#Chapter 78: A Little Vacation
Abby

My eyes snap open to discover that someone, in the span of what feels like five minutes, my office has

grown dark. There’s a hand on my shoulder, and an all-too-familiar face—with a smirk on it, of course—

staring down at me.

“Sleepy?” Karl asks, his lips twitching into a grin.

I shake my head and sit up, trying to regain a sense of reality. The glare of the desk lamp sca tters

across stacks of invoices and order forms, casting a dim amber glow over everything.

“No,” I lie, looking away as Karl crosses the room back to the doorway. “I was just putting my head

down for a few minutes.”

A quick glance at the clock reveals that it’s almost eight o’clock, and considering the fact that it’s a

Wednesday, the restaurant is already mostly quiet. Through my half-open office door, I can just barely

make out the faint sound of sc at tered voices and silverware on plates from the few customers who are

still hanging around, post-dinner rush.

Karl laughs and leans against the doorframe. “Sure. And what looks like drool on your cheek must just

be condensation or something, right?”

Drool? I swipe my cheek with the back of my hand and sure enough, it comes away wet. Great.

“Okay, you go me,” I mutter, smoothing down my messy hair. “This morning was hectic, and I didn’t

sleep too well last night…”

Karl shrugs. “Don’t sweat it,” he assures me. “In fact, you’ll be happy to know that after the health

inspector left, everything else went smoothly. No more food critics, no sick servers, no arguing

employees.”

I force a half-smile. So word really does travel fast; or rather, Karl is more attuned to the drama than I

thought. I never mentioned the sick servers and arguing employees to anyone, but someone must have

noticed.

sigh, rubbing my eyes.

and saunters in again, perching on the

tomorrow’s delivery schedule, but it’s really not

like you could use some rest

myself up to my feet in an attempt to

perfectly fine,”

slightly where I’m

moments, Karl gazes at me without answering. There’s something

that I haven’t seen in a very long time. And something about it makes my knees

room in a feeble attempt to hide the blush

by the window, peering out into the dimly

will close soon

“You should go home,

shrug. “I’ll be fine.

nod, and Karl sighs. “It’s

you home, okay?”

out the window for another few moments at the rain, listening

reveals that my umbrella is nowhere

nap on my desk didn’t really do much

face Karl. He’s

quickly.

transition from the dim, cramped space of my office to Karl’s

car smells like fresh leather and a hint of pine

as we drive. I’ve always loved the city in

signs look on a stormy night; it’s like

the streets, the bright signs of late-night diners and

blur. For a moment, the weight of my job—the critics, the health inspectors,

myself lost in

were having one hell of a dream back there.

a beach, a tropical drink, and a

“More like a health inspection nightmare. I can’t seem to escape the restaurant, even

sleep.”

over at me with a smirk. “Well, dreams are just unpaid labor

could get compensation somehow.”

My subconscious is working overtime,” I reply, my words tinged with

reach the front of my apartment complex—a red brick building with ivy crawling

the front door. It’s surrounded by

I almost walked into someone else’s

embarrassing.

to the curb and turns off the engine, then looks at me, his eyes searching my

vacation? My offer still stands. Remember the pool

away. Of course I remember the pool and the hot tub, and all of the

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