out of her serving wench uniform, and nodded. “Must have been a twenty-four-hour thing.”
Marty grinned at her, but it wasn’t an altogether friendly grin, and Verity looked away from her to reach down for another two swords. “Can I help you girls?”
“We were just wondering if you’d heard the news?” asked Daphne, her big green eyes wide and purposely innocent.
“The news?”
Verity handed the four swords to Beverly, who huffed at the three girls with annoyance, giving Verity a look that told her to get back to work and stop socializing. She took the last handful of five swords out of the box and looked up at Daphne again, raising her eyebrows in question.
“She wasn’t here yesterday. She was sick,” said Marty. “That’s how come she doesn’t know.”
“Ohhhh. Riiiiight,” said Daphne, nodding at her friend.
Verity pursed her lips and priced the five swords, then leaned down and grabbed the box, getting ready to take it to the back room and grab a full one. “Well?”
“Do you want to do the honors?” asked Marty.
“Sure.” Daphne’s lips spread into a huge grin. “We got a new waitress. She started yesterday.”
Is that all? Verity sighed, moving down the aisle between the sales counter and back wall, finished with Daphne’s and Marty’s shenanigans. She didn’t have time for games that led nowhere. “Great. Welcome aboard.”
“Don’t you want to know her name?” called Marty.
Verity turned around, narrowing her eyes. Marty’s tone had suddenly gotten meaner.
“Sandy,” said Daphne slowly, scanning Verity’s face for recognition and clearly relishing her big reveal. “Sandy Rucker.”
“Heard of her?” purred Marty.
Verity’s first thought was that she’d had no idea Sandy’s last name was Rucker. Her second thought didn’t have time to materialize before Beverly bellowed, “Enough chitchat! Go get those Viking hats before I tell Lynette to dock your damned pay!”
Daphne snickered, waving her fingers at Verity as she turned back toward the arena, taking Marty’s arm to pull her along. “Take care, now.”
Verity blinked at them, then turned to Beverly, a sudden fury she didn’t anticipate making her words harsher than she would have planned. “I am not your slave, and you are not my mistress! Stop barking at me!”
Beverly turned on her heel, staring daggers at Verity. “I’m your supervisor.”
“You’re the gift shop manager. I report to Lynette, just like everyone else.”
Approaching Verity with menace, Beverly scowled at her, stopping about three inches from her person. She stood in front of Verity, and despite an inclination to turn and run away, Verity lifted her chin and stared back.
“Fine,” growled Beverly. “Go get the helmets, coworker.”
“Fine,” Verity muttered, turning away and heading for the stockroom, sick to her stomach that Colton’s ex-girlfriend was back, and wondering what it meant for the very new relationship between them.
She pushed open the door to the employee hallway, staring at her feet, trying to remember everything that Colton had ever told her about Sandy. It wasn’t serious, and it didn’t last long . . . She took another job in Vegas. He certainly hadn’t gone on about her. Then again, she’d learned from the girls in the bathroom a few weeks ago that Sandy had bragged that he was “hung like King Kong.” Her heart twisted as she imagined Colton doing the same things with this Sandy as he’d done with her last night. He’d definitely slept with her, or how else would she have known about his . . . his . . .
Tears burned behind her eyes. Had he loved Sandy? Had he only stopped loving her because she moved away, and he had to stay in Atlanta to be close to Melody? Would he want to be with Sandy again now that she’d returned? By the time Verity got to the stockroom, her worries had gotten the better of her, and she was grateful to slip inside the small room for a short cry.
It would be just her luck to finally meet someone who understood about Ryan, who didn’t see her as a train wreck or a burden, who seemed to love her for exactly who she was . . . and then lose him to the woman he’d loved before her.
“Oh God,” she sighed, pressing her palm against her aching heart as she stood with her back against the stockroom door. “Please help. I can’t lose him. I can’t.”
Did Colton know that Sandy was back? By now he had to. And yet he hadn’t come to see her, to talk to her about it. What did that mean? Was he talking