Page 3 of The Family Pet

This past week had been going too well. Rainbows and sunshine well. Nothing good ever lasted, especially lately. I’d finally found a job that would allow me to pay for my shitty apartment. Of course, something was bound to come along and yank my security away. I’d gone to college in California, so I hadn’t thought anyone local would recognize me, since I’d cut my hair, gotten more of a man face, and shot up two inches.

Damn it, I’d forgotten about him.

I braced myself and stared my cousin Ridge dead in his amused brown eyes while I did a quick mental calculation.

What were my choices?

I didn’t have many.

I needed this job.

Before this past month, I’d never worked a day in my life. I had zero experience doing anything. I’d thought about making up a resumé, but I couldn’t afford to fuck up this fake identity I’d bought using most of the cash my parents had left me before they blew out of town. Plus, I didn’t want to leave New Gothenburg. I hadn’t had much to do with my parents or their friends, so it wasn’t like most people who could afford to eat here would know me on sight.

But I hadn’t accounted for Ridge.

Even the best-laid plans always had a goddamned unforeseen wrinkle. I should’ve thought about this scenario. I’d just been so happy to get a call back for a job—any job that wasn’t newspaper delivery.

Ridge motioned me to his table with a condescending wave of his hand, and my heart hammered in the back of my throat, thundering in my ears. The smile on Ridge’s face transformed into something I was unfortunately familiar with—gloating. His entire life he’d thought he was better than me, or maybe he just hated me for being the oldest grandson in the Godfrey family. When our grandparents were still alive, they’d always doted on me and treated him as an afterthought, but that hadn’t been my fault—it had been fate. I’d popped out of my mom years before he’d exited his.

Our grandparents had expected great things out of me. They’d loved me.

I sighed.

“How are you doing tonight, sir?” I swallowed my pride and tried to beg Ridge with my eyes not to mess this up for me. I couldn’t afford pride anymore, and as much as it galled me, I was more than willing to plead with him if I had to do it. “Would you care to start with a beverage?” As I spoke, Ridge swayed a bit in his seat, and the snarl that crossed his face wasn’t unusual—when he’d been drinking too much. My stomach sank.

If Ridge wasn’t a Godfrey, he probably would’ve been tossed out on his ass. I glanced toward the front windows. It was cold out and he was in a T-shirt and jeans—which was also a violation of the restaurant dress code. The rules had most likely been waved, again, because he was a Godfrey. He’d probably walked here from someplace close by.

Ridge’s long nose crinkled in a cute way, and along with the handsome smile he flashed, his expression was incredibly deceptive. The little touches of humanity made him look harmless and friendly. He cleared his throat. “I’m perfect. Just waiting for someone else to show up.” His lips quirked up snidely in one corner.

Any hope I’d had that he might just eat, then leave, vanished. No, please let this not be happening.

“I’m happy to bring you a nonalcoholic drink for your wait,” I said, following the script I would’ve used with any customer who was visibly intoxicated.

“Bring me a beer,” he snapped, voice too loud, and I got the feeling he was drawing attention to us out of spite.

My face heated with anger because now I had to decide if I wanted to push this, and as another nasty smile spread across his face, we both knew he’d won. “Sir, are you certain?” I murmured.

He narrowed his eyes. “You know I am. I always know what I want, Saint. Do you want me to have a little talk with your manager?”

My face burned as I glanced around to make sure no one had overheard him, and a man at one of my other tables smiled at me and held up his credit card, so I didn’t have time to argue with Ridge. I shook my head at him, then rushed over to take care of the couple that was ready to leave.

“I’ll be right back, sir,” I said over my shoulder.

I took care of another table that was also ready to go, brought out food to a different table, and then rushed to get a tray to carry over a glass of water and a beer for Ridge. He hadn’t said what brand he wanted, but if he’d already started drinking it probably wouldn’t matter. I asked the bartender for a water and a Stella Artois, along with an extra glass. All I needed to do was serve him and get him out of here. In the future I would ask to trade off his table to someone else if I saw his face again. I would simply have to be alert every second I was at work.

The thought alone made me tired.

I focused on putting one foot in front of the other as I made my way back to the table, but I almost stumbled and dropped the drinks as I caught sight of Uncle Bowie across from Ridge.

Uncle Bowie sat back and stared at me. Our gazes clashed. All the men in the Godfrey family looked a lot alike, but while Ridge and I had brown eyes to go along with our dark hair, his were a sharp hazel that were mostly green. With one glance, my uncle was capable of telling anyone how much he hated them.

My belly squirmed with something close to fear. In the past he’d simply gotten irritated with me for being around when he thought I shouldn’t. Talking. Breathing. Existing. He would’ve preferred Ridge was the only boy in the family. Some of that hatred had disappeared after my grandparents died. For the past few years he’d merely been indifferent.

Tonight he looked as if he would gladly stab me and toss me in the dumpster out back with the rotting food.

Could this get any worse? Probably, but I was having trouble envisioning how.

My hands shook as I approached the table, and I didn’t meet Uncle Bowie’s eyes as I put the glass of water in front of Ridge. I poured the beer into the glass and went to step back from the table when Uncle Bowie grabbed my wrist. I sucked in a deep breath. Uncle Bowie was my dad’s younger brother, and he was only forty-eight. Horror clawed through me as I had the same reaction to him that I would any attractive man touching me. My belly went hot and my cheeks burned. He tightened his grip on me until I winced.