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Chapter Four
After a weekend of no accidental alcohol spills, broken glasses or former one night stands, Ollie was back at the Barrel. She’d spent most of Saturday dancing with the kids and on Sunday, she’d visited her best friend and they ate their weight in chocolate cookies while binge watchingParks & Recreationfor the millionth time.
She’d spent all of Monday morning sleeping and woke up in time to shower, change and make it to the Barrel for her shift that evening. Shockingly, Cassie was there, already wiping down the bar and helping Brent organize glasses before they opened.
When she was ready, Killian called her to his office. “I heard you broke some glasses.”
Ollie dropped into the chair in front of Killian’s massive table. “Wasn’t looking where I was going as I stepped out of the kitchen, dropped about four.”
“You know what this means, right?”
“Yes,” she said with a sigh. “You’re taking it out of my paycheck.”
“What’s with the attitude?”
“What attitude?” Ollie frowned. Killian shook his head.
“Also,” he started, making Ollie stiffen in anticipation of something she wasn’t going to like. “Cassie is on thin ice. One morefamily emergency, I’m going to have to fire her.”
“You should ask her about these emergencies before you fire her, maybe they’re legit.”
“Every Friday night, really?”
Ollie shrugged, because who knew what went on in anybody else’s homes. Everyone at the Barrel thought she was dating some guy named Grant, for crying out loud.
“Look, whatever her reasons are, you should ask her what is going on,” Ollie insisted.
A creepy smile spread over Killian’s mouth, “Oryoucould ask her. You know, woman to woman.”
“Fine,” Ollie growled and got to her feet, ignoring the way Killian’s eyes moved over her body. “And while I’m here, we’re gonna need more hands on deck.”
Killian mumbled something, but Ollie stopped listening as she walked out of his office and down the stairs to where people were already starting to fill up the Barrel.
After Baby droppedthe news about this NASA boy on her, Ollie had been silently fuming that her family was still doing this. Sure, it was not what her mother sanctioned, but whatever Baby said happened. No matter how many times Ollie tried to convince her grandmother she wasn’t like other Indian women, Baby didn’t get it.
From the day she turned 21, Baby had been dropping hints. There was a document created—abiodata, her grandmother called it—with all of her information: height, weight, skin tone, education and more circulated to other Indian families. And in turn they would send the biodata of their sons to see if there could be a match. Ollie had never liked it and even though she came out as bisexual to her parents pretty early on, they kept that secret from Baby.
Last Saturday, when she got home after her dance lessons for the day, her mother called to remind her about herdate. With her parents living in her hometown of Huntington, West Virginia, she didn’t see them as often as she’d like. Ollie gave her mother grief about this boy, because she thought they were done with it.
“It’s to make your Ammachi happy, Annie.”Her mother had said in a sweet voice, using the nickname only she was allowed to use. You’d think after bestowing her with the nameOleander, her mother would actually use it. But ‘Annie’ was one in a long list of nicknames that had no connection to her actual name.
So okay, they were lying to Baby about her sexuality, about her lack of interest in marriage. It wasveryhealthy. She knew it was for the best. Baby could be a tad bit dramatic and if they told her she wasn’t looking to get marriednow, her grandmother might actually have a heart attack. Or do something drastic. She wouldn’t actually do anything to jeopardize the family, but everyone knew whatever they did was to keep Baby happy.
So Ollie took the number of this eligible bachelor and sent him a text on Monday to meet on Friday. She could give her grandmother this much. It was a simple date, it didn’t have to mean anything. She’d spend the evening with him, let him pay for her food and drive herself back to her apartment and go to sleep with Grant between her legs. Simple.
Ollie had beenon her feet non stop for hours before she took a break. And that meant squatting behind the bar and sneakily drinking a bottle of beer. It’s what they all did and it worked—you found a quiet space and fit yourself in there for fifteen minutes, hydrated and got back to work. Since it was a Tuesday, she was counting on being able to go home on time. She had dance class in the morning and she didn’t want to show up exhausted and not be able to teach yet again. Honestly, it was a miracle she’d survived her Saturday lesson.
When her fifteen minutes were up, she tossed her empty bottle in the bin and got to her feet. Smoothing down her shirt, Ollie grabbed her apron and wrapped it around her waist as she turned to face waiting customers and her eyes met familiar hazel ones paired with a crooked smile.
“Hi, again.”
Ollie arched an eyebrow, “Jackson.”
“Don’t sound so excited to see me.” His smile widened and Ollie rolled her eyes
“I’m trying to contain myself, I guess it’s not working.”
“Lucky me.”
