"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.
I knock on the office door and wait for him to answer; opening it when I hear him tell me to come in.
"You called?" I ask as I close the door behind me and take a seat on the other side of his desk.
"Yes, I did" I hate this office, it's so cramped and there's papers and empty take-away bags everywhere. The room smells stale too, like no one had been in here for months and I wonder how that's possible considering Stevie basically lives in here. "I want to know how Sarah is going?" He asks as he leans his elbows on the desk and puts his chin in his hands.
He called me in here to ask how Sarah is going?
"Uh, yeah, she's going really well" he hums under his breath and nods "you know she has bartended before. Right?" I ask. I'm confused on where this is going and why he called me in. Not only that but this conversation is cutting into my lunch break and I want to at least call Hex because there's no way I'll be able to have lunch with him in person now.
"Yes, I know that. I did hire her" he bites back. I stay silent as I wait for him to go on. He clears his throat and if I didn't think the room could get anymore awkward, it just did it. "Harley left before I said she could" and there's the real reason I was brought in here.
"Nope" I stand and make my way to the door "I'm not doing this today" I say as I open the door.
"Where are you going?" Stevie stands from his seat.
"Stevie, with all due respect this is between you and Harley. I'm not going to be stuck in the middle and I'd appreciate it if you would stop asking me about her. You two need to sort out your problems and do it quickly because it's ruining everyone's mood in this place" I say with finality before leaving and closing the door behind me.
I'm flustered and not in a good way. My cheeks are hot and I want to go outside to get some fresh air.
"Hey Sarah, I'm going to take my lunch break, I'll be out the back if you need anything" I say as I reach down under the bar and grab my bag. My phone is vibrating from within and I know it's Hex, he can definitely feel my heightened emotions right now.
I walk through the back door and out into the laneway behind Darby's. Our dumpsters are out here and I almost consider going out the front to get away from the smell but there's customers there and I want to be alone right now.
"I'm okay" I answer the phone. The last thing I want is for Hex to leave work and come here to see what has upset me, or who.
"What happened?" He demands on the other end. I can hear the noise of tools being used in the background but it fades as he walks further away. A muffled 'Hex!' can be heard in the background and I have no doubt it's Clyde wondering where he is going but Hex doesn't answer him.
"Stevie" I answer simply "you're sister left early to see your mum and somehow I was called into his office to explain why" I rant in frustration. I hold my phone between my ear and shoulder as I use both hands to dig out the wrapped sandwich I had packed for myself.
Hex grunts on the other end of the line "I'll talk to her about it" he says.
"No, don't. She needs to talk to Stevie, or he needs to talk to her. This is none of our business and I'm sick of being dragged into it" I say as I take the first bite of my sandwich.
"Mhm" Hex hums in agreement. It's silent between us for a few moments, it's nice and it's peaceful. I finish off my sandwich while Hex listens to me eat. I must have missed his lunch break because of Stevie's stupid talk.
"I was going to come have lunch with you" I confess as I watch people walk across the laneway entrance, most of them have just come out of Darby's and are on their way back to work.
"Why didn't you?" Hex questions with a huff and now I feel bad that I didn't go.
"Well, Harley's not here so we're already one person down and it's only Sarah's second day so I didn't want to leave her alone" I explain, hoping he understands.
He hums again "I wish you would've come to see me" he says "can't get the image of your legs spread in the car out of my fucking mind" he mumbles but I hear it loud and clear as the hair raises on my arms.
"Hex, stop" I say and look around as if anyone heard but no one is out here with me.
He chuckles on the other end, knowing that he's got my mind wandering places it shouldn't be while at work.
"Harley called me earlier, asking me again to go with her to see mum" Hex's mood becomes sombre again at the mention of his mother.
"You said no?" I ask, already knowing the answer. If he had of said yes he would be calling me from the care home, not the mechanic shop.
"Yeah" he blows out a breath "I don't know why she can't just accept it" he says mostly to himself as I sit in silence and listen to him talk. "I might change my mind later on but for now I don't want to see her like that and she needs to drop it".
I blow out a breath and run a hand over my forehead to push back the baby hairs that had fallen from my ponytail.
"She just has a different way of dealing with it then you do and neither way is wrong" I say.
The door behind me swings open, making me turn and look.
"Poppy, I need your help, it's getting busy" Sarah appears looking dishevelled and I know that there must have been an influx of customers arrive.
"One sec" I mouth to her as she disappears again. "I've got to get back to work Hex, I'll see you at home. I love you" I say as I grab my bag and hike it up my shoulder.
"Love you, baby" he replies before I hang up.
Harley returns hours later. I don't tell her about my talk with Stevie, I'll tell her another time. She tries to keep the façade of 'everything is fine' on her face but I can see the sadness in her eyes and the drops of fake happiness slipping from her face when she thinks no one is watching. It's the same every time she goes to see Wyonna and I commend her for still visiting her knowing that when she leaves she'll feel like her world is falling apart but then again I'd do the same for my own mother.
At least I think I would, I guess you never know until you're put in that situation. I don't think Hex ever thought there would come a day where he wouldn't want to see his mother.