Hidebound

Chapter Five

"I thought you were seeing your mother today?" I ask Harley as she leans on the other side of the bar, across from me. I hadn't expected her to show up at all today but she had been here when I arrived this morning, so had Sarah.

She shrugs "Stevie wouldn't let me have the day off" she rolls her eyes. The tension between Harley and Stevie hasn't lessened and I doubt it'll go away anytime soon. I always told her flirting with your boss wasn't a good idea. "I'm leaving at ten and then I'll be back by two" she says. Stevie had always been lenient with Harley having time off to see her mother but since Banks came into the picture Stevie has been using her requests for time off as punishments and rewards.

"Stevie just misses you too much while you're gone" I tease with a smirk on my face. Harley doesn't even crack a smile as her eyes turn blank and she sticks a finger in her mouth and pretends to gag.

"Oh, you're close with Stevie?" Sarah pipes up from beside me as she joins in on the conversation.

"Absolutely not" Harley immediately shuts her down.

Sarah appears confused and a little bit shocked at Harley's blatant dislike for Stevie.  "Oh" is all she says.

"Anyway" Harley swings the conversation back to me "Clyde let Hex go early yesterday? Did you two do anything?" She asks. She had yet to bring up the argument she'd had with Hex yesterday and I'm grateful she hadn't asked if I had talked to him about it, because I hadn't.

"We went out for dinner" I explain and hope I can keep the blush from rising in my cheeks as the memories of last night run on repeat through my head.

I look down and busy myself with the numerous miscellaneous things on the bar. Harley's snicker doesn't go by me unnoticed.

"Mornin' girls" I look up as Kevin makes an appearance. I take him in, looking for any signs that he had returned to his old habits but he looks well rested and the lingering smell of whiskey that used to cling to him isn't floating in the air.

"Good morning Kevin, water?" I ask as he takes a seat on the stool at the bar.

"Yeah darl" I get Kevin a glass of water as Harley starts up a conversation with him. I turn my back to them as I grab ice. I look to my side when I see Sarah come up beside me.

"Regular?" She asks quietly. She seems less shy today and seems to have found comfort in me, it makes me happy.

"Yep, that's Kevin. Really good guy but try and keep the alcohol away from him, especially the whiskey" I inform her just as quietly before turning back and giving Kevin his water as he thanks me.

Harley leaves soon after, just before ten knowing that Stevie is most likely watching on the cameras. It's obvious she left just that little bit earlier to piss him off but I can only find humour in it.

I had hoped to sneak away on my lunch break to have lunch with Hex at the mechanic shop but with Harley being gone and Sarah only on her second day I don't think it's going to be possible.

"Poppy!" I blow out a breath as I hear Stevie call for me. I look up and see him walking back into his office without even making sure I heard him. I contemplate pretending I didn't hear him just to see if he would bother coming out here and personally getting my attention instead of yelling across Darby's but I decide against it when I see customers looking in confusion at his office door.

"Are you alright by yourself for a couple of minutes?" I ask Sarah. Even though she's bartended for a couple of years at her previous job, it's still only her second day and I don't want to dump too much on her so soon.

"Yeah, go for it" she reassures me and starts taking a customers drink order.

I take off my apron and hang it up before starting on my way to Stevie's office. I have no doubt this has something to do with Harley because as far as I'm concerned I haven't done anything wrong.