Seven

SEVEN

Aria

"So, what did you think of your first day? You aren't ready to quit, are you?"

I stared into the eyes of my new boss, feeling nothing but disbelief. I'd only spent a few hours with her today, so it was still too early to tell if Mallory was a prankster by nature, but I had to believe she was joking with her questions.

"Are you serious? I have no intention of quitting," I assured her. "I actually enjoyed myself today."

Mallory sighed. "Oh, I'm so relieved. It was really nice having an extra set of hands during the busiest time. I used to manage okay before, but now that I'm approaching the end of this pregnancy, it's just not as easy as it used to be. Honestly, I think you had perfect timing when you came in looking for a job yesterday."

I smiled at her. "It looks like it worked out well for the both of us. I'm looking forward to working here for the foreseeable future, or until you're ready to let me go."

"I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon," she confessed. "The truth is that I'll likely want to cut back on my hours a bit once the baby arrives and for at least the first year."

Nodding, I returned, "I think that's reasonable. Here's hoping it continues to all work out. I really enjoyed myself today, and I'm excited to come in tomorrow to see how the morning shift is."

Mallory had me come in this morning after she had already opened. She figured it was best to throw me right into the fire and have me work with her through the busiest time of the day—lunch. I enjoyed the fast-paced environment, a bit of nostalgia creeping in. It reminded me of the times at my family's store before things spiraled downward.

Now that I'd successfully gotten through that shift and still wanted to work at Grant's Deli, Mallory had suggested that I come in earlier tomorrow morning, so I could see how things went first thing in the morning before the deli was even open for business.

"Best of all, I'll finally be able to introduce you to Magnolia. She's not here all the time, but she does come in a couple of times a week as her schedule permits," Mallory shared.

"I'll look forward to meeting her. Did you need me to do anything else before I leave?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm all good now. I just have a few last-minute things to take care of, and I'll be heading out, too. "

"Okay. Could I just talk to you for a minute about something?"

"Sure. What's going on?"

I inhaled deeply, praying this wouldn't be a deal breaker and ruin this job opportunity for me. "Well, obviously, as you know, I was job hunting yesterday. Your deli is the first place I stopped, and I hope you know how grateful I am for the opportunity to work here. I absolutely want to continue working here, but I also believe it's important to be transparent. I was looking for full-time employment, and I completely understand that you aren't currently offering full-time hours just yet. All of that to say, I continued the job hunt yesterday and found another part-time position at The Steel Pub. The hours I would be working there won't conflict with the hours I need to put in here, so I don't want you to be concerned about that, but I did want to make you aware of it and make sure it's not a problem for you."

I didn't know how I expected Mallory to respond to the news, but I certainly hadn't expected what I'd gotten. "Oh, that's great, Aria. I'm so happy you were able to find something else that works with your schedule here, and best of all, you'll get to meet Sawyer."

My brows drew together. "Sawyer?"

She nodded, a bright smile on her face. "Yes. Sawyer is just one member of the gang."

If she thought that telling me what she just had offered any clarification, she was wrong. I was no less confused. "I'm sorry. The gang?"

"Yes. The gang is just the group of women who are either dating, engaged, or married to Harper Security Ops men," she explained .

"Oh, I see. That's kind of cool."

Granted, I wasn't dating a Harper Security Ops man, but I guess Mallory thought it was wise to share that detail with me since it was Paxton—a Harper Security Ops man—who urged me to come into the deli for a job.

"Yeah, there are a bunch of us, and we try to get together every so often," she shared.

"Well, I hope Sawyer is working there today, so I get to meet her," I said. "I assume she's at least as nice as you."

"She's one of the sweetest women in the world. I think you'll love her. And she just got married at the end of August. I'm pretty sure she and Jesse just got back from their honeymoon."

This was all working out so much better than I had expected. I had anticipated it would take some time for me to really immerse myself in building a new life here. I suspected I'd need at least a week or two just to find a job. But I'd succeeded in doing that in a day.

Now, I could focus on forging real friendships, like I had just confirmed I'd made yesterday with Paxton.

I still hadn't quite gotten over the fact that he'd followed up with me when he got home from work to see how my job hunt had gone. It was nice to know he cared to ask about it, let alone that he'd been upset he hadn't been able to come up with any additional leads.

He was such a decent man, and I could see why he worked at a place that offered the kinds of services that Harper Security Ops did. Paxton was all about doing good deeds. He rescued every single one of his pets, for crying out loud. There wasn't a doubt he knew the difference between right and wrong, and I had a feeling he wouldn't ever find himself in a situation where he made morally questionable choices like I had. Paxton was a much better person than I was; that much was true.

I shook off the thoughts of Paxton, focused on Mallory, and said, "I have no reason to doubt you, so I'm willing to bet Sawyer's going to be a great woman to work with."

"She will be. Alright, well, you get out of here and get to the pub. Thanks again for all that you did today, and I'll see you here, bright and early, tomorrow morning."

"See you tomorrow, Mallory."

"Later, Aria."

The next thing I knew, I was in my car and on the way to The Steel Pub. And on my way there, I'd replayed the day I had in my head. I woke up this morning, fed my cat, had breakfast, and glanced out the window when I heard dogs barking next door only to see Paxton there with his brood. I watched them for a while before I played for a bit with Sasha, noting once again when Paxton left for work. And not long after that, I'd gotten myself ready and left for my first day at my new job. I'd really had a great day at Grant's Deli. It felt good to be doing something productive again.

And that feeling of pride didn't dwindle in the least when I pulled into the parking lot for the pub. As quickly as I could, I parked and made my way inside.

I sought out Cam—short for Cameron—who was the owner of the place and the guy who'd hired me. He was nowhere to be found, but someone else had stopped at the sight of me.

"Hi. How can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Aria. I was just hired, and today is my first shift, so I'm looking for Cam," I answered .

The woman's eyes widened. "Oh, hi, Aria. I'm Gina. I'm one of the waitresses here. It's nice to meet you."

I shook her hand and replied, "Likewise."

Jerking her head to the side, she said, "Follow me. I'll take you back to Cam's office."

Without hesitating, I followed behind Gina toward the back. On the way there, I took in the scene. There were a handful of patrons, a woman standing behind the bar, and another guy who seemed to be restocking the shelves behind the bar. I'd seen the guy when I stopped in yesterday, but I hadn't met him, and this was the first I'd met Gina or saw the other woman behind the bar.

We made it to an office, where Gina knocked on the door. "Yeah. Come in."

"Hi, Cam. Aria is here to start her first shift," Gina declared.

Cam stood up from behind his desk and came in our direction. "Thanks, Gina." As Gina exited the office, Cam returned his attention to me and said, "It's nice to see you again, Aria. Are you ready for a quick tour before I throw you to the wolves?"

I bit the corner of my lip, shrugged, and ultimately smiled. "I think so. I'm eager to work, so whatever that entails, I'm ready for it. Wolves and all."

He smiled back at me. "Perfect. I promise it's not that bad at all. Everyone seems to love it here, so don't worry about a thing. Anyway, let me show you around the place and give you the lay of the land."

With that, Cam led me out of his office and gave me the tour. We started in the back of the bar, where nobody but the employees would ever venture. There was a stockroom for the alcohol, a small break room for employees, two bathrooms, and a kitchen, where the food was prepared. I met Ozzie there, as he was the full-time cook on staff. There was another part-time cook who came in on the particularly busy evenings and weekend shifts as well.

When we made it out to the front, Cam gave me a rundown of where things were and how they typically handled patrons. The bartenders would deal directly with anyone who walked up and sat at the bar, while the people in my position—like Gina—would take care of everyone else seated at tables or booths situated throughout the pub. After giving me the lay of the land and the opportunity to observe Gina with two different patrons, Cam declared, "Well, that's it. Obviously, if you have any questions as you're settling in for your first few days here, don't hesitate to ask for help. I'll introduce you to everyone else that's here now, and over the course of your next few shifts, you'll be able to meet the rest of the staff. Do you have any questions for me?"

I shook my head, feeling rather confident about my ability to handle this job. I had experience as a server from years ago, not long after my mom was initially diagnosed with cancer, and I was confident I'd fall right into it here. "I think I'm good so far."

With a downward jerk of his chin, he waved at me to follow him back toward the bar. The bartender turned her attention toward us, and Cam said, "Hey, Sawyer, I want to introduce you to the newest addition to our team. This is Aria. Aria, this is Sawyer."

Sawyer smiled brightly at me. "Hey. It's great to meet you."

I returned the smile, which required no effort considering it had been on my face since I walked through the front door. "Likewise."

Just then, the guy who had been restocking when I first entered the pub strolled up and introduced himself. "Hey, I'm Everett."

I offered a wave. "Aria. It's nice to meet you."

"Everett and Sawyer are both bartenders here. You already met Gina, and within the next thirty minutes, you'll meet Deanna. The only other members of our staff are Kelly, who is one of the waitresses, and our other bartender, Ernie," Cam explained.

Nodding, I said, "I hope I can keep everyone straight."

He shrugged. "If you forget, just ask. Everyone's pretty laidback here. And as for me, I'll do it all. I don't just sit in my office all the time and try to keep that to our downtimes. When it's busy, I'm out here in the thick of it with everyone."

"That sounds good."

"Alright, I'm going to head back and finish up some paperwork that needs to be dealt with, but I'm confident you're in good hands out here. Do you have any questions before I go?"

I shook my head again. "Nothing yet."

At that, Cam excused himself and took off toward the back of the pub. I had barely enough time to spin around and face the opposite direction when the door opened a group of three women walked in.

My eyes shifted to Gina, who didn't hesitate to answer my unasked question. "You take that one. Since my shift is ending soon, I'll just finish up with my current tables and let you take what comes in now. It doesn't usually get too out of control at this time of the day, but if it does, I'll hop in and grab a table."

"Okay."

A few minutes later, I'd successfully gotten the orders for my first table. And no sooner had I delivered their drinks, the door opened again. Four guys had strolled in and settled themselves at another table.

For the next little while, I focused my effort and attention on learning my new job and finding a rhythm. Somewhere in the midst of it, Gina's shift ended, and Deanna arrived. I was introduced to her, and even though things got busier when it came to patrons entering the pub, I felt a bit of relief being able to balance the load with Deanna.

And when I was walking back and forth from one table to the bar before heading to the next, I felt a wave of happiness and contentment wash over me.

This felt incredible.

I was working and earning an honest living. Sure, I wasn't making nearly as much money as I had when I was painting, but at least I could feel good about what I was doing now. And the way I saw it, my dignity was worth far more than the cash I could have in the bank.

At some point, when I'd gotten all my tables handled and nobody new had entered the pub, I had the chance to connect with Sawyer.

"How's it going?" she asked. "Are you enjoying your first day?"

"I am. I'm really enjoying the fast-paced environment here. It's good to be busy," I told her.

"Yeah, we have moments of downtime, but it's always relatively steady in the evenings," she revealed. "If you're ever here earlier in the day, you'll notice it's much quieter. "

Nodding, I explained, "That's likely only going to happen on the weekend for me, because I have another part-time job I'm working during the week."

Her brow quirked curiously. "Oh? Where are you working?"

I smiled. "I'm actually working with Mallory at Grant's Deli. Before I came here today, she told me she was excited I'd have the opportunity to meet you."

Surprise widened her eyes. "No way. What a small world."

"Even smaller when I tell you that I applied for jobs at Grant's Deli and here at the suggestion of my new neighbor, Paxton."

"Paxton? The same Paxton that works with my husband at Harper Security Ops?"

Grinning, I confirmed, "That's the one. And congratulations on the wedding. Mallory had mentioned it was at the end of August and that she was pretty sure you were back from your honeymoon."

"Thanks. We just got back two days ago. It's honestly been the best two weeks of my whole life."

I wanted to say these last two weeks had been the best of mine as well, but I didn't share that information. "I can imagine. Clearly, it's been great for you, because you're absolutely glowing."

The smile on Sawyer's face grew. "It's my husband, Jesse. He's the reason I'm so undeniably happy."

"Yeah, Mallory seems to be that way, too. I'm beginning to think the move here might result in good things for me in that area as well," I teased.

Sawyer let out a laugh, but her expression quickly turned serious. "Well, you are Paxton's new neighbor, right? Obviously, the two of you are friendly, but is there?—"

"Oh, God, no. No, it's nothing like that," I insisted. Paxton was friendly enough, and he clearly was a great guy who had remembered my name, but I didn't think he was even remotely interested in me. "We're just friendly neighbors."

She nodded slowly, sending me a look that told me she didn't necessarily believe me. "Well, you never know what can happen. I mean, I think most of the guys at Harper Security Ops who are now spoken for would say that they hadn't anticipated winding up right where they are."

"Mallory mentioned there was a whole group of you," I shared.

"Yep. We'd love to add another to mix, too. I think you'd make number seventeen."

My eyes nearly fell out of my head. I ignored the intent behind her words—the notion that I was going to wind up with Paxton—and focused on something else. "Did you say seventeen?"

"teen."

"Wait. Paxton told me Harper Security Ops was a small business," I reasoned.

"It is."

"How many guys work there?"

"Just over twenty, I believe," she shared.

My jaw dropped. "Wow," I marveled.

Sawyer shrugged. "It seems like a lot, but it doesn't feel like it when you're in it. Plus, we always have the best time whenever we're together. So, you said you're Paxton's new neighbor. Are you from this area, or did you move from somewhere else? "

Just as I was about to answer, Deanna said, "Hey, Aria, another table just walked in."

My eyes shifted to where she was indicating before they went to her. "Got it." I looked back at Sawyer and said, "Hold that thought."

She waved me off. "Go. We'll have more time throughout the night."

So, that's what I did. I stepped out from behind the bar and went to take care of my table. And for the next little while, things picked up, giving me a steady flow of work. But eventually, I wound up with another break and used that time to catch up again with Sawyer.

By the end of the night, when I was walking to my car and about to head home, I did it with a smile on my face. This had been the best day I'd had in a long time.

Two new jobs, and at least a handful of new acquaintances that would hopefully become friends.

Things were looking up for the first time in more than a year. And if felt great to feel like I was finally back in control of my own life.