What's a Girl to Do? (Season 6)

Chapter Nine: Majority Rules

After the boys' birthday, all I could think about was the notion that Hugo had hired a private investigator to follow my every move, and I knew why. It was likely that Nicholas had had a conversation or two with Allie and Hugo about my relationship with Tommy, and had expressed his doubts on my ability to be faithful. I had felt in the beginning as if Allie and Hugo were the parents I'd never had; now, it just felt like they were a pair of strangers who believed that my behavior was unacceptable, and I hated it.

At the diner in the second week of February, the employees were happy with me because I'd paid them the day before. Now it was Tuesday, and I was already going over the books for the previous week to stay on top of things, as well as going over the inventory for any ordering that we would have to make, for the turnover in seasons happened at the end of March, and I would need to check prices accordingly. As I did my best to go over the numbers, my phone's calculator app always handy to make sure I didn't make a mistake, a text message overtook my screen, and I brought my phone closer to me.

On a break for lunch, Debbie reported. Mind if I stop by?

Please do, I wrote back. You know I always want to see you.

I smiled at the notion of seeing my younger sister, and returned to my calculator app to continue with the books while I waited for her arrival. The inventory seemed good for the next couple of weeks, and we were pulling in a satisfactory amount of money, so I knew that Fiona would be proud of me. When Debbie texted a few minutes later, letting me know she was just down the block from the diner, I got to my feet and left the office, locking it up and making my way out into the restaurant, seeing Debbie coming inside.

"I got this, Sierra," I said, doing my best to smile at her as I breezed by, approaching Debbie quickly and pulling her in for a hug. "Hey," I said, holding her close to me for a moment; she was barely an inch shorter than me, due to the fact that I wore sneakers full-time now, but there was an air about her which made her seem younger, and I was altogether very protective of her every day of my life. Pulling back, I straightened her hair a bit, smirking at the notion that she had had it confined to a hard hat for hours. "How are you, Debs?"

Debbie grinned. "Can't complain. But I'm starving."

I nodded. "Great," I said, smiling as I pulled out a pair of menus and bringing her to a booth by the window. "I haven't had my lunch yet... Mind if I join you?"

My sister sighed, nodding. "Of course not. That's why I'm here," she replied, taking a menu and slipping into one side of the booth. "How are you?" she asked as I moved to sit across from her with a sigh of my own. "The place looks great..."

I rolled my eyes. "The hearts, Cupid, and flowers were Sierra's idea," I muttered, finding that I'd nearly sneered her name, and Debbie turned to look behind the counter, where Sierra was refilling a coffee for a customer.

"I take it you're not a fan of the decorations, or the decorator in question," she said, her voice slightly muffled from behind her menu. "Am I right?" she asked, her dark eyes studying my face for a clear answer.

I shrugged, lowering my menu onto the tabletop. "Honestly, I don't know what to think. She's a great worker, and she's polite to everyone...except me."

Debbie blinked. "But, you're her boss."

I nodded, thanking Melinda as she came by with a pair of ice waters for the two of us, and I ordered a cranberry juice and Debbie a coke before she walked away. "I know I'm her boss, Debs, but she..." I shrug. "I don't know."

My sister made a face as her thoughts automatically went to Sierra's and my connection. "She doesn't think you're competition, does she?"

I scoffed. "I don't know what she thinks. She hears me on the phone with Lip all the time, but we're mainly discussing the family or our mutual sobriety. He's come to meet me after work so that we can carpool to a meeting together before, but I think she thinks that our relationship is fucking weird..."