by K. K. Allen
I get a little stir-crazy five days later and ask Charlotte to drive me to the island so I can drop off my job application at Island Grille. She’s more than happy to oblige, and she waits in the car while I head inside.
“Summer, you say?” Roy, the manager of Island Grille, is gawking as if I’ve just cursed at him. “I suppose I have no choice then. The old woman send you here?” His voice is deep and agitated, but I get the distinct impression he doesn’t dislike my grandmother. He may even be fond of her.
My eyes flash with determination. I don’t want to rely on the Summer name to gain work. “Rose didn’t send me here. Trisha told me that you might be hiring.”
Roy tilts his head and folds his arms across his chest. “Is that right?” His eyes scan my face as if performing a lie detector test. After a moment he releases his stance and smiles. His teeth are big and white, clearly false. “Well, just because you’re Rose’s granddaughter doesn’t mean I’m gonna hire you just like that. We’re the busiest restaurant in Apollo Beach, young lady, and I need talented wait staff helping keep this place afloat.”
“I am talented,” I say, discomforted by his assertion. I stand up straighter, placing my fists upon my hips.
“Oh yeah?” His eyes crinkle with amusement. “How so? Have you ever worked before?”
So maybe I’ve never worked a day in my life, but I’m not about to let him think that matters. “I have great balance. I can carry a tray. I have a picture perfect memory, so I won’t forget an order, and I’m fast. Your cooks will have to keep up with me.”
Roy looks down at my application, bobbing his head as his eyes scan it. “Well, you’re underage, so you can’t work the bar. The only place I can put you is here on the main floor. Busiest floor around. You’ll be waiting on six to eight tables at a time on the weekends. You think you can handle that?”
His challenge causes me to raise an eyebrow. “Of course I can.”
He smirks. “Is that right, pretty lady? Well, we’ll see. You’ll need to audition. Monday night. If you make the cut, I’ll keep ya. If you drop a dish, forget an order, or piss anyone off, you’re out of here.”
I’m having trouble making out whether to be intimidated by Roy or not. He seems well-meaning, harmless even, but his gruffness throws me.
Before I have a chance to ask Roy how he wants me to dress, I’m distracted by a figure that appears at the entrance. It’s Johnny, wearing his signature black attire.
Great. Roy just said I don’t stand a chance if I piss anyone off. Seems all I have to do is be present to anger the grumpy bartender. I quickly scan Johnny’s face for any sign that his feelings about me might have changed. My eyes fix on the jagged scar below his brow then flicker to his perfect nose and finally to his ice-cold blue eyes. When I catch him staring back at me with an earth-shaking intensity, warmth spreads up my neck.
Johnny’s eyes move toward Roy, probably assessing the situation. When he looks back at me, his expression dims.
“Hey, Johnny.” Roy calls him over, and I immediately tense, locking my knees together to help steady myself for whatever the firing squad shoots my way.
Johnny saunters over without taking his eyes off me. I feel weak and insignificant compared to the guy now standing tall in front of me. I’m freed from his spell when he turns his eyes to Roy.
“Johnny Pierce, meet Katrina Sum—”
“Kat,” I interrupt.
They both turn to stare at me as if I’ve soured their milk.
I take an automatic step back. My eyes move from one grump to the next. “It’s just Kat.”
Roy rolls his eyes and turns back to Johnny. “Just Kat over here wants a job. I’m auditioning her for a waitress spot. We need the help. Show her around, will you? And I’ll need you to train her on Monday.”
“You mean you want me to babysit?” Johnny practically spits the words out.
Every fiber in my body is on alert, and my mouth falls open. “Excuse me,” I say, my eyes narrowed. “I don’t need a sitter. I can handle myself just fine.”
Johnny’s gaze pierces mine. He obviously disagrees.
Seemingly in a rush to brush over the tension in the air, Roy says, “Just show her around. I’m going to be busy prepping the permits for the carnival, so we can use the extra help.”
Carnival?
He shoots a final look at Johnny. “Be nice.” With that, Roy stalks off, leaving Johnny and me standing here. Alone.
Johnny watches me, evaluating my features like he’s picking every inch of me apart. I start to wonder if his dislike for me has something to do with Rose. Or maybe he’s friends with Iris and Ava. There does seem to be an entire I Hate Katrina Summer Club I don’t know about. But even while I’m considering it, I know it’s a stretch. Johnny appears much older than Alec and the girls. He doesn’t seem like someone who would hang out with that crowd.
“I thought I told you we weren’t hiring.”
I glare. “Yeah, well, you lied. So here I am.”
The tension between us is exhausting. He glares down at me, eyes transparent, expressing his distaste for me. I shift my stance. I’m used to being bullied and made fun of, but not this. He stares at me like a hungry lion ready to pounce on his prey.
If he wants me to cower, it doesn’t work. I am, however, annoyed. “You don’t have to give me a tour. I can find my own way.” I step to the side, but he steps out, too, blocking my path.
I’m careful to avoid his eyes as he speaks.
“Come with me.” His gruff tone is a shock to my center. He steps out of my way and moves toward the double doors that lead to the kitchen. I rush to keep up.
I could ask him what his problem is with me, but I choose a different tactic. “I’m sorry for whatever it is I’ve done to you to make you hate me.”
Although he’s in front of me, I notice his expression soften. Or maybe it’s my imagination.
“I’ll show you the kitchen before I start my shift.”
He’s silent the entire way to the kitchen, but he’s nice enough to open the wooden swinging doors for me to walk through. I take this opportunity to offer him my friendliest smile, hoping we’ve moved past the awkward portion of our working relationship. He grazes my eyes before looking forward into the kitchen. No such luck.
“Hey, Mikey,” Johnny calls out to the stout chef with grease stains smeared over his white shirt. I can’t help but notice that Johnny greets him with a fake Jersey accent. I’m confused. His expression appears playful. Johnny doesn’t seem like someone who makes jokes, but maybe he just doesn’t make jokes with me.
Mikey stands behind the counter with a grin on his face and two knives raised in greeting. “Johnny,” he calls back in the same accent, and I realize it’s a thing they have together. “Who’s the pretty lady?” Mikey calls out now, his eyes returning to whatever he’s cutting.
I blush as Johnny points a lazy finger in my direction. “This is Kat, Rose Summer’s granddaughter. She’s going to work here.”
“I just got an audition actually.” As soon as I say the words, I regret them.
Johnny’s eyes jerk to mine, and his playfulness is gone. “What’s it with you correcting everyone?” His eyes reveal his annoyance.
I inhale slowly through my nose, bite my tongue, and sink back to listen to his instructions.
“We put the tickets for the orders here.” He points to a circular device on the edge of the metal workstation. “They’ll set the food up on the edge when it’s ready, and then you take the completed order to your table.”
As Johnny walks around the kitchen, naming everything and telling me what it does, I reconsider my decision to work here. It’s not like me to give up, but why would I choose to work with someone who hates me for no apparent reason? This was his territory first, and whatever his problem is doesn’t seem to be getting better. Surely there’s another job available on the island.
He walks me to the back corner of the kitchen to show me where the refreshments and
silverware are kept. I stop him there. “Thank you for the tour, Johnny. I don’t think I’ll take the audition, though.”
He blinks as if puzzled by my sudden decision. Making him momentarily speechless provides me with an inkling of joy, but it doesn’t last.
“Why are you telling me this? You need to tell Roy.” He leads me to the opposite side of the room, where two doors read Office and Break Room.
The door to the break room swings open, and Trisha stands there with a bright smile. I beam back at her in recognition, happy to see a friendly face.
“Kat! What are you doing back here?” Trisha’s long bouncy blond hair sits high on her head in a ponytail. Her blue eyes twinkle.
“I was applying for that job, but”—I throw a glance at Johnny—“I don’t think it’s the right place for me.”
Trisha frowns. “No! I need you. There aren’t any other girls my age here.”
Johnny sighs loudly and shuffles his feet, most likely irritated at our brief detour from my exit. We ignore him.
“Roy will hire you,” Trisha says, trying to convince me. “We’re desperate for help.”
In an abrupt move, Johnny brushes past me, and all my tiny arm hairs rise in full salute. “I’ve got to clock in for my shift. I’ll see you on Monday.” He doesn’t spend a second more with me before escaping through the break room door.
Trisha scrunches her face in response to his rude exit, then she grins. “I’m so happy you’ll be working here with me. Between Roy and Johnny, I was going mad surrounded by so much testosterone.”
“No kidding. Are they like that all the time?”
Trisha shrugs. “Yes, but Johnny keeps to himself mostly. Too bad, right? He’s a grump, but he’s a hot grump.” She winks at me as if she might have a thing for him. “And Roy is really an old teddy bear once you get to know him. You’ll see.”
I smile at her, thankful for her encouraging words. “Sounds like you’ve worked here for a while.”
“Since I was sixteen. It’s a great job. Great location. Awesome tips. Flexible schedule. I’m going to need it since I’m hopefully starting college in the fall.”
I light up since it’s obviously something that makes her happy. “Hopefully?”
Trisha cringes. “I have my heart set on the School of Gaia here on the island. I’ve been wait-listed.”
Seeing her disappointment makes my heart squeeze. But I’m also confused since Rose gave me the impression that I could get in easily. “Well, I’m sure you’ll get in. When do you hear?”
She shrugs. “Anytime between now and the end of the summer.” She sighs then waves her hand in the air. “I thought I was a shoo-in since I’ve lived here my whole life, but you never know who’s going to make it in. They don’t go by grades or extracurriculars like most schools.”
I scrunch my face, confused. “Then what do they go by?”
Trisha laughs and shakes her head. “No one really knows. Everyone from my graduating class who applied has already made it in, though, so it’s kind of a bummer.”
I tilt my head. “I’m sorry. I hope you get in.”
“What are you planning to do next year? I know you just moved here, so it’s probably too late for you to apply to the college.” Her expression changes. “Oh, unless your grandma pulls some strings or something.”
There’s no way I’m telling Trisha what Rose told me. “I’m not sure if I’m even going to college.” I push out a smile, hoping my confession makes her feel better. “I’m not even sure if I’m sticking around the entire summer. Rose wants me to but—”
Trisha’s face falls. “Oh, Kat. You have to stay. I have good intuition about people, and I already like you.”
Something about the girl seems so incredibly sincere that her words make my chest warm. “You do?”
She nods emphatically. “Yes. Which means you’re stuck with me. Starting with this job. Do the audition. Okay?”
Just as I open my mouth to tell her I need to think about it, the door to the staff room opens.
“Excuse me.” Johnny steps past us, and as he does I take in his crisp, woodsy scent. It reminds me of an ocean breeze blowing over a forest filled with tropical fruit. Whatever the concoction is sends a buzz through me I can’t ignore. Damn him.
Trisha tugs on my arm and leans in to whisper, “Don’t worry about Johnny. He’ll warm up to you.”
I can’t help my laugh. “Somehow I doubt that.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I swear I see Johnny’s back muscles tighten through his shirt. He doesn’t linger for another second to make me think on it. Instead, he pushes through the double doors and into the restaurant.
Charlotte summoned me to the great room for afternoon tea. So I dress up for the occasion in a simple blue sundress, gold sandals, and my gold charm bracelet. It’s been days since I’ve seen Rose, and I’m curious what she wants to chat about.
“Sit, sit.” Rose gestures for me to take a seat on the couch across from her. “How are you adjusting, Katrina?”
I contemplate how truthful my response should be. “I’m adjusting fine, I suppose. With all things considered.”
“Yes, well, I don’t doubt it’s all a bit… unsettling. You lost your mother, and now you’re expected to start over in a strange new place. Your grandfather’s passing was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. He was my best friend, and then one day, he wasn't around anymore. Loss like that creates an emptiness inside of us that can never be replaced. I understand what you are going through now, and I just want you to know that I’m here for you.”
Listening to her speak of my grandfather brings me sadness. “I’m very sorry to hear of your loss. Charlotte told me about the fire. My mom only spoke of how much she cared about him.”
Rose’s face relaxes into a smile. “Yes, your mother and George had a very special relationship. She sent flowers after his passing. I imagine his passing was hard for her.” Rose tilts her head. “It makes me sad that you never knew your grandfather. He was an amazing man, a wonderful father, a giver to the community, and a natural-born leader. The best husband I could have ever wished for.” Rose turns her head, deep in thought.
My curiosity gets the better of me. “How did the fire start?”
She bows her head, her eyes drifting over my shoulder and out the window. “There was no trace of how it started. George and I were out at the local market. We came home and saw the smoke. Of course that stubborn man had to run inside. He located the source of the fire inside the library. While he was trying to smother the flames, he got caught between some shelves.”
“Charlotte told me it was you who pulled him out of there. You’re a hero.”
Rose lets out a laugh. “I’m no hero, dear. I was able to get him out of there alive that day, but the fire had already reached his lungs. A real hero would have known. Anyway, I was so sorry to hear about your mother, Katrina. You may find this hard to believe, but there was a time when we were very close. She was like a daughter to me. I raised her as if she were my own daughter, and I’ve never stopped loving her. When I heard of her passing, I was heartbroken.”
A strange mix of emotions swirls through me. Confusion, doubt, anger. “Forgive me, Rose, but if that’s true, then why haven’t I met you until now?”
Rose shakes her head and meets my gaze with a sorrowful expression. “I tried to keep a relationship with her, but she wanted nothing to do with George and me after your parents—well, things got complicated, I suppose.”
I swallow. This is the closest I’ve come to speaking about my father in years. The pain of knowing he chose to never know me is as embarrassing as it is hurtful. “I don’t think it sounds complicated at all. He got my mom pregnant and then didn’t want the responsibility of fatherhood.”
Silence stretches between us as Rose takes a slow sip of her tea. “Let's just say I understood her reasons for leaving, and I respected them.” Rose sets her cup down and rests her hands on her lap. “I trust over
time you’ll come to understand it all too. Like we’ve already discussed, our family has a responsibility to this place. The moment she held you for the first time, all she wanted to do was protect you. She believed the only way that was possible was to cut off all ties with our family.”
“But why? Protect me from what?”
Rose opens her mouth a few times before finally speaking. “Grace was afraid of a destiny that could not be altered. She ran from it, she tried to control it, and she sacrificed us with the belief that you would be better off.” Rose takes a deep breath. “You would have ended up here no matter what, Katrina. Apollo Beach, Summer Island, this manor—this is your destiny. Not even your mother, with the best intentions in the world, had the power to stop that. Unfortunately, divine forces were at play. That’s why you’re here today.”
Rose’s cryptic answer causes a sudden wave of heat to shoot through my body. “You’re telling me my mom is dead because of some divine intervention? Do you know how crazy that sounds?”
“I assure you, none of this is crazy. You just don’t understand it all yet.”
Her words only make me shake so hard there’s a rattling between my ears. My emotions—my fear, anger, and pain—are so intense, it’s like they’re all snowballing downhill without an end in sight. It just builds and builds until I feel like I might explode. “How can I when there are so many secrets?”
I don’t mean for my words to turn into a scream or for Rose’s teacup to rattle so hard that it flies up and splashes onto her face. Clear droplets land on her otherwise-flawless face, in her curled hair, and all over her crisp white blouse.
Rose’s eyes are wide as she looks me up and down. “Calm down this instant, Katrina.”
A rush of energy blows through me, like a firehose putting out my anger that sparked from somewhere deep in my chest. I gasp, my anger instantly morphing into familiarity and regret. It’s like I’m back in Silver Lake all over again, exposing my emotions through strange events that I’m forced to take the blame for.
