“Like close on my own?”
“Yes. Like be in charge of clearing out the cash register, reconciling the receipts, that sort of thing. Obviously, locking up and setting the alarm when you leave.”
“Cool.”
“Cool? You interested?”
“Sure. And I could take a few more hours too, boss.”
“Great. We’ll start training today.”
Chapter Fifteen
Annie walked into the house, her hands loaded with three grocery bags, but Jordan was nowhere to be seen.
“Jordan? You around?” she called.
She put the perishables in the fridge, then peeked out onto the deck. It too was empty. She heard a splash in the water and looked past the railing of the deck, down to the pier. Jordan was out in the water. She took the stairs on the side of the deck, heading toward the bay. She stopped abruptly when she saw Jordan.
She was up to her waist in the water, wearing a bikini top, and it was the first time Annie had seen her this exposed. She looked stunning. Annie found herself staring. She shook it off, finally settling on her face. It was then she noticed the change.
“Oh, my God! You got a haircut,” she exclaimed.
Jordan looked up and smiled before running a wet hand through her now shorter hair. “Yeah. Thought I’d butch out a little for you,” she teased.
“It looks great,” Annie said.
Jordan came out of the water, and Annie’s gaze dropped to her waist, where she expected to see a bikini bottom to accompany the top. She was somewhat disappointed that wasn’t the case. She blinked that thought away as water droplets ran down Jordan’s flat stomach and onto the water shorts she had on.
“So what are you doing?” she asked.
“Seeing how bad the pier really is,” Jordan said. “I thought maybe a few boards here and there could be replaced, but I think we’ll have to redo the whole thing. Some of the pylons are rotted.”
“Can you get to the Jet Skis?” she asked hopefully, remembering Jordan’s offer of a ride.
“Yeah. I can walk in the bay if I have to. Maybe we’ll take them out on Sunday.”
Annie looked at her questioningly. “You going to close the store early?”
“No.”
Annie frowned. “Wait a minute.” She glanced at her watch. “What are you doing home anyway? Who’s at the store?”
Jordan smiled. “I’m trusting Brandon to close.”
“By himself? You only trained him yesterday,” she reminded her.
“Yeah.” Jordan shrugged. “He did fine. And it’s not that hard. I told him if he doesn’t screw anything up today, I’ll up his hourly wage,” Jordan said. “So, how was the doctor’s visit?”
Annie sighed. “I’ve been poked and prodded, peed in a cup, gave blood and answered more questionnaires than I can possibly remember. But I like her, I guess. She’s young.”
“Good. How often do you have to see her?”
“Every four weeks for now,” she said. “The next appointment won’t be nearly this long, they tell me.”
Jordan eyed her. “So? Are you excited yet?”
Annie smiled. “Excited? A little. Scared? A lot.” She held up her hand. “Let’s save baby talk for later. I thought I’d cook dinner,” she said, remembering the reason she’d been looking for Jordan in the first place.
“Oh, yeah? Well, that was one of your alternate payment methods, wasn’t it?” Jordan teased.
“Yes. My mother will be happy to hear that,” she said with a quick smile. “I picked up some pork chops. I know how you like to grill.”
Jordan walked beside her up the deck and playfully bumped her shoulder. “So you were going to cook, huh?”
“I’m making a very secret recipe. It involves potatoes and cheese and sour cream and it’s way too fattening, but I’m having a craving. So yes, I’m cooking that. You are doing the chops. Deal?”
“I accept. Let me grab a shower first.”
Annie nodded, her gaze following Jordan until she rounded the corner and went into her bedroom.
“What in the world is wrong with you?” she murmured to herself with a shake of her head. Her doctor did warn her of hormonal changes. She made no mention that she might suddenly start ogling her female boss’s body.
* * *
Jordan got out of the shower and toweled her wet hair. She glanced in the mirror as she ran her hand through the shorter strands. The cut was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and she still couldn’t quite believe she’d done it. One minute, she’s standing outside the liquor store with her two bags of wine and the next, she’s seated in a chair at Quick Clips asking for a “summer cut.”
To be sure, it wasn’t drastically short, just different. She’d always been a bit conservative in her dress, her appearance—nothing to call attention to herself. She wore the barest amount of makeup, minimal jewelry, gray or black business suits. Conservative.
Now here she was, wearing shorts and T-shirts to work, no makeup, no jewelry. And a cute new haircut that was more casual than conservative, more sporty than conventional.
She smiled at her reflection, noting the change in her. She was more relaxed, more in tune with her surroundings, more focused on her life, rather than her job. She felt like her life had slowed to a snail’s pace compared to the constant movement that she had been in. There was nothing slow-paced about Chicago, and her job had reflected that as well. Everyone was in a hurry, yet everybody seemed to be behind schedule in whatever they did. Her included. There never seemed to be a time where she could simply stop and breathe.
Here? It was so very different. Despite the tragic reason she was here, despite the fact that her parents weren’t quite back to normal yet—would they ever be?—she was embracing her time in Rockport. She felt…free. She felt like the constraints she’d had on her, constraints she’d mostly placed on herself, were now gone. Did she dare say she was almost a different person?
So much so that she trusted a twenty-three-year-old guy to close up Fat Larry’s after only one day of training. The control she insisted on having in her job, in her life, had disappeared, it seemed.
A byproduct of Matt’s death? Perhaps. Or maybe it was just being away from her real life, her real responsibilities, the constant stress she lived with. Maybe removing herself from that, even if only for a little while, had changed her.
Regardless, she wanted to embrace it. Because it felt good.
So with a smile on her face, she dressed in soft cotton athletic shorts and slipped her feet into flip-flops—a cheap pair she’d snagged at the local Walmart. Feeling relaxed and casual, she decided to skip her bra and slipped a navy-colored Fat Larry T-shirt over her head.
She found Annie in the kitchen, cutting up potatoes. She was surprised—and pleased—that a bottle of wine was opened and a glass poured.
“Thanks,” she said as she picked it up.
Annie glanced up at her and smiled, her gaze traveling slowly over her. Jordan felt a bit self-conscious without a bra. Her breasts were small, and though she doubted Annie would even know, she just barely resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest.
“You’re welcome.” Her gaze returned to her face. “I love your hair like that. It’s cute.”
Jordan smiled and relaxed. “Thank you.”
“Who did it?”
“Over at Quick Clips,” she said. “I think her name was Laura.”
Annie nodded as she went back to cutting the potatoes. “That’s where I go too. Jasmine cuts mine.”
Jordan shrugged. “It wasn’t exactly planned. I made a run to the liquor store for wine.”
Annie laughed. “It’s right next door. What? Was it calling your name?”
“Something like that, yeah.” Jordan walked closer, looking over her shoulder. “Need some help?”