An Eye for an Eye **LT**

Chapter 9

Louis' POV-

Another day, another hour at the work grind. It'd already been a long day and I was definitely ready to go home, however I still had about 40 minutes left of my shift to work. It had been pretty busy to the point where I was running out of barware and hadn't really gotten an opportunity to wipe down the counters as often as I should have. Sticky rings of beer and condensation were unsymmetrical on the countertop. It was hard to clean once the circles had begun to dry, but I was pretty good at scrubbing them away. 

I couldn't complain about the tips today, though. There was a big football game happening up on all of the televisions, so of course the pay would make up for the seemingly endless shift, but I was completely worn out and longed for nothing more than to go home, crack open a beer, and binge watch nearly any show on Netflix.

The day's pace had slowed down greatly when the game was over. The loudness of the teams' fans were now gone and the music playing from the intercom speakers was audible once again. There were still a few customers sitting around the counter, most of which were regulars. They always tipped well, so I knew I didn't have to pay as much attention to them, and could catch up on the cleaning that was to be done before my replacement came in.

It would either be Nick or Taylor, but honestly, I hadn't checked the schedule to see who it was. I'd gotten to that point where I just wanted to go to work to make my money and then go back home and get as much relaxation to myself as I possibly could before I would have to do it all over again.

As I wiped down the counter to begin the task of getting up all the sticky spots from beer, my eyes kept flicking up to the television. There was now a news article on now about a sports drink company, which wasn't that interesting-especially since I don't really have time to even think about doing sports. Or anything for that matter. It seemed as if I was always working, and when I wasn't I was just too tired to want to go out and do much, other than a party every week, or so. Still, the boring commercial was more entertaining than the sticky stains.

I needed a vacation. Maybe I'd do it. Maybe I'd just take a few days off from work to go off and do my own thing. But would vacationing alone even be that fun for me? Perhaps I could find someone to go with.

Where would I even go? The only area I really knew was my hometown. I'd never really been out adventuring except when we'd have family vacations when I lived with my family. Maybe I could go up to the mountains, or possibly the beach? I think there is a beach about 2 hours away.

And then money was a whole separate issue. I was barely able to pay for my bills as is...

"Hey"

My attention flashed to the counter, pulling my mind from the thought of a vacation. Surprised, I saw Jacob-propped up with his elbow on the bar top and a skeptical spark in his eyes. A lump in my throat formed and a surge of adrenaline shot through my veins. What the fuck was he doing here?

"Hey" I frowned. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you can" he stood up straighter, moving his hands to the pocket of his hoodie. "First of all, when did you start working here?"

"I've been working here for a couple years" I set down my rag and walked over to be closer to him.

"I see." he paused. "Secondly, does a Taylor work here?"

"Yes, why?" I tilted my head, feeling a little bit cynical.

"When does she work next?" he ignored my question.

"I'm not sure, and if I did, I'm not aloud to give out that information unless I have direct permission from the individual"

There was a quick flash of anger in his eyes before he finally actually sat down on one of the stools. "Give me a Bud Light"

I turned around and grabbed a bottle from the cooler and cracked off the cap on the bottle opener that was built into the wall before handing it over to him.

"Has Cecilia ever come here on one of your shifts?" he asked me.

"No" I lied. "I haven't seen her since the party, why?"

"I was just wondering" he took a sip of the beer.

In my pocket, I felt my phone start to vibrate.

"Hang on a second" I gave Jacob one last, skeptical look before walking outside of the counter and into the family bathroom.

As I closed and locked the door, I drew my phone from my back pocket and saw Cecilia's name at the top.

"Hey" I answered.

"Louis" she stated.

"Are you ok?" I asked her.

"I think Jacob's coming there to see that one girl Taylor" she paused for a second. "I might have told him she was my friend because he asked why my location was at the bar and I didn't want to tell him I went to see you. Can you cover for me?"

"He's already here" I chuckled a little bit.

"Oh no, did he say anything?"

"Just asked if a girl named Taylor works here" I answered. "I told him 'yes' but that was all. I just said I wasn't aloud to give out personal information like when she was working"

"You're a fucking life saver" she breathed. "He doesn't know we're on the phone now, right?"

"I stepped in the bathroom" I assured her.

"OK, awesome. Well that was all"

"Hey, Cecilia?" I asked before she could hang up.

"Yeah?"

"Would you maybe want to go to the beach with me for a few days?"

I knew it was a long shot, but it was worth an ask.

"I'd love to, I could really use a break" I could hear her smiling. "But again, I don't know what to tell Jacob"

"Tell him you're going with Leah and Ashley" I suggested.

"I'll mention it to him and see what he thinks" she said. "When do you want to go?"

"We can leave the day after tomorrow if you want" I replied. "I just gotta fill out a time-off request sheet"

"I would absolutely love to do that, though"

"Bet, just tell him you're going with the girls" I reminded her.

"I will, I will" she giggled. "Thank you for inviting me!"

"Anytime, Love. I do have to go get back to work, though"

"Oh right, sorry for distracting you..." her voice trailed off.

"It's not a problem at all!" I assured her. "I appreciate the call"

"Thank you for answering!" she exclaimed.

"Of course, text me at some point so we can come up with a game plan for the trip" I told her.

"Will do, byyyeeee!"

"Bye" smiling, I hung up and shook my head.

Even her voice made me happy, and I was glad I not only didn't have to go to the beach by myself, but that she had accepted the invitation.

I wasn't sure how the trip would go, but hopefully it would provide me the chance to get to know my new friend a little bit better. I was genuinely excited to hang out with just her with no boyfriend or friends around. Maybe I could pick her brain and figure out just what gears were turning in there? Or maybe I could pry her a little more to find out if she really was in on whatever job Jacob has.

Only time would tell just really what would happen for however long we would be at the beach.