Coming Home- Rock Bay 1 (4 page)

T
HE
first few customers were a bit tense. Tally was scared that they’d come, raw eggs in hand, ready to chase him back to the big city where he belonged. He sure as hell didn’t feel like he belonged in Rock Bay any longer. But Lex’s early morning customers were mostly kids, desperate for a big caffeine high before morning band rehearsal or zero hour study hall. Tally didn’t envy their teachers—probably the same poor souls who’d had to put up with him. He was glad they didn’t seem to know who he was, or else they were so involved in their own selfcentered teenage angst that they didn’t even notice him. Tally didn’t much care, as long as he could avoid the spotlight. He was also glad he wasn’t doing too horribly at his job. He’d take orders and pass them to Lex; he only got one or two wrong and fixed his mistakes really fast. He was actually kind of proud of how easily he slipped into the position, and weirdly enough, he found himself caring—caring that the people of Rock Bay and his cranky boss didn’t see him fuck up. By seven thirty, an hour into the morning coffee rush, he was starting to feel pretty damn good.

Then came the adults on the way to work or out for an early morning walk and gossip session. That’s when the looks started rolling in—from the “don’t I know you?” questioning stares to the same kind of downright hostility he’d encountered the day before. Tally started to wonder if that was what the animals felt like in a zoo. The looks flustered him; they’d do it to anyone. He tried not to let it get to him too badly.
Take their orders, smile, pretend you don’t know why they’re all looking at you.
It was surprisingly not all that bad after he got used to the bug-under-a-microscope feeling. Well, not until lunchtime, anyway.

Tally had actually started to feel slightly comfortable with his new position, easily ringing people through, stares and all, and barely checking the complicated price cheat sheet. He’d marveled at Lex’s public persona as well, the sweet smiles and bashful chuckles he dished out along with coffee and snacks. One kinda had to wonder where the hell it came from. Public Lex was so different than the irritable grunts and half answers Tally got whenever the bustling little shop had a silent moment or two. Grumpy boss aside, though, the morning hadn’t been horrible. Tally was starting to think he was going to survive.

Then
she
came in.
The woman was middle-aged, with a long, silver-threaded ponytail and surprisingly chic clothes. She looked at him like something distasteful her cat may have left on the kitchen floor. He thought she may have worked at the high school before; she looked vaguely familiar. He couldn’t be sure. It was quite apparent that she knew him, however.
“May I help you?” Tally put on his best kiss-ass face. He even tried to affect the shy, unassuming charm that Lex pulled off so magnificently.
The woman acted like she hadn’t heard him speak. She turned and regarded Lex. “I refuse to deal with trash. Lex, darling, I’d love a tall vanilla mocha and one of those delicious orange chocolate chip muffins.”
This is it.
Tally knew the woman had drawn a line. He’d gotten his share of silent stares, from mocking and hateful to borderline sympathetic, but she was the first person to actually pull out an egg and aim for his face.
“Ms. Franklin, Tally will take your order and ring you up. I’ll be glad to make your coffee when I’m done with my current order here. And please treat my employee with the same amount of respect that I gave him by hiring him.”
Tally nearly lost his cool; his hands were trembling from the adrenaline confrontation always caused. But he remained silent— possibly because of shock alone.
He couldn’t believe Lex was publicly going to bat for him. Why? He understood that Lex had to stand by his business decisions, but it felt so personal. Like a victory. Lex flashed him a small but genuine smile and continued on with the order he’d started. The poor girl waiting for her coffee, who’d told Tally she was from out of town and just driving through, stood and watched the whole exchange in stunned silence. She even sent Tally a sympathetic smile before she turned and walked out the door.
Tally could tell that Ms. Franklin, whoever she was, was trying to decide if she wanted to walk out herself or pretend that the earlier conversation hadn’t happened and just get her coffee. She must have decided on the latter.
“I’ll have a tall vanilla mocha and an orange chocolate chip muffin.” She said the words grudgingly, refusing to look Tally in the face.
He took Ms. Franklin’s order with resolutely steady hands and passed it on to Lex, just like he’d been doing all morning. Then he rung up her order as efficiently as possible and willed Lex to make her damn drink already so she’d get the hell out of the shop. In an effort to speed her departure, he removed an orange chocolate chip muffin from the glass cabinet with tongs and placed it in a small paper bag with the coffee shop logo on it. The woman snatched it out of his hand without so much as a thank you, pulled it out of the bag, and nibbled on it nervously as she waited for her coffee. As soon as it was in her hand, she turned with no comment and walked out the door. He’d never been so glad to see anyone leave a room in his life. He could only hope that she wasn’t a daily customer.
“Thank you for sticking up for me,” Tally said to Lex once the place was blissfully empty.
Lex shrugged, his narrow shoulders quietly eloquent under a thin long-sleeved T-shirt. “I can’t have customers disrespecting my business decisions. And you, Tally, were a business decision. I needed an employee, and I decided you were right for the job.”
Thanks for the reminder. I was hoping you hired me because you want to strip me naked and fuck my brains out.
Which was on some level true, or at least it had been the day before when he was drooling over Lex’s gorgeous, um, assets. But it was also not the best thought avenue to meander down if he planned on keeping his job.
“Well, thanks all the same. I appreciate it after the reception I’ve gotten in this town.”
Lex looked honestly perplexed. “Did you expect anything different after the way you treated people?”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but what’s
your
problem with me? I don’t even know you! Besides, I figured most of it was about my father.”
Lex appeared to consider that for a few seconds. “No. I think what happened with your father was an excuse. People never liked how you treated them, but they were scared to turn away from you. You were the mayor’s son: rich, super popular, and athletic, but not very well-liked—at least outside your little crew of stooges. After your dad’s… thing, they didn’t have to like you anymore, so they didn’t. And then you just disappeared—never did a thing to redeem yourself.”
Harsh. But probably true. And weirdly accurate. “Who
are
you?” Tally was all of a sudden not so sure that Lex was a well-informed newcomer.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m just saying, you’re going to have a long, steep road ahead of you convincing people around here that you’ve changed. Me included.”
Tally sighed. Hearing out loud what he already knew didn’t make the situation any more pleasant. “I’m not trying to be the prom queen. Just want to get my life together so I can leave again. Get away from the damn stares.”
“Understandable. Why did you come back here anyway? You had to have known how it would be.”
“Didn’t really have much choice. Ran out of money and have never been a big fan of either homelessness or prostitution, you know? Listen, I’d rather not talk about it. Would you mind?”

T
HE
words could’ve come out rude, or like a joke, but instead, to Lex, they sounded tentative and worn down. Like Tally couldn’t stand to even think about his mess of a life. Lex found himself feeling a little bad for the guy.
Hey, remember this is the asshole who stuck your head in a toilet!
The memory of running out of the school in the middle of passing period, humiliated, with toilet water dripping down the back of his shirt, was enough to make Lex’s spine stiffen—like he could still feel the cold, wet slide of the water running down his skin and into the waistband of his pants.

“Yeah, whatever,” Lex replied and turned to go to his office in the back. “Let me know when a customer comes. I’m going to do some bookkeeping.”

Lex was glad to escape into the blissful solitude of his office. It had been one hell of a morning. He had no idea why he’d pushed Tally so hard, but the man had risen quickly and gracefully to the challenge, working so well with Lex that it felt like he’d been there for weeks rather than a few hectic hours. And that first part wasn’t true. He did know why he’d pushed Tally, why he’d piled tons of information on him and basically ordered him to run with it or walk out the door. Lex would’ve thought he was over high school enough, grown up enough, that he wouldn’t have to kick a guy who was obviously so down that he was nearly lying in the street. Apparently, he wasn’t. Perhaps it would be best to let Carrington go if he couldn’t act more professional around him, but that would be even worse—act like a big asshole and then fire him. Nice.

He took a deep breath and stood, ready to go out to his shop and act like the mature business owner he was instead of some vengeful kid. He would’ve done it too, if Tally’s head hadn’t popped into his doorway.

“Uh, Lex, there’s someone here to see you. I tried to ring up her coffee before I came back here, and she nearly bit my nuts off.”
Oh Lord. Amy
.
“Sorry. I forgot to warn you about her.” He gave Tally a genuinely regretful smile. He could easily see Tally relax.
“Evil bitch or something?”
“Close.” Lex rolled his eyes and smiled so Tally would know he wasn’t serious. Then he came out from behind his desk and led the way out into the hallway. He looked over his shoulder. “Oh, and I don’t charge her for anything. Next time she’s here, come get me right away. She can be a little scary.”
“No kidding,” Tally muttered and followed Lex meekly, like a little whipped puppy.
“Hey, sweetie,” the woman chirped as soon as he and Lex rounded the corner. Tally couldn’t believe how nice she looked once she smiled. She gave Lex a familiar peck on the lips and brushed his bangs out of his eyes.
His girlfriend. Of course, he’s straight.
Tally was surprised by the lighting quick flash of disappointment, as unreasonable as it was. Even if Lex was the gayest man in Washington, he obviously hated Tally’s guts.
I would have gone for an anger fuck too
, Tally mused, smiling to himself. But not a straight-guy fuck. The last one of those he’d tried had ended with him in the ER paying for stitches he couldn’t afford.
“Are you going to introduce me to your employee?” The woman batted her eyelashes at Lex. Tally nearly chuckled at the obvious insincerity of her flirting. From Lex’s annoyed face he assumed she was there to meddle.
Lex sighed. “Tally, this is my best friend Amy. She’s a little intense sometimes.”
“Best friend? You mean she’s not your girlfriend?”
Amy laughed out loud. “In his dreams.”
“In your dreams is more like it,” Lex teased back. “You know you’re not my type.”
“True. I guess I’d be more of your dream girl if I looked like Zac Efron.”
Lex groaned. “
One time
. One time I say he might be slightly cute, and you will never let me forget it.”
“I can’t help that you’re a total cougar.” Amy was still giggling.
They continued to tease each other, the teasing turning into poking and pinching just like they were brother and sister and about ten years old. Tally barely noticed the hilarity.
He’s gay?
It was the only fact that seemed to make it into Tally’s brain, rustling around in there until it finally started to sink in. He couldn’t help the momentary thrill the thought sent chasing through his body.
“You’re gay?” he blurted out before he had a chance to think about how it would sound coming from him… or at least the “him” he used to be.
Lex’s face instantly turned standoffish. Amy stood, orienting herself in front of Lex, expression hostile and protective.
“Yeah, I am. Is that going to be a problem, Carrington?”
Tally sputtered. “Oh, no—” He tried to hold in a smile. “Not a problem at all, I just—”
Want you to throw me on the floor and take me now.
“Can I go on my break?” He needed to get out of there before he opened his mouth and shoved his whole leg down his throat.
“Yeah, go ahead. Fifteen minutes,” Lex warned him.
“I know. I’ll be back in fifteen. And please. Tally or Tallis, not Carrington.”
Tally escaped through the back door with what little was left of his tattered dignity.
“He’s not what I expected at all!” Amy whispered heatedly as soon as Tally left the room. Lex nodded, agreeing. He still wasn’t sure what to think of that last strange exchange, but it was starting to seem like Amy was right. Tally wasn’t what anybody in town had expected him to be. At least not so far.
“Yeah. He’s been really
good
all morning. I was acting like a total asshole, Ames, and piled all of this info on him, but he took it and did the job well. Better than anyone else I could’ve hired. I hate to say it, but—”
“Maybe he’s changed,” Amy finished. Lex scrunched up his face. “But you still look at him and see that guy who tied you to the flag pole.”
“Shit. I’d forgotten about that one.”
Amy chuckled, and Lex glared at her. “Oh, come on, it’s funny now! That was fourteen years ago! It did take me almost two hours to untie you, though.”
Lex groaned. “Wasn’t that the day that we decided to start dating?”
Amy laughed. “Yeah. Partners in deception. We were probably the longest lasting couple in that whole school. Too bad the straight kids couldn’t figure out how to make it work like we did.”
“It’s easy if there’s no hormones involved. No fighting, no crying, no breaking up. I might have to break up with you now, though, if you keep telling people I’m in love with Zac Efron.”
Amy looked thoughtful for a second. “Don’t you think Tally looks a little bit like Zac Efron?”
“Not at all! He’s way taller, and his hair’s dark brown, and his eyes are brown instead of blue, and… oh you’re a wench.”
“I knew you were still looking. Gotta go to work.” She gave him a self-satisfied smirk and slid off her stool. “Love ya.”
“Love you too.” As annoyed as Lex was with the trick that he fell for so easily, he did still love her. She was practically his sister, after all. Amy trotted off toward the front entrance of the shop.
“See you tomorrow,” she called as she swung the glass door open and sailed through it.
“See you tomorrow,” Lex echoed quietly, considering what he’d learned so far about the new Tallis Carrington.