But we had work to do. Lots and lots of it. On top of the two sites being run that day, one by Everett and the other by Carter, there was a host of other things to do. A lot of phone calls to be made and contracts to be signed.
That was my job. I ran the company as the manager, handling the day-to-day stuff like a chief operating officer would. Occasionally, I would call the other two in, and we would make a financial decision, and then it was up to me to make it happen. Though Carter was the one who knew the business and could fill in gaps of knowledge that I was still learning, and I often called him.
That day, I committed myself to texting. If that was going to be the primary way Rebecca would get ahold of me on a regular basis, I needed to familiarize myself with it enough that I wasn’t holding the phone in one hand and pecking at it with the other to get the words right.
Along with texting the other two guys, along with various crew members who needed information, I kept an eye out for texts from Rebecca. I wanted her to know that I was going to reply to her always. Even if it couldn’t be immediate, I knew that I was going to be there and contact her at every opportunity.
The last thing I wanted was her thinking that I had gotten what I wanted from her. That I’d used her and now was done with her after the weekend. There was so much more from her that I wanted, and I hoped that texting with her would make it clear. She was priority number one. Even the work would fall behind her if I had to.
Thankfully, that issue never came up. She texted me occasionally, and I texted her back. Our conversation was light and flirty, and I started familiarizing myself with the newer emojis and GIFs that she sent in lieu of a typed-out response on a regular basis. It was a bit of a learning curve, but I committed myself to it. For her. Hell, I could do a lot of different things for her.
As the day wound down, the conversation didn’t. Her messages only got closer together, and our flirting was getting intense. I had to remind myself I was at work on a regular occasion and didn’t want to get too hot and bothered. I could save that for when I saw her.
Whenever that was going to be.
Hopefully, if I had anything to say about it, it was going to be very soon.
18
REBECCA
The way this whole thing had worked in my mind, as soon as Gus accepted me as his apprentice and my training got underway, I would instantly have a new life. I could traipse into the diner, tell Molly to gravy her own biscuits, find out what Tony would do if I threw my arms around him in a big hug, and walk out without any intention of looking back.
That was great for a daydream. In reality, not so much.
Getting my apprenticeship didn’t increase my income at all. To get technical, it either reduced my income for the same number of hours worked, or it meant I needed to work several extra hours to keep making money with my administrative work while also putting in my training hours.
I had a lot of long, stressful days ahead of me, but there was so much good waiting on the other end, I was refusing to let myself get wrapped up in it. The reality was I really didn’t want to go back to the diner, but I had to, so I did. Monday meant I was right back in my uniform, walking through the back door moments before my shift started. Usually, I got to work at least twenty minutes early and got started on my side work before I was even supposed to clock in.
That day, showing up right at the last minute was like a tiny show of rebellion. It was totally petty, and it was unlikely anyone was going to notice enough to care, but at least it was something. It was a little way I could demonstrate to myself that life had changed, and I was moving onward and upward.
Eventually.
The lunch rush seemed to start particularly early that day, and within moments, the entire place was a madhouse. Monday was generally a busy day, but this seemed extreme even for that. It meant I was constantly hopping, never getting a moment to stop and take a second to myself to make sure I was still breathing, much less to let my mind venture back to the amazing weekend I had with Deacon. Or even on my future career that felt closer and more realistic than ever before.