Worth The Fight

Chapter 24

It took me a while to fall asleep last night. My mind kept replaying my date with Tyler, and I ended up waking up late. We connected easily during dinner and seemed to have a lot in common; from places we like in the city, to music, to what's wrong with the world.

But then we went back to his place and... God, it was too perfect to be true, right? Things like that don't happen to girls like me.

In the blink of an eye, another day dawned on me, and life demanded I got up and faced all my responsibilities.

After I got ready for work, I found Marcus in the kitchen eating breakfast with a duffel bag by his side. I had totally forgotten to call Joel's mom about their weekend away.

Promising him I'd call her the moment I got to the bar; I dropped him at school and rushed to work. Bruce and Colby were already waiting for me, so we got down to business the moment I entered the office.

During my lunch break, I called Joel's mom, as promised, to make sure she was good with Marcus staying the weekend. She said she'd drive them to her parents' beach house after school today and assured me the boys wouldn't be left unsupervised. Which immediately put me at ease.

It's almost two o'clock now and I'm heading back to the office when I get a call from Kayla. She texted me when I was on the phone earlier and I forgot to reply.

"Hey girl," I answer the phone.

"Did you check the link I sent you? Your face is all over the gossip sites!" She shouts on the other side of the line, making me pause.

"What?" I frown.

"Your date with Tyler yesterday! They're saying you're the reason he left his wife," she rushes to explain, instantly making me nauseous.

The paparazzi yesterday. Of course. They obviously spread the news Tyler was out with a girl.

"God, Kayla!" I close my eyes, afraid to check this link she sent me. "How bad is that?"

"Oh, honey..." she sighs. "Did you know he was married to Christina Burton?"

"What?" I lean on the wall for support. "Of course, I didn't know that, Kay."

Christina Burton is one of the highest-paid and most beloved supermodels in the world. I haven't actually followed her career as I'm not really into fashion, but I know who she is. Who doesn't? I would've never thought she was married to Tyler, though. I thought she was involved with a football player or something? Damn! What a mess!

"I think you should check it out now, hun," Kayla says, breaking me away from my thoughts. "See by yourself what this is all about. And make sure to call Tyler and have him set the media straight. You're no home wrecker and the world needs to know that. "

Jesus! Is that what people are thinking of me?

"Yeah... Uh... I have to go back to a meeting with Bruce and Colby now, but I'll do that as soon as I'm done."

"Call me later, okay?" she says, and I can feel the worry in her voice.

"Of course," I hang up, taking a deep breath.

God, she didn't even ask about how my date with Tyler went. Which means whatever she saw online is much more important.

And I have no time to see what the hell is going on. I think as Bruce finds me in the hall, calling me to go back to our meeting.

My phone is burning a hole in my back pocket, but I refuse to check out the news. I'm about to become the freaking manager of this bar, and that's where my focus should be right now.

Keyword, should.

The reality is that I'm a mess.

Bruce and Colby are talking about how we need to invest in some social media ads, but as much as I try, I can't seem to add much to the conversation. My mind keeps replaying Kayla's words, and that's been driving me crazy. We've gathered in this office for a couple of hours now, and all I can think about is how I need to go home and google the heck out of Tyler and his ex.

A homewrecker? Really? What in the world?

"And we should also work on a new strategy to manage the cleanup. What do you think, Andie?" Bruce says, startling me.

Letting out a quick breath, I sit up straight. "Uh... Sorry. What were you saying?"

"About the cleanup. We need to come up with a new cleaning checklist, as Colby suggested." He tilts his head to the side, his eyes narrowing as he studies me.

"I think that's a great idea." I clear my throat, forcing myself to keep my head on the game.

"Good." He searches my eyes. "We also need to hire a new bartender ASAP. Anne told us a good friend of hers is looking for a job and he's got around five years of experience. No one has replied to the ad we posted about the position, so I think we should arrange an interview with him."

"That's a good idea. Colby is moving soon, so I think it's important to have his opinion on this guy before he leaves." I look at Colby and he raises his eyebrows.

"I think you should do the entire interview process," Colby says, making me gasp.

"What? I don't think I'm quali-"

"I'm leaving next week, Andie. It's time you take the reins around things." He gives me a warm smile that does nothing to ease my nerves.

"But hiring someone new is huge. Especially to tend the bar and..." I look at Bruce for help, but he just he just keeps looking at me.

"I'll tell you what," Bruce says, after a second. "I'll call him and see if he's free tomorrow night. You show him around and get him behind the bar for a couple of hours by your side. If you like him, we can go from there."

I raise my eyebrows. "What if you don't like him?"

"Then we'll discuss it together." He squeezes my shoulder. "You know you're not alone, but you need to accept you're part of things now."

"I guess you're right." I force a smile on my lips.

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A/N: A homewrecker? I smell trouble on their way. What about you?

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XOXO

Celeste