by Rachel Lacey
“Earth to Josie.” Adam snapped his fingers in front of her face.
“Sorry.” She lifted her beer and took a hearty swallow. “Just…thinking.”
He leaned in so that Elizabeth and Lauren, who were sitting across from them, wouldn’t overhear. “And do those deep thoughts involve a certain brunette who’s been very deliberately not looking over at our table all night?”
She didn’t even try to hide her smile. “Maybe.”
“Do tell,” he said, looking delighted.
“If you must know, I was thinking about asking her out after filming wraps tomorrow.”
He tapped his beer bottle against hers. “To your love life. May it flourish, and your new bar too.”
15
Josie was going to have a nervous breakdown. She gasped against the tightness in her chest, gripping the bar as she waited for the whooshing noise in her ears to recede.
“Breathe.” Adam’s hand landed on the small of her back, rubbing up and down.
She nodded, sucking in a shaky breath. “What if no one comes?”
“They’ll come,” he said. “Even if they don’t give a shit about Dragonfly, they’ll come tonight because of the Do Over taping. If anything, we’ll be turning people away at the door to keep from going over capacity.”
“You’re right,” she said, forcing another slow, deep breath into her lungs.
“Everyone wants their fifteen minutes of fame, especially in this town. Tonight’s going to be fabulous. There’s really no way around it,” he told her, completely sincere.
She turned to fling her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” He squeezed her back. “We’re going to make an awesome team. Basically, you made the best decision ever by hiring me.” He pulled back with an exaggerated wink.
“You better not make me regret it.” She gave him a playful shove. “It is going to go well tonight, right?”
“It is. I mean, look at us?” He waved his hand dramatically between them. They both wore black T-shirts with the new logo—a lavender dragonfly identical to Josie’s tattoo—on them. Adam’s hair was carefully styled with so much gel, it probably wouldn’t budge if he stood outside in a hurricane. He’d let the Do Over team go a little crazy on his makeup too, but he looked fantastic, and his enthusiasm was sure to keep the customers happy.
Eve had been here earlier but had left a little while ago to go home and change. Doors opened to the public in forty-five minutes, and the camera crew had been milling around all afternoon, getting ready. The anticipation was slowly getting to Josie. She just needed to get on with things. Once the bar was full and she was busy pouring drinks, she’d relax. Hopefully.
Kaia pushed through the front door, wearing black leather pants and a purple top with a matching streak through her hair. She crossed to the bar, looking around wide-eyed. “Holy shit, Jo. It looks amazing in here!”
“It does. Eve and her team did a great job.” Josie swept her gaze around the room.
“And here you are behind the bar looking all official,” Kaia said, leaning over to kiss Adam’s cheek.
“That’s because I am official,” he said proudly, patting the logo on his chest.
The front door opened again, and Eve walked in. She had on a knee-length black sheath dress with a gold zipper running down the front, extending the entire length of the dress. Its tab nestled between her breasts, just begging for someone to tug it down and unzip her.
Josie swallowed roughly. “Fuck me.”
Adam choked on a laugh. “No, thanks, but it’s obvious you want to fuck her.”
“That dress,” she muttered.
“It’s hot,” Kaia agreed. “And you should make sure she knows it, just saying.”
“Oh, I think she knows it,” Adam said, waving as Eve glanced in their direction.
She walked over to stand beside Kaia, her brown eyes meeting Josie’s, as calm and steady as Josie was frazzled. “Ready?”
Josie nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”
Eve’s lips quirked with the hint of a smile. Her hair was down tonight, glistening beneath the track lighting overhead. Her lips were painted a deep red, eyes highlighted with a bronze eye shadow that shimmered when she blinked. “You’ll be fine,” she said softly, resting her hand momentarily over Josie’s on the bar.
A bold move, coming from Eve. Josie sucked in a breath, trying to play it cool in front of her friends before she realized Adam and Kaia were no longer there. Apparently, they’d made themselves scarce to give her a moment alone with Eve, something she’d have to thank them for later.
Grinning, Josie leaned forward, gaze dropping to the gold zipper tag dangling between Eve’s breasts. “You look ridiculously gorgeous tonight,” she whispered. “That dress is hot.”
Eve sucked in a visible breath, and when Josie dragged her gaze back to Eve’s face, her cheeks were an adorable shade of pink. “I love your hair.”
Josie lifted a hand reflexively, touching her newly lavender locks, the same shade as Dragonfly’s logo. “Yeah?”
Eve nodded. “This is how it looked the first time I ever saw you, in that video about bottle-feeding kittens.”
“I change it up a lot, but this felt right tonight, you know?”
“Very on-brand.” Eve’s gaze lingered on her a moment longer before she turned to scan the room. “Your friends aren’t exactly subtle,” she said with a frown.
“Nope,” Josie agreed with a laugh. Adam and Kaia stood at a table in back, talking to a member of the crew and shooting delighted glances in Eve and Josie’s direction.
“Tell them to knock it off, would you?” Eve said, tapping one hand against the bar before she walked off, hips swaying inside that dress, and what had she just said? Josie’s whole brain had just gone up in smoke.
“You have got it so bad for her,” Adam announced, reappearing magically at her side.
“I know.” She gave her head a slight shake. “But I’ve got to get a grip, because we open in…” She glanced at the clock above the door and gulped. “Thirty minutes.”
“That’s right,” he agreed. “Time to get serious.”
“Yes.” She braced her palms against the bar. “Okay. You stay here and go over that drink menu one more time. Make sure you know where everything is. I think we can expect to sell a lot of the new signature drinks tonight. I’m heading up to check on Elizabeth before we open.”
“Got it,” Adam said, turning to study the recipe chart on the counter behind the bar.
She ducked around him and headed up to the rooftop. It was a clear evening, just cool enough to warrant a light jacket, perfect weather for their grand opening. The rooftop, as Eve had envisioned, had been set with twinkling strands of white lights, with larger lamps around the perimeter of the space to provide sufficient lighting for their customers.
High-topped tables were scattered across the patio, and the bar was freshly painted and fully stocked, with her brand-new bartender Elizabeth standing behind it, texting on her phone. Elizabeth’s short-cropped black hair and full-sleeve tattoos gave her an edgy vibe, offset by her wide smile and the laugh lines around her eyes.
“You all set?” Josie asked.
Elizabeth nodded. Unlike Adam, she had extensive bartending experience. “Ready to rock and roll.”
“You’ve got your recipe sheet?”
Elizabeth pointed to it, taped to the backside of the bar where only she could see it.
“Great,” Josie told her, eyeing the camera crew already milling around the patio area. “Just text me if you need me, okay? And I’ll come check on you when I can.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got everything under control,” Elizabeth said, lifting her right hand to bump her knuckles against Josie’s.
“I’m not worried about you,” Josie said, relieved that it was true. “Okay, I’ve got to get back downstairs before the doors open. See you in a bit.” With a wave, she headed for the stairs, nearly collidin
g with Eve in the doorway. “Hey.”
“You should be downstairs,” Eve said, looking over Josie’s shoulder, scanning the rooftop. “People are lining up outside. We’re about to open the doors.”
Josie gulped. “People are lining up?”
She nodded. “You’ve got a good crowd building.”
They’re here for the cameras, Josie reminded herself. It wasn’t going to be like this tomorrow night. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Good.” Eve turned to follow her downstairs.
They were quiet as they went down the back stairwell. Josie could feel herself hyperventilating again. This was by far the biggest moment in her professional life. When she’d taken over Swanson’s after her father’s death, it had been a quiet transition. No cameras. No fanfare. No crowd waiting outside the front door. Just a few tears and the support of her friends. Those last two things would likely repeat tonight. She was almost certain to cry at some point, and Adam and Kaia would be there to dry her eyes, just like they had two years ago.
She paused at the bottom of the stairs, drawing in a shaky breath. She’d almost forgotten Eve was behind her until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s going to be fine,” Eve said.
Josie felt herself nodding, but her throat was too tight to respond.
“Breathe,” Eve said quietly, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. “You’ve been a natural in front of the camera so far, and you know you’re a great bartender. If there are any bumps, my team will make them disappear before the episode airs, so you’ve got nothing to worry about. We look good when you look good.”
“Thank you,” Josie whispered, reaching up to press her hand over Eve’s.
Eve’s hand slid down her back, making Josie shiver in anticipation, but her fingers merely switched on the mic pack attached to the waistband of Josie’s jeans. They were all wired for the cameras, and it was unnerving to know everything she said for the rest of the night was being recorded.
“Now go on out there so I can open the door,” Eve said.
“Yep.” Josie swallowed again before leaving the stairwell. She ducked behind the bar as Eve crossed to the front door.
“Thought you might need this,” Adam said, sliding a shot glass her way.
She managed a dry laugh. “You know what, I don’t usually drink while I’m working, but this might be exactly what I need right now.” She picked it up and tossed it back, feeling the warmth of whiskey as it coated her esophagus and slid down to her stomach, loosening the knot of tension lodged there.
Eve glanced over at her, and Josie nodded that she was ready. Eve turned to the camera crew, pausing as they assembled around her. Josie watched as she slid into her television persona, her petite frame seeming to grow impossibly taller in her black stilettos as she drew herself up, smoothed her hair over her shoulders, and put her camera-ready smile in place.
The director shouted a few last-minute instructions, and then they were rolling. Eve spoke earnestly into the camera in front of her, introducing the segment as she gestured around the bar. Josie gulped, glad for that shot of whiskey to take the edge off her nerves.
Eve opened the door, pulling it wide as she welcomed the first customers inside. Many of them stopped to shake her hand and speak to her, probably fans of the show. But they were also here for a drink, and before Josie had even adjusted to the idea of the doors being open, the bar had filled with the sounds of laughter and conversation, bodies sliding onto the barstools in front of her.
“Josie!”
She turned at the singsong voice to find her Aunt Cecily standing there, arms outstretched. “Thank you so much for coming,” Josie said as she leaned across the bar for a big hug.
“Aww, I wouldn’t miss your big night,” Cecily said. “Your dad would have been so proud.”
“Thanks.” Josie blinked back tears, peripherally aware of the cameras moving in to capture this family moment. “Can I get you a drink? A White Russian?” It had been her aunt’s favorite for as long as Josie had been mixing drinks.
“Absolutely.” Her aunt slid onto an empty stool, brushing a hand over her silver hair as she looked around the bar. “It looks great, Josie. So different, but sometimes change can be a good thing.”
“I hope so,” Josie said as she combined vodka and Kahlua in a shaker before pouring it into a glass of ice. She bent to take heavy cream out of the fridge beneath the bar, adding a splash to the top of the drink. As she turned to hand it to her aunt, Cecily leaned forward with a conspiratorial smile.
“I’ve never been in a gay bar before,” she said. “Do you think I’ll get hit on by any women tonight?”
Josie grinned, overwhelmed with affection for her aunt. “I don’t know, Aunt Cec. Try flirting with someone and see what happens.”
Her aunt tipped her head back and laughed. “I’ll do that.”
From there, Josie’s night began to blur. She and Adam slid from one end of the bar to the other, mixing drinks while the Do Over team filmed them in action. To streamline things on opening night, she wasn’t launching her new takeout delivery option until tomorrow, but she had plenty of snack mix on hand for the current crowd. Meanwhile, Eve interviewed customers to get their opinions on the new bar, effortlessly working the room in that black dress.
“Dammit,” Adam muttered, and Josie tore her gaze from Eve to find him cleaning up a beer he’d overfilled. Well, he couldn’t be expected to get through his first full night of bartending without a few mishaps.
The crowd tonight was…odd. Overall, the customers were a lot straighter than Josie had expected. In fact, most people seemed to be here for the Do Over taping instead of the chance to check out a new gay bar, and maybe that was okay for tonight. But as she watched a woman deliberately knock her drink on the floor before turning toward the cameras with a dramatic shriek, Josie hoped she wasn’t in trouble once the cameras had left.
She hurried out from behind the bar to clean up the mess, as the woman who’d spilled her drink seized her moment of fame, chattering excitedly for the cameras. Behind her, Josie heard a man say, “Excuse me, but I think you poured me a lager instead of a stout.”
“So sorry about that,” Adam said. “I’ll pour you a stout right away. Next one’s on the house.”
Eve glanced over, an “I told you so” in her eyes, and while Josie still didn’t regret hiring Adam, maybe she should have started him out on a quieter night. She kept a smile pasted on her face as she fixed a new martini for the woman who’d spilled hers. Sucking in a breath, Josie turned to greet a woman who’d just taken an empty barstool in front of her. “Hi. What can I get you?”
“You’re Josie, right?” the woman said.
“That’s right,” Josie told her. She didn’t think they’d ever met, but occasionally someone came into the bar who’d watched her videos on YouTube.
“I’m Jules Vega,” she said warmly. “I had the winning bid to name your new kittens.”
“Oh!” A genuine smile spread over Josie’s face. “My theater kittens?”
“That’s right.” Jules nodded. She was about Josie’s age, with long, honey-brown hair. “I’m a Broadway actress and a lifelong theater lover, so I couldn’t resist.”
“Really? That’s so cool,” Josie said. “Would I have seen you in anything?”
Jules laughed. “You might have, but you probably wouldn’t remember me. I’m usually a member of the ensemble, although I’ve got a small supporting role in Paradise right now. I guess you could say I’m still waiting for my big break.”
“Aren’t we all?” Josie agreed, taking an immediate liking to Jules. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“I’ll try the Whiskey Kiss,” Jules said.
“Coming right up.”
“Actually, I was hoping to meet you tonight,” Jules said as Josie mixed her drink. “I’ve been watching your videos, and I guess I’ve gotten kind of attached to those kittens since I named them.”
“Thinking of adopt
ing?” Josie asked as she set a tumbler on the bar in front of her.
“I am, actually.” Jules lifted the glass to her lips and sipped. “Mm, that’s good.”
“Well, they aren’t officially available for adoption yet,” Josie told her, “but I’m always willing to make exceptions in unique situations.”
“Unique situations?” Jules gave her a hopeful look before taking another sip of her drink.
“Such as when the person who donated a bunch of money to name them takes the time to come to my bar’s grand reopening,” Josie told her. “It’ll be a while before they’re ready to go home with you, but I’d be happy to give you the pick of the litter, assuming you pass my adoption screening.”
“Yes.” Jules fist-pumped the air.
“Don’t leave tonight without me getting your information, okay?”
“You got it.”
Josie looked up to see Eve watching her from across the room, eyes narrowed, and then she was walking straight toward her. And if Josie wasn’t mistaken, she looked pissed.
16
Eve turned off her mic pack as she crossed the room to where Josie was leaned against the bar, laughing and talking with a very attractive woman. Flirting. It looked like flirting, and while it was certainly Josie’s prerogative to flirt with whomever she wanted, she didn’t need to do it in front of the cameras. Or in front of Eve.
She slid into an opening at the bar, catching Josie’s eye. “I sent the crew on their break if you want to turn that off for a little while.” She gestured toward Josie’s mic pack.
“Yeah, sure,” Josie said, reaching behind herself to switch it off. Her lavender hair shone beneath the overhead lighting like she was some sort of fairy, a very adorable fairy who made Eve’s heart beat too fast every time she looked at her.