Out of Time 01 - Out of Time

Simon apprehensively, then softened. “A limey Fed. That’d be a first.”
    Simon bristled at the word limey and seemed ready to make a scene. Things were going from bad to worse in a hurry. Elizabeth hoped she could keep Simon from ruining their one chance at some money. She needed to move quickly. “When can I start?”
    Simon glared down at her. “I think we need to discuss this first.”
    Charlie looked from one to the other, the wheels turning in his head. He let out a deep breath. “Tell ya what. You come by tonight at six, and the job’s yours. I don’t see ya, I find somebody else. Jake?”
    “I’ll be there,” she said.
    “Help if I knew your name, doll.”
    “Elizabeth. Elizabeth We—Cross,” she said and held out her hand.
    Charlie chuckled and shook her hand. “You got moxie, kid. I like that.”
    Simon mumbled something under his breath and Charlie released her. “Hope ya got enough,” he said, casting a quick glance at Simon. “Well, I gotta see a man about a dog.”
    He pointed to a heavy metal door. “Knock twice and tell em Charlie said you was okay.”
    “Thank you,” Elizabeth said. He gave her a quick grin and headed off down the street. She hated to see him go. He was the first person who’d actually given them a chance, and Simon had to go and be a big pill.
    She let go of Simon’s arm and stepped back. “What was that all about?”
    “I’d prefer to have this discussion in private.”
    “Fine,” she said and started toward their apartment. If Simon said anything in return, she didn’t hear it. By the time they’d reached their room, they’d both worked themselves into a lather.
    “So talk,” Elizabeth said, slamming the door behind them.
    Simon stalked over to the window. “I don’t approve.”
    “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not asking for it then, isn’t it?” Who did he think he was? And what the hell was wrong with him? They’d spent two days looking for jobs and when one fell in their laps he decided to have issues?
    “Elizabeth—”
    “I can’t believe you have a problem with this.”
    He folded his arms smugly over his chest. “Need I remind you that working in a speakeasy is illegal?”
    “Prohibition was idiotic.” She knew he had Puritanical tendencies, but this was too rich. “Let’s make booze illegal so the underworld can thrive. What a good idea.”
    Simon took off his coat and tossed it onto a chair. “The law is still the law.”
    “And I suppose you’ve never broken the law.”
    “I understand that having a gambler for a father might have skewed your—”
    “No.” Her hands balled into fists. “You keep my father out of this.”
    “Miss West,” Simon said, clearly trying to control his temper. “We are not so desperate that we need to resort to something of this sort.”
    “Maybe having two dollars to your name isn’t real to you. But it’s real to me. And if taking a job waiting tables means we can pay the rent then I’m grateful for it.”
    She narrowed her eyes and continued, “If I didn’t know any better I’d say some Paleolithic gene kicked in and you were angry that a woman got a job before you did.”
    Simon clenched his jaw and turned to look out the window. “Don’t be absurd. You don’t know anything about this Charlie person. You’ve known him for ten minutes, for God’s sake. Who knows what sort of man he is.”
    She knew exactly what sort of man he was. With some people, you could just tell. And with others, she thought, as she stared at Simon’s back and felt like she was looking at a stranger, you never knew them. Suddenly, the argument seemed more pointless than ever. “So, don’t trust anyone? Not even you?”
    Simon turned around, but didn’t offer any argument. His face was hard and unreadable. Any closeness they’d achieved in the last few days evaporated.
    “Maybe you can live that way,” she said. “Keep everyone at arms length, but I can’t do it. I can’t afford to do it.”
    “You can’t afford not to,” he said fiercely, covering the distance between them with two quick strides. “Our position is difficult enough. You have no idea what that man’s motives are, what sort of situations you might find yourself in.”
    “Yeah, like getting a paycheck,” she said and then shook her head. “Since we got here, I’ve been leered at, called a whore and generally treated like crap. Charlie’s the first person who’s given me a break and I’m gonna take