Stay For Me - Megan Smith Page 0,16

let Bri go I’ve felt off, even Layla kept asking if I was okay. I shouldn’t feel guilty for firing her but I do and it’s weighing heavy on me and keeping me awake. “Things are alright. I had to let one of the bartenders go last night though for stealing.”

I know that will feel like a punch to the chest for him but he had to know. I can’t keep stuff like this from him. I know I wouldn’t want him to do it with me.

“Who was it?”

I sigh. “Bri.”

I don’t think Cooper liked Bri very much to begin with. I’d catch him keeping a close eye on her and when I questioned him about it he’d just say, ‘I don’t know about her.’ Apparently he’s got good judgment on people, an intuition that something’s not right.

“What happened?”

I shuffle a few papers together on my desk trying to clean it up and to keep myself from nodding off. “Her drawer was coming up short, the last night almost one hundred and fifty dollars short…three strikes and you’re out.”

“Damn.”

“Exactly.”

“How’s everything else?” He pauses for a second. “Jaylinn?”

I sigh heavily. “She seems to be moving on.” I was hoping he didn’t ask about her. I promised to keep an eye out for her but when she walked in with someone yesterday I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. Throw him out? Yeah, probably, but that’s not me. They aren’t together and I have no right telling Jaylinn what she should and shouldn’t do. In all honesty, she’s probably testing the waters to see how it feels to be with someone else. I can’t blame her there.

“Moving on?” Cooper hisses.

I sit back in my chair and rub my temples. I feel a headache coming on. “Look, I don’t want to tell you this but you need to know. I don’t think it’s my place but whatever.” I curse under my breath. “She came in the other night with someone. After they left I asked Layla about it. She said it was some guy from a class of hers.” I feel like such an asshole telling him this but this is what he asked for. He wanted to know and I can’t lie to him. “From what I saw they didn’t seem to be having a good time. The dude was tall as hell and they just looked fucking weird. Their body language was all wrong.” Knocking on the door stops me from continuing. “Hold on a second, someone’s at the door.”

I move the phone away from my mouth. “Come in.” In walks Jaylinn, could this timing seriously get any worse? I wonder if she heard me telling Cooper about her date. She’d probably fucking murder me. “Oh, hey, um… have a seat. I’m just finishing up my conversation.”

I sit up straight in my chair. “I can come back.”

I shake my head and point to the chair in front of my desk. I hear Cooper’s breath hitch. He heard her. “Cooper?”

“Yeah, I’m here.” He says defeated.

I try not to miss a beat wanting to shield both of their hearts if I can. No one ever wants to hurt friends if they don’t have too. “Well, besides that everything else is going fine. Oh, and everything at your house is fine, too. I’ve been stopping by every other day to get the mail and shit.”

“And you’re taking care of her, too, I see.”

I lean back in my chair and look up to the ceiling. What did I do to piss someone off up there today? “It’s not like that, dude.” Normally I would mess around with him just because I like getting a rise out of him but not today. Not after what I just told him.

“I know I’m being an asshole. How is she doing really?”

Maybe he didn’t but he’ll know now. I can’t exactly answer him now. “Pretty well.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

I glance over to Jaylinn and she’s messing with her phone. Her cheeks are a little flush which either means she’s embarrassed that I’m talking about her right in front of her or something on her phone is causing that look. I’m hoping it’s the first one. “Well, I’ll let you go. I’ll call tomorrow before my late morning practice.”

Jaylinn catches me staring at her with a serious expression on my face and she laughs. Not something I was expecting her to do.

I clear my throat hoping Cooper doesn’t ask me what’s so funny. “Sounds good, man.”

“Later.

And before I can even