by M. E. Carter
“Kade?” My heart stutters again, only this time it’s knowing I’ll be working so closely with the man I have a crush on. “I thought he was moving to the waiter position?” And I would have a little bit of distance so I don’t accidentally put my feelings for him on display.
Thankfully Kiersten is oblivious to my minor distress. “Paul and I talked about it and the bar is at the point where we really need three people every night, not just during certain events. So Kade is going to do the same thing I do—waiter and bartend depending on what we need more each night. It’ll kind of be like a flex role.”
“Makes sense.” And yet it still means I need to mentally prepare myself a bit more.
“And when we’re not there, we’re going to have him step in as the manager on duty.”
I feel a jolt of excitement for him. “Oooh… good for him.”
“He’s excited about it. Paul had already been considering it but the timing seems really good now.”
“Anything I need to know to be ready for tomorrow?”
“Nope,” she says as she pushes up from the couch and stretches out her back. “You’ve been around for long enough, you probably already know the most important parts. Like Dwayne’s favorite drink and Frankie’s favorite table.”
That elicits a small laugh from me. The regulars are very predictable. “I’m most worried about using Paul’s fancy new computerized system.”
Kiersten’s eyes light up at the mention of it. “Isn’t it great? Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mind the old register and having to stretch my short-term memory on orders, but it feels like we’ve finally entered the twenty-first century.”
“Thank God I waited until now to start,” I joke. “I prefer to work smarter, not harder. Are you leaving?”
“Yeah.” She walks over to Carson who is already halfway across the room with his track and smooths down his hair before kissing the top of his head. “Since Paul and I are both here, I need to get Kade up to speed on prepping the front to open and his new management duties. I love you, Carson.”
“Love you, Mama.”
She turns for the door when Carson yells, “Mom! Wait!”
Jumping up from his spot, he runs to her and throws his arms around her legs, chin lifted and lips puckered, demanding a kiss. She smiles and complies.
“I love you sixty-five million three thousand!” he announces making me shake my head and stifle a smile.
“Still not understanding the Avengers reference, is he?”
“Nope,” Kiersten replies. “But since I love him sixty-five million three thousand and one, it’s fine with me.”
“Oh man, mom, you win,” Carson announces and walks her to the door, me following so I can lock it behind her.
As Kiersten leaves, he keeps his head poked out the door so he can continue to wave until she’s down the hall and out of sight.
Chapter Four
Kade
“There’s a guy up in the barn! He’s in the loft window! Get him!”
Rodney is screaming through the headset until Matty finally takes down the bank robber we’ve been looking for. Of course, the rest of us didn’t see him until after Archie was killed.
“Nice shot, Matty. Not that I’m surprised. How do you always get a shot off before I can even see him?” Seriously, this kid is easily the best Red Dead Redemption player I’ve ever met.
He’s also the only Red Dead Redemption player I’ve met in person. Matty is Jaxon’s actual biological brother and the person who got me hooked on this game. His dad hates it. Says Matty should be playing Madden games or something equally sports related. The rest of us just laugh about it. Jason Hart may have retired from football years ago, but his obsession continues and he has no problem trying to pass it off to his kids.
“It’s just hand-eye coordination.” Matty’s voice crackles through the headset. “Coach is a stickler on that so I practice it every single day.”
“Does he know it comes in handy while you’re playing video games?”
Matty laughs. “As long as it means I’m knocking defenders out of the way, I don’t think he gives a shit.”
Along with being a fantastic gamer, Matty is proving to be an extremely talented football player. Not that anyone is surprised considering his Hall of Famer dad is a legend in the sport. The genes have definitely been passed on; Matty is the biggest seventeen-year-old kid I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t care for sports but at the few games I’ve been to, even I have been impressed with his talent. From what Jaxon tells me, colleges all over the country have been calling practically non-stop since last year trying to sweet-talk him into signing with their programs.
“Get outta the way! Get outta the way! He’s got a shotgun!” Rodney yells and conversation stops as we all run for cover behind bales of hay.
“Where? Where do I look?” Archie jumps in, way behind all of us.
“Nice of you to join us again, Arch,” I comment sarcastically.
“Give me a break. My mom wanted to talk about my day.”
“Aw… did your mommy need some kisses from her baby….” Rodney chides and makes kissy noises.
“Shut the fuck up, man,” is Archie’s response. “She’s cooking meatloaf tonight. I love that shit. I didn’t want to piss her off or she’ll screw it up.”
“Oh yeah,” Matty joins in. “Meatloaf always tastes better when it’s made with looooooove….” he singsongs, eliciting a few choice words from Archie and laugher from the rest of us.
This is what I do with my afternoons off—play video games with a bunch of strangers and eat fast food. I’ve been told I need to get out more but I like my hobby. It’s fun and I enjoy getting to know these guys. Besides, since I started working, I get a lot of social interaction so I’m not lacking in that department. It’s almost weird how quickly I’ve been embraced by the whole staff and some of the customers simply because of my relationship with Jaxon. I’m not complaining. It’s just odd to me how people can accept you, no questions asked, based on someone else’s opinion.
Or maybe it’s not weird and I’m still getting used to what others might call “normal” relationships.
Speaking of the bar, however…
“Okay y’all, I gotta jet,” I say but continue playing. There’s another bank robber out there and the reward is high for us to find him and turn him in.
They reply with a series of groans and “what the fuck, man?”
“Don’t give me shit. Maybe you losers should start looking into jobs instead of giving me lip for doing mine. Might do you some good. Especially you, Archie. Eventually, you’ll be able to move out of your mommy’s house.”
“Fuck you,” he responds without much conviction behind his words.
“Jaxon told me Nicole is working there now.”
My gun stops shooting when my thumb stumbles on the controller. Why the hell would Matty bring that up?
“Yeah? She started a week ago.” I try for nonchalance. It’s a good thing they can’t see my face right now because I’m sure it’s beet red.
“She’s fucking gorgeous.”
I feel myself getting defensive, even though I know there’s no reason to feel that way. “Yeah, so?”
“So, I don’t know how you can work around her without getting a hard-on.”
Maybe there is a reason for me to feel defensive. “Easy. I’m not a misogynistic pig,” I say with a little more venom than I intend. Unfortunately for me, Matty picks up on it.
“Why are you getting so mad? Do you like her?”
This time it’s Archie’s turn to make kissy sounds. I should have expected that. I may enjoy playing online with them, but I’ve never mistaken them for being the most mature bunch.
“Of course, I like her. She’s a nice person and hopefully a good employee.”
“Oh yeah. He’s into her,” Rodney says with a laugh.
I turn my avatar to his and shoot him in the foot.
“Dude! What the fuck!” he yells.<
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I flip the switch on my handset and toss it to the side. “I’m out, losers. Have fun diddling yourselves tonight.”
They bid me farewell with a bunch of entertaining insults I only half hear as I shut everything down. My brain is already thinking about the night ahead of me. I’ve got eight hours of slinging drinks to focus on and more management duties to learn.
My small two-bedroom apartment isn’t far from my work, only about a five-minute drive or so. It isn’t until I’m inside the building and see Nicole behind the bar talking to Paul that I realize she must be working tonight.
Looking down at myself, I regret not wearing a nicer shirt. I immediately push that thought aside. I’m wearing a Frui Vita polo. It’s standard for us most nights. And it doesn’t matter what I wear. I not trying to impress Nicole anyway. There’s no point.
“What’s up?” I call out as I sidle up to our new touch screen monitor to clock in.
“Hey,” Paul calls over his shoulder. “I’m training our new bartender today while you cover waiter duties.”
Nicole gives me a quick, shy wave and I swear I fall a little more in love with her because of it. Or maybe it’s just strong infatuation. Whatever you call it, I still have to clock in twice because her smiles throw me off guard enough I press all the wrong buttons the first time. In my defense, this is the first time we’ve been scheduled to work at the same time. Anyone would feel a little off-kilter when working with a new co-worker. Or so I tell myself.
“I’m glad you decided to work with us,” I say to her, being one hundred percent honest just maybe not sharing my reasons. “Maybe that grumpy old man will chill out now.”
Paul harumphs but I’m not looking at him. Nicole nods prettily and she’s so damn beautiful, I have to force myself not to stare.
“Don’t get excited yet.” She tucks a strand of long blonde hair behind her ear. “It’s still up in the air how good I am at this. I may be terrible and have to be fired.”
“Not likely. You know how much Paul loves family. He’d rather close the bar than fire you.”
“That’s sweet of you to say but if I do that bad of a job, I’ll quit.”
“No one is quitting and no one is getting fired,” Paul says and then points at me. “Except maybe you if you don’t get this bar ready to open.”
I snicker as I walk away. Paul is a great boss. Always kind and respectful. Gives people the freedom to make mistakes and learn the ropes. He not only pays fair wages, but goes beyond that when he can. The one thing that makes him prickly is Nicole. Not in a bad way. From what I understand, he just takes the big brother role seriously. No one is complaining, especially not me. I get it, I respect it and I appreciate it.
It doesn’t take long to do a quick sweep of the floors to clear out anything that was missed last night and take all the chairs down from the tabletops. It gives me way too much time to sneak glances at Nicole as she follows Paul’s instructions and learns to make some of our mixed drinks. She smiles the whole time, but that’s just Nicole. Unless she’s upset or in deep thought, her face naturally rests in a smile. Yet another thing I shouldn’t notice about her because I should be keeping my distance, not allowing myself to be drawn in. It’s like I’m asking myself to be heartbroken in the near future.
Soon enough the door is open for business. It’s just a regular night tonight, no special events, so there’s nothing extra that needs to be set up. It’ll probably be a night of regulars.
As if on cue, the first one enters.
“Hey Dwayne, how’s it going?”
“Good, good.” He looks around the room, probably hoping to find his first victim, even though he beat them all here. As it turns out, Dwayne is a bit of a hustler. He’s great at pool and any time he can convince someone to play him for money, it turns out in his favor. Most of the athletes that come in regularly have already figured Dwayne out, but he’s such a nice guy, they still like the challenge of trying to beat him. Plus, they find it hilarious when they can help Dwayne hustle a rookie. It boosts team morale or something. That’s probably the only reason Paul still allows Dwayne to do it.
“I haven’t seen Jimmy around lately,” I mention casually, only slightly concerned we haven’t seen Dwayne’s sidekick in a while.
“He got himself a new job working nights at some distribution center.”
I whistle low through my teeth. “I hear you can make some good money doing that. Especially during the overnight hours.”
“You can make better money hustling the pros at pool, though.” He winks at me and I can’t help but laugh.
“Sounds a lot more fun, too,” I joke back. “Does that mean you’re sticking with water tonight or you wanna start with something harder?”
Dwayne takes a seat at the table closest to the pool table, staking his claim, and stretches out his jean-clad legs. “I think I’m in the mood for one of those Apple Pie ales. Once we see who comes in tonight, I’ll decide if I need to switch to water.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll be back.”
I head back up to the bar to place his order and start off what will hopefully be a busy night. I’ll need it if I want to focus on anything but Nicole and how her long lashes brush against her cheek when she blinks. It’s the curse of having her work here yet I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter Five
Nicole
I stare at myself in the mirror as I finish wave ironing the last section of my hair. My makeup is flawless except for that one zit on my chin. My outfit is a simple pair of skinny jeans with comfy boots and a Frui Vita t-shirt because I couldn’t decide what else to wear.
I’ve been training as a bartender for a couple of weeks now so I’m fairly confident in what I’m doing, but this is the first time I’ve been nervous to go in. Of course, tonight is also the first night Paul and Kiersten think I’m ready to go at it without their assistance, so I’ll be working solo with Kade. I can’t seem to keep the nerves at bay.
I’m not afraid of doing the job wrong. I know there are minor problems I’ll run into, but that’s not the issue. I’m nervous about being so close to Kade.
In the last couple of weeks as I’ve gotten to know him, I’ve realized what a kind and gentle person he is. Not one to be the life of the party, he’s just… steady. Calm. Practically unflappable. And don’t get me started on how in tune he is with the customers.
Just the other day, he was the first to notice one of the female patrons acting like she felt uncomfortable. I watched as he discreetly approached her and within minutes, he walked her outside to a waiting Uber and safely away from the guy that was giving her a bad vibe.
I asked him about it later and he brushed it off like it was something anyone would do. I know firsthand that is unequivocally not true. And then I swooned. Hard.
Up until that point, I’d been able to write him off as “just another guy” who puts his best foot forward when he’s in public, but I no longer think that’s it. I’m almost positive with Kade, what you see is what you get. Therein lies the problem.
Kade is now starring in my silliest, most cheesy romantic fantasies and while I know it’s okay, everyone does it, I feel foolish for putting him up on a pedestal. That’ll make the crash harder if he turns out not to be everything I imagine he is. And yet, somehow, I already know that won’t happen.
Maybe even worse, I’m afraid he’ll see right through me and know immediately that I have feelings for him. He’s never given me any indication he feels the same way and I would never want to make our work environment uncomfortable because of my silly, unrequited crush. I just have to make sure to keep my eyes on my job and off him and his mop of dark hair that always seems disheveled, even though I like it that way. It makes him perfectly imperfect.
Doing a last-minute glance over my hair to make sure I didn’t miss any strands, I take a deep, cleansing breath.
Breathe in, two, three, four… hold, two, three, four… and out, two, three, four… and hold.
<
br /> It doesn’t actually cleanse anything, but at least it makes my heart slow down just a touch.
I do a quick spritz of my favorite scent, grab my keys, and head out the door, making sure it’s locked behind me.
The benefit of living in the small apartment behind the bar is it’s a ten-second walk to work so it’s almost impossible to be late. Being that I’m still technically in training, Kade is already here and prepping to open when I slide behind the counter.
“Hi,” I greet him hoping my voice isn’t shaky from nerves. I keep my eyes diverted as I touch the monitor that’s mainly used to take orders and run tabs, but also has a function where we can clock in. My fingers are shaking just enough it takes me a couple of tries to get my employee ID number right.
“Hey.” He gives me a glance up and down and I almost shiver even though we aren’t making any physical contact. “You look nice.”
“Oh.” I look down at my uniform shirt and smooth it down a bit. “I had a hard time deciding what to wear so I just went with the easy option.”
“I didn’t mean the outfit. I just mean you.”
“Oh.”
That did nothing to help the situation with my nerves at all. If I’m not mistaken, Kade may have a bit of a blush on his cheeks as well. I hope he doesn’t think he crossed a professional line or something.
When I don’t say anything else, Kade clears his throat and turns back to what he’s doing.
“Paul wants you to do as much as you can on your own. I’m just here to help you out if you get stuck and to pick up the slack when it gets busy. Will that work for you?”
“Sure. I’m kind of excited to be doing it on my own at this point. Where do you want me to begin?”
“There’s not much left to do. I’ve already emptied the dishwasher and made sure the shelves are stocked so we have enough liquor on hand. The till is ready to go and Tammy will be here in a few minutes to get the front ready. All we need to do is fill the bowls with peanuts and pretzels and cut up the citrus fruit. Do you have a preference on which one you want to do?”