through the fog (throughthefog) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-09-15 19:28:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | #june 2018, charlie, charlie x gavin, gavin |
Who: Charlie and Gavin
When: Early afternoon, Sunday, June 17th
Where: The Porch
Status: Complete
The decision to help Gavin out at the bar was an impulsive one, but Charlie felt like it was also smart. The Back Porch was short-staffed now and Charlie could tell Gavin was stressed about it, on top of everything else he was dealing with. And frankly, Charlie was a bit bored herself. Until school prep started, Charlie had plenty of time on her hands, so why not help at the bar?
Gavin wouldn’t need to pay her, though he didn’t know that yet. In fact, he had no idea that she was on her way there now, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with comfortable shoes on her feet. Knowing Gavin, even if he knew he needed the help, he probably wouldn’t want her to be there, like she was above working at the bar somehow. But Charlie had waited tables before, back in high school when she worked part-time at Dino’s. She could manage taking drink orders and cleaning up just fine. Until Caden was back and they hired a new waitress or two, Charlie would help out and that was all there was to it.
When she arrived at the Porch, she greeted Miles who was behind the bar, explaining to him her intentions. Miles hadn’t hesitated in handing her an apron, which she promptly tied around her waist. Before she knew it, she was delivering drinks to a few tables. It was still early on a Sunday so the place wasn’t exactly packed, but Charlie felt like it was better to ease into it than to have to handle a crowd right away.
When Gavin finally emerged from the back, Charlie had already cleared two tables and was slipping her tips into the pocket of her apron. She smiled at the sight of him, carrying a tray of dirty glasses back to the bar for Miles.
“Hey! How do I look?” she asked, sliding the tray onto the counter and turning around so he could check out her “waitress look”.
She looked good! She always looked good, but she looked out of place and Gavin was a little baffled to find her here, working. Sure, he'd vented about staff shortage that morning after he'd been unable to say no to Caden and had ended up working too hard and annoyingly late as a result. Roxy had quit because of the break-up and then Caden had fucked off to Atlantic City with Max and things were just overwhelming. Gavin hadn't expected Charlie to actually step up and try to fix it; it was enough that she listened to him vent. He stared at her for a moment, the picture of utter confusion. "Charlie, you didn't have to-" he started and gestured around vaguely.
"If you want me to work tonight, you're letting her stay," Miles chimed in from behind the bar and he was sadly right. Gavin couldn't push his loyal staff too hard or he'd lose them too.
"You look good," he settled for, smiling at her with a touch of apprehension and astonishment. Of course she could work a bar, she could do anything, it seemed. He just wasn't loving the idea of his woman around his clientele.
Charlie grinned at Miles before she came behind the bar to press a kiss to Gavin's cheek. "I want to help," she told him. "I have at least a month before I have to start prepping for the new school year and that should give you plenty of time to hire new people and get them trained properly. You don't have to pay me either. Look, I've already got some pretty good tips." She pulled the folded up money from her apron to show Gavin with a rather proud smile on her face. "Miles and Jocelyn can help me out too, so you don't need to skulk behind the bar all day." Of course Charlie said it with affection, because she had a feeling Gavin might feel obligated to keep an eye on her and she knew how much he preferred to stay in the office.
Gavin let out a nervous laugh but the truth was he wasn't going to spend much time in the office if Charlie was waitressing. There was a primal need to make sure she was safe, both from harassment and unkind words. The latter had died down quite a bit after Joseph disappeared but his old drinking buddies could be at least half as bad. Nobody was going to mess with Charlie on Gavin's watch and if she was working, it was going to be his watch. "Yeah we'll... we'll see about that," he muttered and wondered how many of those tips had come from guys who really wanted to get into her pants. He'd always been somewhat protective of his wait staff but this was his woman, that protective streak could lead to violence in her case. "You're way too good for this place," he said with a faint smile, ignoring Miles's offended 'hey!' behind him.
Charlie was only mildly exasperated at Gavin's response, because she knew he would stay skulking about if she was on the floor. Hopefully, he would see that she could handle herself and feel comfortable leaving her on her own when she was "working". "I'm not too good for this place," Charlie pointed out gently. "I think I fit in just fine because you work here and... Miles works here," she added, smiling at the bartender. "And Aaron. I'm here so you don't have to worry about things being taken care of. I'm here to help." She leaned over to press a quick kiss to his lips. "So let me help."
Gavin could only cling to the fact that Charlie was a teacher so she would be going back to that in the fall. He found it hard to say no to her and he would be devastated if she kept working at his bar. This was temporary and while he'd much rather she was doing some kind of work in the back - away from their rowdy customers - maybe he could try to keep her off the evening shifts. "Okay," he said but the grimace on his face said more than words could. He didn't like this, he didn't have to like this, regardless of what she said, Charlie was too good for this place and, if he was being honest with himself, for him. "If anyone bothers you-" he started and gave Charlie a stern glance in case she tried to dismiss his worries. "If anyone hassles you, you come get me."
This was temporary and Charlie's intention was to help Gavin and the others. Sure, she might be doing it for herself too, since she felt like she needed something to do to keep her mind busy. It was obvious Gavin wasn't completely on board with her plan, but he accepted it, which was the important thing. Charlie had no intention of hanging around him too much because she didn't want him to get sick of her... seeing her at work and home could prove to be too much... and she just wanted to do what she could and maybe earn a few extra bucks while she was at it. "I promise," Charlie said, pressing a kiss to his chin before grinning. "I think that as soon as I tell them that I'm going to get my boyfriend to come beat them up, they'll leave me be."
Gavin felt a little flustered by that, which was kind of funny since he would beat anyone up who crossed a line with her. He just wasn't used to it being said out loud like this, usually he just had to have a 'conversation' with someone, if he even mentioned it at all. He smiled sheepishly and shook his head, already planning to let the regulars have a piece of his mind about what would happen to them if they messed with her so hopefully that was enough. She'd have a whole bar looking out for her if he had his way. "Hey, whatever works," he rasped and couldn't help but wonder if his life the next few weeks would be nothing but fights, or if the clients would actually behave. At least she wasn't waitressing at Cherries, those girls had it tough.
He might not say much but they had been together long enough now that Charlie felt like she could read his mind. Or at least see the wheels turning and she knew that he would probably skulk around the front anyway, shooting daggers at anyone who he perceived to be treating her poorly. "Don't forget, I teach teenagers," she murmured with an amused look. "If I can handle them, I think I can handle some drunk guys. If for whatever reason, it becomes too uncomfortable for you, I'll go home. No harm, no foul." She definitely didn't want to make the bar a place Gavin dreaded to be.
She had a point; teenagers could be awful but they weren't drunk around her or handsy, nor were they Joseph's shitty friends who had been trying to take on the mantle after his disappearance and thankfully failing. It seemed nobody was quite as good at being a jerk as his late father. "I know you can handle yourself," he said, relenting a bit. "You just shouldn't have to." He tugged gently on her shirt, pulling her in a little closer before resting his hands on her hips. "I won't be uncomfortable, I like having you around, it's just this damn place." He smiled faintly as he spoke, no real bite to his words as he talked about his bar but he knew how it could get and he knew better than to hope Charlie only ever covered the shifts on the quiet days.
"I'll be fine," she promised again before pressing a kiss against his lips. She knew there wasn't much she could say to ease his concern but hopefully if he saw that people were behaving - assuming they would - he would relax a little. If it got to be too much, Charlie would just stop coming. But she didn't think the people in the bar were that bad. Roxy and Mila had been able to handle it for years, so Charlie felt like she would be all right. She smiled at him, wanting to try and ease some of the tension he was no doubt feeling. "You're allowed to boss me around too, if you want."
That turned Gavin's smile into more of a smirk and he cocked a brow at her, slipping his arms further around her body. "S'that so?" he murmured and while he had a hard time imagining doing just that, he could easily imagine asking her to come 'talk to him' in the back. Had Caden and Roxy fooled around at the bar when it was slow? Probably, and Gavin could see why now. "What if I tell you I don't want you working here when I'm not working." It was possibly unfair as hell but he'd crawl out of his skin if he was at home, knowing she was at the Porch.
Charlie brought her arms up around his neck to keep him close. Maybe he would be more on board with this if she slipped into his office once or twice and locked the door behind her. They had only ever had sex at home so it might be nice to mix it up a little. Be spontaneous. Charlie wasn't terribly surprised when he told her he didn't want her working there without him and she pretended to think about it before sighing dramatically. "That's fine. You're the boss man, so you get to make the schedule. I'll abide by whatever you decide." If that made him feel better about her helping, she wouldn't complain. It would be nice driving home with Gavin at the end of the day, if she was being honest.
Gavin relaxed a little at her reply. Even after all this time - and even with the fact Charlie was not like that - he still expected an argument over practically nothing at any given time. She could have gotten pissed at him, told him he was being overbearing, paranoid, stupid, controlling. It was hard to just let go of all the issues he'd grown up with and then married into and while he didn't consciously expect her to be the same, the wariness was still there imprinted on his psyche. "You're damn right," he said sheepishly and gave her a crooked smile before leaning down to kiss her. They wouldn't always be able to do this, the bar was usually busier than it was right now and Gavin didn't like putting on a show for the assholes who frequented the Porch, but it felt right and none of the more vocal assholes were there at the moment.
Even if Charlie thought that Gavin didn't have anything to worry about, she wasn't going to browbeat him into letting her work at the bar whenever she wanted. She was doing this to help him and she was doing it for free, save for whatever tips she got. If it ultimately caused him more stress, then what would be the point? Besides, she would much rather work when Gavin was there and in charge than if Caden was behind the bar. Not that she outwardly disliked Gavin's brother, but Caden could be pretty cold and dismissive at times and she didn't want to feel that way when she was there. Kissing him back, Charlie hummed happily in her throat. "Love you," she murmured against his lips before pulling back and playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Do I get to call you Mr. Lucas? Or is that too formal for the bar."
"Way too formal," Gavin replied with a little grimace, but it was hard to maintain that when she was touching him in that way that he loved. It was soothing and a little sexy and he ducked his head a bit to encourage her to keep doing it. "I love you too," he murmured more quietly, giving her a warm little smile and it felt like the words came just a bit easier each time he said them. It was even getting easier to tell his kids the same and the more used to it he got, the more he hated the absence of it while they'd been growing up. After everything they'd been through it felt more important to show that love and Charlie had helped him open up a little and the ease of their relationship was making him realize just how unhealthy everything else in his life had been so far.
Knowing how difficult it had been for Gavin to say the words before, Charlie honestly did cherish it every time he said it now. Maybe that was too mushy for some but she didn't care. She had spent a long time doubting herself, sure that Gavin would see whatever flaws Drew had found in her. Gavin harbored his own insecurities too but somehow they were overcoming them together. It could be a bumpy road sometimes but it was one Charlie was willing to take. "I should go check on the tables," Charlie said, unable to resist pressing another kiss to his lips. "As much as I would like to stand here and make out with the boss..."
"Well, I am the boss," Gavin murmured which technically meant he could do whatever the hell he wanted, but she was right and the tables - while not too busy - did need checking. "Come see me in my office when things quiet down," he told her with some authority, softened by the dopey grin on his lips. "We can go over the rules and your hours." As much as he hated the thought of her working at the bar, there was something undeniably nice about having her near. He just didn't want her near any of the other people who regularly spent time there - namely the regulars and Caden who had a bad habit of hurting people's feelings.
Charlie smiled, pleased that he didn't seem as tense about her being there as he had initially. "Yes, sir." They could go over her hours and the rules and maybe she could kiss on him for a bit too. And who knew, maybe in a couple of weeks they would hire someone new and Charlie wouldn't be needed around the bar anymore. Until then she would do what she could to help out and also make sure Gavin wasn't having a coronary anytime she served the wrong table. "I'll come back to see you in a bit," she promised before pulling away to go check on the tables again.
The hours and the rules weren't really on the forefront of Gavin's mind, he just wanted some time alone with her and he wasn't exactly eager to leave her there while he went to the back. He knew he shouldn't hover though and it was early on a Sunday so hovering made even less sense. "Already looking forward to it," he said with more ease than he was actually feeling. As she walked away he gave Miles a meaningful look he hoped conveyed he needed to look after her and by the look on Miles's face, he was pretty sure he got the message. At least he told himself that so it would be easier to go back to his little office. He'd be checking in a lot more than usual though, there was no doubt about it.