Speed Dating the Boss

by Sue Brown

  “Yeah, you did,” Dan said honestly. “But it’s retrievable. Not talking to you is killing him, but he wanted to make a point. You’ve said sorry to me, and that’s a good start. Now you owe your dad an apology.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He’s gone to find a tuxedo for the wedding. For some reason he’s grown out of the one he wore for his own wedding, and he’s really annoyed.” Dan rolled his eyes, and Ariel giggled. He pulled out his phone and hit Gideon’s number.

  “Dan? Is everything okay?”

  “The bar is still standing.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m still standing.” Only just, but he didn’t want to worry Gideon. “I have Ariel here. She wants to talk to you.”

  Dan didn’t wait for his response. He just held the phone out to Ariel, and she took it with a shaky hand.

  “Daddy, I’m really sorry. I’ve apologized to Dan too.”

  She wandered upstairs with Dan’s phone, and he slumped back in the chair, feeling as though he’d been put through a ringer.

  “You did good there,” Bradley said as he handed Dan a soda.

  “And my mom wonders why I never had kids?”

  “You would have been a good mom,” Bradley teased.

  “Don’t push it,” Dan growled, but he smiled, relieved that the conversation with Ariel was over. “Has the soft drinks delivery arrived?”

  “Not yet, but it’s due any minute.”

  The day returned to normal. Ariel returned the phone to Dan and then vanished. Dan handled more deliveries, although he was aching fiercely by the time the last one arrived, and he didn’t see Gideon again until early evening when he was stacking glasses in the dishwashers.

  Dan jumped out of his skin when he turned to find someone standing behind him. “What the hell?”

  Gideon steadied him with his hands on Dan’s upper arms. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to see how you’re feeling.”

  Heart still pounding, Dan took a few deep breaths. “I’m okay, no thanks to you. Just don’t do that again.”

  “Do what?”

  “Stand behind me.” At Gideon’s look of confusion, Dan reluctantly admitted, “I’m nervous about people behind me.”

  Gideon’s eyes widened. “Since the attack?”

  Dan nodded. “I’ll get over it.” He wouldn’t have confessed that to anyone but Gideon, but he didn’t examine the reasons. He nodded at the suit bag over Gideon’s arm. “You got your tux?”

  “Yes, I did. What about you?”

  “Marty’s organizing that for me. I’m renting one.” At Gideon’s vaguely horrified expression, Dan said defensively, “I don’t have much use for a penguin suit.”

  Gideon gave a wry smile. “I guess not. Sorry.”

  “Goodness, two apologies from the Tylers in one day. Is it snowing out there?”

  Gideon pretended to cuff him over the head, and Dan backed out of his reach and left him alone with a mocking laugh. It was good to have things return to normal.

  DAN WENT to the local precinct to give a statement about what he remembered of the assault. The detective dealing with his case was remarkably cheerful, considering Dan remembered very little, but with the video evidence from the bar and from a store nearby, they had clear images of Tall and Broad as they rushed him and of Broad’s punch to his face. They were interested in Ariel’s involvement in the lead-up to the assault, but he assured them Ariel had insisted the two men leave before there was trouble, and he hoped they wouldn’t take it further.

  On his return to the bar, Gideon took him up to his apartment and handed him a coffee. He studied Dan’s face. “Are you okay?”

  Dan sighed. “I’m just frustrated. I honestly can’t remember much.”

  “It’s not like you need to,” Gideon pointed out. “We know who did it.”

  “They’ve been arrested and bailed. With the video footage, my statement is just a formality.”

  Since the attack Dan’s biggest fear was that Tall and Broad would come back to finish the job. They knew where he worked, and it wasn’t difficult to find out where he lived. He hadn’t told anyone of his fears, but he spent a lot of time looking over his shoulder.

  “What’s worrying you?” Gideon asked perceptively as he sat down beside Dan.

  “Nothing. I’m okay.”

  Gideon made a disbelieving noise. “They’re banned from the bar, Dan.”

  “I know that.”

  “But you’re still concerned they might come back?”

  Dan looked away from Gideon, embarrassed to admit his fears. “Yeah. I know it’s stupid.”

  “They’re not gonna get near you.”

  Dan wrapped his hands around his mug to hide the fact that they were shaking. “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Dan drank the coffee and appreciated the warmth as it flowed through his body. He knew some nerves were normal after an assault, but he couldn’t afford to let it get the better of him.

  “I’ve made an appointment for you to see a shrink,” Gideon said.

  Dan’s jaw dropped. Of all the typically high-handed and overbearing things Gideon could do. “You did what?”

  “A shrink. It’s tomorrow, before your shift. Don’t argue.” Dan opened his mouth to do just that, but Gideon placed a finger over his lips. “I know him. Ariel and I saw him after Sarah and Simon died. It’s not a weakness to admit you need extra support.”

  Just then there was a beep from Dan’s phone. Gideon removed his fingers, and Dan pulled it out. He growled as he looked at the screen. Disastrous Date—Parker—again. It was the last thing he needed to deal with.

  “What’s wrong?” Gideon asked. Dan showed him the screen, and Gideon scowled. “You’re gonna have to confront this head-on.”

  Dan rubbed his temple. “I thought I did at the dating evening. I’ll sort it after the wedding. I’m too tired now.”

  “If you don’t, I will.”

  To his relief, Gideon let it drop then, and Dan escaped down to the bar. He didn’t see any more of Gideon until Dan finished his shift, only to find him dressed in coat and hat and holding his car keys.

  “Are you going somewhere?” Dan asked curiously.

  “I’m taking you home.”

  “I know you did it last week, but I don’t need a ride. I can get an Uber.”

  Gideon jangled the keys.

  Dan rolled his eyes. “You’re gonna insist, aren’t you?”

  “Yep. And I’ll be there to pick you up at one for your appointment with the shrink.”

  Dan shrugged on his coat. “You may as well stay the night,” he grumbled.

  “If I didn’t have morning meetings, I’d take you up on that kind offer.”

  “It’s nearly four in the morning. Why are you awake if you have an early meeting?”

  “Just making sure the best man is in one piece for Saturday.”

  If Dan hadn’t looked at Gideon’s face, he would have taken that statement at face value. Instead he had a feeling that what Gideon said and what Gideon meant were two different things.

  He wasn’t surprised when Gideon escorted him all the way to his front door. “Do you want to come in?”

  “I’d better not. Otherwise I won’t want to leave you alone in that big bed.”

  “SmokeyJo and I are willing to share.”

  Gideon groaned under his throat. “Don’t say that, darlin’. I’m having a hard time holding back as it is.”

  It was on the tip of Dan’s tongue to tell him not to hold back, to take him inside and pound him into the mattress, because God knew Dan had wanted that for long enough.

  Before he could articulate the words, Gideon gave him the briefest of kisses, murmured, “Good night,” and disappeared toward the stairs, leaving Dan frustrated and relieved at the same time.

  Chapter 19

  GIDEON TURNED into Dan’s shadow for the rest of the week. No matter how much Dan assured him he didn’t need a chaperone, Gi
deon was always by his side, keys in hand, ready to drive him to and from the bar. It did highlight to Dan that working was pretty much all he did, but it’s not like he didn’t know that already.

  His visit to the therapist was… useful. That was all Dan was going to admit. The therapist was a quiet thirtysomething man with a ready smile, who worked from his home in a comfortable brownstone. Privately Dan thought the therapy business must be paying well to own a house like that, but he liked the man and his surroundings. And he would go back. Dan discovered he had a lot of things to get off his chest.

  After the appointment Gideon drove him back to the bar with an air of smug satisfaction. Dan let him have his moment. One day he’d get the better of his boss, but today was not that day.

  Gideon acted as chauffeur during the day, and Dan told him he didn’t have to drive him home. But he wasn’t surprised to find Gideon sitting at the bar with his car keys in hand at the end of his shift. It didn’t keep Dan from complaining to his friends.

  “I’m a grown-ass man,” Dan grumbled to Marty and Lena when they met two days before the wedding for a last-minute conference of war.

  Lena rolled her eyes. “If it were me or Marty or Gideon or—”

  “I get the point,” Dan said.

  “Do you? If it were anybody else you’d be doing the same thing. Leave him alone if it makes him feel happy. Your safety matters to him.”

  “Isn’t that some kind of public-safety information?” Marty said. “Your safety matters, dot-dot-dot.”

  Lena notched his elbow. “Idiot.”

  “Your idiot,” Marty agreed.

  Now it was Dan’s turn to roll his eyes. “You two are really sickening.”

  “I know,” Marty agreed.

  Lena opened her mouth, but Dan held up his hand. “If you’re about to say ‘Wait until it’s your turn,’ I really suggest you don’t.”

  She smiled sweetly at him. “I won’t say it, then.”

  Marty laughed. “I’d give up now, dude. You’ll never win.”

  Dan gave a grunt of disgust, and they laughed at him again.

  Operation Wedding was in hand. Despite pressure from both families, they refused to have a rehearsal dinner, citing the cost as an issue, although Lena admitted privately that the real reason was morning sickness, or rather all-day sickness. Between that, fatigue, and finding food she couldn’t eat, it was dragging her down. The thought of two long-winded public events was more than she could handle.

  They nearly canceled the wedding, but Lena had decided she could manage if she paced herself. Although Marty’s parents had offered to pay for the dinner, Marty and Lena stuck to their guns. Dan was impressed by how well Marty stood up to his parents. Without being demeaning to his friend, Dan felt Marty had really grown a spine, and he put it down to Lena’s influence.

  “What are you doing Friday night?” Dan said. He was going to the wedding rehearsal and working Friday night so he could get the weekend off for the wedding.

  “Todd is coming over for movies and a couple of beers. It’s a quiet night in,” Marty said.

  “Does he know that?” Dan asked cautiously. “It’s your brother we’re talking about.”

  “He’s under instructions from Lena. Besides, I’m working late after the rehearsal on Friday, so he won’t have time to do any damage.”

  Dan wasn’t convinced. He knew Todd of old. “If you want, I can try and get the time off.” He’d have to beg Juan to cover. Then he’d probably end up doing five early shifts.

  Marty shook his head. “It’s fine. I may just cancel him and go to bed anyway. I can’t believe how long this project is taking.”

  He launched into a diatribe about his latest clients, and Dan listened with half an ear. He would find Todd’s number and warn him to behave. Todd was a fun guy to be around, but he was the eternal prankster and never considered the consequences of his actions until it was too late. Dan liked him well enough, but the man was in his early thirties and still single. No woman ever hung around long enough to calm him down.

  GOOD INTENTIONS and all that, but Dan still hadn’t called Todd by Friday afternoon. When he suddenly remembered, he tried him on his break, but Todd didn’t pick up. He left a text asking Todd to call him ASAP, but he wasn’t surprised not to hear from him. The guy was a flake.

  Cowboys and Angels was packed on Friday night, and Dan didn’t have time to try again. He was busy behind the bar all evening. It was payday, and all the patrons were determined to get as liquored up as possible.

  In fairness to Ariel, the fight that broke out was not her fault. She’d left an hour before, saying she was off to meet friends. It was just a normal Friday night, and Dan ducked as a stool came flying over the bar. Instead of calling Gideon on the bar phone, Dan waded into the melee. If he was going to be manager, he needed to handle these things himself, instead of always calling the boss. Dan yelled at everyone to sit down and shut up and then worked his way to the nexus of the fight. Most took him at his word, picked up their chairs, and continued on with the evening, but two men hadn’t seemed to notice that everyone around them had gone quiet. They continued to beat the living daylights out of each other until Dan and Bradley hauled them apart.

  “Enough,” Dan shouted.

  One of the men launched himself at the other one, but Bradley grabbed him again.

  Dan glared at two men. He knew them, knew they were both regulars. The younger guy had been at the speed-dating evening. Dan stabbed a finger at him. “I don’t care what your problem is, Mikey, but fighting days in this bar are over. Do you understand?”

  Mikey glared at him, his fists clenching, and Dan tensed, ready to defend himself from a punch.

  “But—” Mikey burst out.

  “No buts. Do this again and you’re banned.”

  The other man tried to intervene. “Gideon don’t care if we fight.”

  Dan whirled on him, and the man took a step back. “Gideon made me manager, which means you two don’t get to be assholes in my bar. Now you can either sit down and shut up, or you can take your business and your fight somewhere else. Which is it to be?”

  Both men grumbled, but the aggression seemed to have been knocked out of them, at least for the moment. Dan went back to the bar with a fierce look on his face, and nobody got in his way.

  “You’re very good at this,” Gideon said. Dan had noticed him in the stairway, but Gideon didn’t try to interfere, and Dan was thankful.

  Dan gave a curt nod. “Tonight, they behave. I’m not going to the wedding with another goddam bruise on my face.”

  “It might be the start of a new era at Cowboys and Angels.” Gideon sounded almost shocked.

  “The next thing you know, we’ll be serving tea and biscuits to the ladies.”

  It was a joke, but he grinned as Gideon shuddered. “We’d better not.”

  “I’m in charge now, boss.” Dan couldn’t resist teasing him. “You’re lucky we’re not serving pink cocktails and froufrou canapés.”

  Gideon looked at him skeptically. “Do you even know what a canapé is?”

  “I have spent the last month looking at wedding plans and wedding menus. I not only know what a canapé is, I know all the variations, and I would be happy to ram them up the next man who decides to pick a fight here.”

  Gideon held his hands up in surrender. “No argument from me, darlin’.”

  “Makes a change. I’d better get back to work, but I’m going to Marty’s first thing in the morning. And yes, I’ll get an Uber. I’ll meet you at the church. The service is at four.”

  “I remember. You’re getting an Uber tonight?” Gideon had apologetically said he couldn’t take Dan home at the end of his shift because he had a late video chat with a friend halfway across the world.

  “It’s all booked,” Dan assured him.

  “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do for you before then?”

  Dan shook his head. “Unless you’re going to bring me breakfast in bed at fi
ve thirty in the morning, I’m good. See you tomorrow.”

  Chapter 20

  BANG! BANG! Bang!

  “What the hell?”

  Dan shot up out of bed, his heart pounding and his pulse racing. What the hell was that noise? He looked at his clock and growled. It was five twenty-five, five minutes before his alarm was due to go off. He’d gotten home at one, an hour later than he planned. Those extra five minutes counted.

  The banging started again, and he rushed to the door and flung it open. His boss grinned at him, his arms full of take-out coffee cups and a bag of something that smelled suspiciously like breakfast sandwiches.

  “Morning, darlin’.” Gideon looked him up and down. “Well, this is a good way to be greeted.”

  Dan stared at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “You wanted breakfast in bed,” Gideon said, as though it were obvious.

  “I’m meeting you at the church. This afternoon. What the hell are you doing here now?”

  “Who gives a fuck,” his portly neighbor across the hall growled, standing in a terry-cloth robe that didn’t quite meet where it should. “It’s five thirty in the goddamn morning. Shut up before I call the cops.”

  “Oh my God,” Dan moaned. He pulled Gideon into his hallway and apologized profusely to his half-naked neighbor. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Lewis. It won’t happen again.”

  Mr. Lewis huffed, slammed his door, and caught his robe in it. He had to open the door again, and Dan pretended not to notice as he shut his own. He glared at Gideon, who grinned back.

  “What the—” Then Dan’s alarm sounded raucously through his apartment. “Please let this be a nightmare,” Dan muttered as he fled to his bedroom to turn off the racket.

  “I’ve got lattes and breakfast sandwiches,” Gideon said cheerfully, as though it were normal to turn up at dark thirty on Dan’s doorstep. “There’s no real time to go back to bed, unfortunately. You’ve got time to eat and then have a shower before we need to go.”

  Dan went into the bathroom to take a leak and then stalked back into his living room. Gideon was busy stroking SmokeyJo as she wove and purred around his ankles. Of course Dan’s cat would fall for Gideon. He’d unpacked the food, and it sat invitingly on the breakfast bar. Dan ignored it, even though his stomach growled. “There is no we. I don’t know what you’re doing here, but I don’t need you.”