I awoke the next morning to the slam of our front doors, quickly realizing I'd slept on my desk again after trying to fix our finance budget.
Great.
"Ty, you're going to have to call the cops or something. Lacey's here with a vengeance, she says she wants to speak to you now or she'll be calling the authorities for wrongful termination," Rick blasted through the hallway, running into my office with a look of desperation.
"Fuck," I growled, pushing myself up from my second bed. I ran a hand over my jaw, feeling the stubble from my lack of a shave prick me, "Where is she?"
Rick pointed back out to the front doors where Alan was just now entering, did he not even see her?
"Yeah, she's out there. I just ignored her," Alan read my mind, shrugging off his end of the responsibilities.
I took a breath, swiping up a cigarette from my pack from last night as I lit the end. I hadn't even had my morning wake up and here she was, sticking her ass back into my life after I'd told her she was axed.
I guess I didn't blame her, I'd throw a fit too if I'd been fired for the sole fact of me just not wanting her around anymore.
"Tyler Moore," She spoke my full name as I exited through the front, "Who do you think you are sending me some dumb ass letter through Johnny that I'm fired?"
I held up a hand so that I could get a word in, but she wasn't having any of it.
"And because you moved? Seriously? Did you really expect me to fall for something so stupid! You have no reason to get rid of me, in fact, I'm pretty positive I'm your best employee here! Why would you even think you could get away with that?"
I took one last drag of my cigarette, flicking the butt into the gravel behind her as I waited for her to finish.
"Hello?" She screamed, waving her hands all around, "Are you even listening? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Lacey," I groaned, my ears splitting with her voice, "It's just not working out. How about if I find you a job somewhere else?"
This made her spill over the edge.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" She ran right up to me, pointing a finger straight into my face, "You better hire me right the hell back or I swear to God I'll chop up your balls and put them in the drinks I serve to your guests - and this time, I'll really be enjoying it."
I felt Alan come up behind me, taking over Lacey duty as I leaned up against the bar doors.
"Lace, what he's trying to say is: we're overstaffed. We just hired a new girl and we don't have anymore counter space for you to be at. Maybe we'll call you if someone calls in sick? Take this as a free vacation."
"We'll even pay you," I interjected, lifting my shoulders at a few hundred dollars a week wasted. It'd be worth getting Lacey out of my hair without having to make this messy.
She tapped a finger on her cheek, pulling up her lips at the thought of banking a check to just sit at home.
"Fine," She snapped, slipping her purse up her shoulder. My eyes lowered to her waist as she shifted and as good as it looked, I actually didn't even have an interest in pursuing it.
"One condition," She began.
I grunted, who was I thinking Lacey wouldn't have conditions to be happy with an already biased situation.
"Name it," I shot back.
She smiled, "I want to bring a few friends into the bar tonight and I don't want to pay for any of the drinks."
