It was Friday night, so the parking lot was already half full, and I could see Shannon talking to one table as she carried plates to another. I didn’t have time to wallow in my confused tangle of emotions anymore.

Pushing away the doubt and worry, I made my way inside. Another day, another dollar. Another step closer to losing it all.

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