"Holly, when are you coming back to work?"

I pulled back my phone a little bit, giving it an are-you-shitting-me look. It'd been, what? How long since I'd been away from Michelangelo's? A couple weeks? And this was the first thing out of my manager's mouth when he finally spoke to me again?

"It's Henley," I replied flatly.

"Henney, yes, yes. Sorry about that."

My fingers twitched and I resisted the urge to throw the phone.

"Anyway, is your availability the same as before? I'd like you back on the schedule as soon as possible."

"It's the same," I said begrudgingly. I really, really didn't want to go back to work there. But after thinking things through, it was probably for the best. I had the money Bennett had given me, but with the sudden change in the situation with my brother, I figured it'd be best to keep extra money aside. Lawyers weren't cheap and as far as I knew my brother wasn't making any money in jail.

And on top of that, I had to leave Bennett's house at some point.

"Good. Can I expect you tonight at five o'clock?"

"Huh?"

"We have a reservation for forty on top of the other patrons who may show up tonight. I need the extra help." There was a pause. "No one seems to be as capable as you are. Would you be able to make it tonight?"

I glanced at the time. It was three o'clock, which gave me more than enough time to get ready. But it was my day off... but then again, I'd crashed Bennett's rental car and he hadn't told me if the insurance had covered it or not and I didn't have any idea how much it might be. "I'll be there," I decided. At the very least it would get me out of Bennett's house for a bit. The only productive thing I'd done was use the Jacuzzi tub.

"See you then," he responded and hung up.

I texted Ariana to see if she could give me a ride. Bennett had told me to text Henry if I needed anything, but I didn't want to bother the poor man. He seemed swamped with just handling Bennett. It was my fault I'd crashed the rental, so it wasn't right for me to become a burden on anyone else, anyway. And my car was still at Coffee House, so that wasn't an option. She quickly texted me back an affirmative.

I glanced out the window out onto the lake, watching the heavy rain pour from the sky. As much as I wanted to blame the rain for the crash, I couldn't. I'd been so distracted by my thoughts I'd hit the turn on the slickened train tracks too fast. I couldn't stop thinking about that video. Who was that guy that looked just like my brother? How could this new piece of evidence turn the investigation around, if it even could? I knew it was best to leave it up to my brother's lawyer, but I just didn't understand how it was missed the first time.

Stop saying sorry unless you're apologizing for making me worry about you.

Suddenly Bennett's words rang in my ear and his worried face popped into my mind, all wide eyes and tensed jaw. I felt my cheeks warm and I slapped my hands over them, covering my eyes with my fingertips. It was so embarrassing to think of. What was with him? Why had he been so worried? I'd expected him to be pissed about the car, but he'd only been worried about me. He hadn't even checked the on the car. He'd only had eyes for me.

It made me feel all tingly.

I didn't like it.

Bennett was out of my league. Out, out of my league. I wouldn't even dream of actually dating someone like him. So I wasn't sure how to react when he made it seem like I meant more to him than just a business partner. If that's even what we were. I didn't even know what we were.

All I knew was that was the first time where I'd felt that unfamiliar sense of warmth by being near someone.

My mind kept trying to say but what if. I kept telling it to shut its mouth. There was no what if. I wasn't Bennett's type anyway.

"Crap, stop thinking Henley," I muttered, pulling myself away from the glass wall. Bennett's house was enough to tell me we didn't belong. I let out a sigh, deciding to search through Bennett's fridge to see if I could find anything to eat before I had to leave.

Two hours later, I begrudgingly trudged through the doors of the restaurant, my hair in a high up in a ponytail. The familiar smell of beer, steak, and God knows what greeted me and I instantly regretted agreeing to come in. That regret grew deeper as I saw Collin making his way over to me, beetle eyes scouring my body. He had a thing about the uniform looking fashionable, but I didn't see what was so fashionable about a black skirt and black blouse.

"I have a new wait apron for you," he said and handed me said apron.

"Thanks."

"A few guests for the party of forty have already shown up. You can go and start their drink orders for Jessie. She'll come to help you in a bit."

I felt my face twitch. Not even a please? I wasn't really surprised, but since I was going out of my way to help him out tonight, it would've been nice to be treated a little better. Trav caught my gaze from behind the bar and mimicked hitting Collin over the head, which made me feel slightly better. At a crappy place like this, he was a beacon of sunshine— with the flaming red hair to prove it.

Plastering the fakest customer-service-smile I could muster onto my face, I headed over to the back room where the party of forty was gathering. The ones already seated were chatting quietly and I felt the dread come back full force as I noticed they were all elderly folk. There were two sides of the spectrum to waiting on old people. First, you had the nice ones, who were a delight and tipped you well. Then you had the cranky ones, who wanted you to pick the seeds out of the lemon slices in their water and then not leave a tip because they were sick of younger people "getting everything handed to them."

The time crawled by and Jessie still hadn't shown up so with every arrival of a new guest I was off to retrieve a beer or a martini from the bar. Even though it was early, I could feel my feet starting to smart. After such a long time off from waitressing, it was going to take a bit to get my feet used to all of the running around again. Especially since the only good pair of shoes I owned had been stolen and now I was wearing brand new sneakers that hadn't been broken in yet.

"They ordered four more Boston Lager's," I told Trav as I slid onto a barstool and rested my elbows on the counter.

"They're getting wild tonight, aren't they?" he responded with a quiet laugh. "Gunna turn up in that nursing home."

I grinned. "Well, a couple of younger people joined them. Maybe I should just bring over a pitcher."

"Here you go," he said, handing me four ice-cold bottles.

I returned to the table and handed out the beers to their respective owners. The group was still waiting on about fifteen more people and I prayed Jessie arrived before then. They put in some salads and garlic bread as appetizers, so I headed over to the computer to program it in, hoping they weren't going to want separate bills at the end of the night.

The door jingled, signaling the arrival of a new customer and I turned around to greet them since the hostess was also currently M.I.A. Two familiar faces met my gaze and my mouth fell open a little. Then suddenly Sebastian moved forward, grabbing me by the elbow and pulling me away from the door. I almost tripped and struggled to regain my balance as he tugged me along into the alcove where the bathrooms were.

"Sebastian, what—"

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his hand still gripping my arm tightly.

I looked up at him, raising my eyebrows. "Working? What does it look like?"

"I thought you didn't work here anymore."

"No, I still do." I tried to peek around him because I was pretty sure that was Bennett next to him.

He immediately put his arm up and leaned over me, blocking my view of the door. I froze up, not expecting his proximity. His chest was almost pressed up against mine and our shoulders were touching. I never realized just how much taller than me he was. Or how good he smelled...

"Henley, listen to me. Don't go over to our table."

I snapped out of the stupor you get into by being too close to a handsome guy immediately. "What?"

"Don't come over."

"Why?" Why was he being so weird? Was Bennett's mother here? I peeked out a little bit, seeing Bennett staring dead at us. He looked different tonight, almost a little run down. His jeans had a hole in them. Right next to him was an unfamiliar woman in a red dress, her tiny figure turned back to me. Long, brown hair cascaded down her back.

Sebastian quickly pressed my face into his chest. "Don't look at Bennett," he said. "Right now, he's on a date with that girl."

I paused, unsure if I'd heard him right. Bennett was on a date with someone? Why?

"It's a blind date his mother set up," Sebastian explained.

I looked up at him, my chest feeling tight. Why was Bennett on a date with another girl? Why did his mother set it up? Why did Bennett go on it? Why did they come here? What about me? I had so many questions. But I couldn't ask them.

Bennett could do whatever he wanted. He wasn't my boyfriend.

"I'm sorry," Sebastian said, a frown pulling at his lips. "We didn't think you'd be here."

I forced myself to smile back at him. "It's fine. I was just a little surprised to see you both. I don't care that Bennett's on a date or anything, so don't be sorry."

"You don't?"

"Why would I?"

He hesitated a moment, his eyes holding my gaze. "Well, we'll try to be quick. You still shouldn't come near us. I know Bennett's mother and this won't be the only time we'll see this girl. I don't want her recognizing you. Where are your tables?"

I was tempted to look at the girl again, but I managed not to. It would most likely hurt my self-esteem if I did. "I only have one in the back there." I pointed toward the back of the restaurant. "There's a huge party."

He nodded. "I'll make sure she sits with her back against the room. And I'm sorry for being unmannerly about this," he added, offering me the most adorable regretful look. "I shouldn't have grabbed you."

"It's okay," I said, smiling at the apology. He was a one of a kind type of guy. "Thanks for warning me."

"I have to go before one of them starts looking for me. Try to be careful, Henley."

I nodded and Sebastian finally moved away from me. As soon as he did, I turned my back to the door, just in case the girl was still standing there. I gave it a few more moments before I returned to my table. Jess had arrived now and had started to take orders. I helped her out and then decided to hang out with Trav while I waited for Collin to tell me what to do next. The bar was on the opposite side of the restaurant, so I'd be nowhere near Bennett or his date.

"Who's that guy?" Trav asked the minute I walked up to the counter.

"The guy I talked to earlier? He's my friend, Sebastian," I told him, looking over at the table where he sat with Bennett and the brown-haired girl.

Trav smiled a little and shook his head. "Not him, the other guy. He hasn't kept his eyes off you since he got here."

Just as he finished his sentence, Bennett glanced over at me and our gazes locked. I ducked my head and shifted so he couldn't see my face. Why was he staring at me? What if his that girl noticed? If he was going to be weird, I was going to have to stay out of his sight.

"Should I say something to him?"

"It's okay," I said quickly. Although the idea of Bennett being called out as a perv would be hilarious, I didn't want to completely embarrass him.

Trav didn't seem convinced. But then again, he'd seen a lot of handsy patrons before, i.e Star Spangled Moron. He kind of doubled as a bartender and security guard sometimes. Leaning forward, he gave my upper arm a pat. "Let me know if you have any problems, Henley."

Collin rushed up to me just then, his face red. "Henley! Mr. Calloway is here!"

"Yes."

"Go take their table," he ordered.

"What? What about the back room?"

"Jessie can handle it for now. You should go thank Mr. Calloway since he is the one who called to make sure you got your job back."

My eyes widened. "He what?" He'd called the restaurant to secure my job? When had he done that?

"Don't keep his table waiting," Collin said. "Go over there. Now."

I cursed inwardly, knowing I'd have no choice but to listen to Collin. I silently apologized to Sebastian as I made my way over to their table. Bennett's gaze followed me the whole way and I gave him a sharp look, hoping he knew what Sebastian had told me.

As I walked up to the table, both Bennett's and Sebastian's eyes grew wide. "Hello everyone, my name is Henley and I'll be your server tonight," I greeted them, keeping my eyes trained on Sebastian. Bennett was sitting on the outside of the bench, closer to me. I could feel his stare on me. "Could I start you off with a drink?"

"Water all around," Sebastian said immediately.

"Can I actually have a lemonade?" a quiet voice spoke up and I switched my gaze to the girl sitting opposite. A bad decision.

She was beautiful. And not in the Cosmo magazine cover way. In the natural, born-with-it-way. It took me an hour and a crap ton of make-up to look that good. This girl didn't look like she was wearing any. Long eyelashes, clear bronze skin, shiny hair. I was so jealous. And to top that off, I knew she was wealthy, because no way would Bennett's mother set him up with someone who wasn't.

AKA someone like me.

I realized I was staring and felt myself blushing. "A lemonade? Sure."

She smiled widely, showing off her pearly white teeth. "Thank you very much."

I kind of cringed back at her, because I felt like when I smiled I sometimes had a double chin and I already felt inferior enough.

"I'll have a water," Bennett said.

I nodded, looking at Sebastian again. "Then I'll be right back with those drinks."

"Thank you!" she chirped.

"You're welcome," I replied before turning my back and hurrying away, my heart racing. This was the worst. This was exactly why I didn't want to have those kinds of weird thoughts about Bennett. Someone like this girl was more suited to be with him. And I hated the way that made me feel about myself. I hated that I felt inferior. I hated that I felt ugly. I hated the fact that I felt like this because I was next to someone like Bennett. And I hated what that meant.

You're not his girlfriend, I reminded myself. Chill out.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It was dumb to get upset over this. Bennett could do whatever he wanted. But if he was going on dates with girls, why did he want someone to pretend to be his girlfriend? He was okay with that? Did he see nothing wrong with that? If he was going to listen to his mother anyway, why didn't he just call off our contract? It was a good thing only Ariana knew about our relationship, otherwise, I'd just look like a fool in front of everyone.

I returned to the table with drinks, keeping my expression courteous and avoiding eye contact with Bennett. A part of me was absurdly mad at Bennett for doing this, but I couldn't show it. I couldn't even act like I knew him, anyway. I would just silently take their orders and run away—

"It might be weird to say this, but I love your hair color," she spoke up, completely destroying my plan. She leaned towards me a bit, eyes wide. "It's so pretty. Is it natural?"

I felt caught off guard. My eyes automatically darted to Bennett and I felt a surge of annoyance. He opened his mouth but abruptly closed it when Sebastian elbowed him in the side. I turned back to her. I didn't want to talk to her, but I couldn't be rude. Besides, she hadn't done anything wrong. "Thank you," I said. "And yeah, it's natural."

"No problem. I'm kind of jealous. My hair could never get that straight, or light without spending a lot of money. I've always wanted to try going blonde," she responded, pulling at a strand of hair. "Especially because someone told me this guy here likes blondes." She smiled bashfully as she looked at Bennett.

My mouth felt dry. I wanted to leave. "I should go put your orders in."

"Okay, can I have another lemonade too?" she said, gesturing to her almost empty glass.

"Yep."

"Excuse me," Bennett started and I felt his fingertips brush my arm as I quickly turned and hurried away.

After putting in their order, I headed to the bathroom, needing a moment to myself. This sucked. I wanted to go home. But I didn't even have a home to go home to. I only had Bennett's place.

I groaned, putting my hands into my face. When had my life become so complicated? When had I become such a sorry person? There was no reason to be jealous of this girl. She seemed nice. I couldn't be upset with her. I was more mature than this.

After scowling at myself in the mirror for a few seconds, I decided to head back out. I grabbed the lemonade from the kitchen and rounded the corner to the main room, slamming into someone with such force I fell over and the lemonade glass went flying, shattering across the floor.

Looking up I saw Collin hovering over me, jaw-dropped. "I'm sorry," I apologized quickly before he could say anything. My right wrist throbbed where I'd landed on it.

"Get up," he hissed at me.

I glanced around, realizing everyone was staring at me. Including Bennett and his date. My face flushed red and I scrambled to get up, wincing at the pain in my wrist. "Sorry."

"I'm going to get a broom. Start picking that up and make sure no one walks by here."

I crouched down on my ankles and started carefully picking up the glass off the floor. I could feel my throat getting tight and I grit my teeth. This sucks, this sucks, this sucks.

"Ow!" I cried as my finger slipped along a side of the razor-edged glass. Blood started pouring out and I found myself irrationally pissed off.

A pair of hands cupped my shoulders and a body knelt down next to me. "Henley, are you okay?"

I turned my head to the side, my face coming two inches within Bennett's. My lips trembled for a moment and I had to force myself to get the words out. "Go away, Bennett," I said lowly. I was sick and tired of embarrassing myself in front of him. I didn't want his help right now, especially.

He narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"You're not supposed to be acting like you know me. I'm fine."

"I'm not going to leave you here like this," he said, putting his hands under my shoulders and easily lifting me from my crouching position. He tried to grab my hand and I yanked it away.

"Leave me alone," I told him, stepping away.

"Why would I?" he demanded, looking genuinely confused. "You're hurt."

I bit my bottom lip, feeling frustrated with myself. I had no right to be mad at Bennett. I had no right to be rude to him like this. Why was I acting so immature? "That girl is watching us," I murmured finally.

He moved so that he was blocking my view of his date. "Now she can't see."

I refused to look at him. "We shouldn't act like we know each other. I don't want to affect your date."

"I didn't want to go on this date in the first place," he snapped.