by Sarra Cannon
I smile. “Yep,” I say. “And we’re almost at max, so he’s having to make people wait until someone else leaves. Go see for yourself.”
A proud smile creeps over his face, and he nods. “I think I will,” he says. “It’s been a long time since we had a line at the old bar. Things are looking up.”
I laugh and watch as he makes his way through the crowd, shaking hands with old friends and beaming with pride. He’s earned this after years of hard work to keep this place going, and I have to hold back tears as I think about everything he’s been through.
I roll my eyes and run a finger under my eye. This is not a night for silly tears. It’s a night for celebration and making money. It’s a night for breathing new life into a place that means more to my father than just about anything in this world.
I turn to the next customer in line. “What’ll it be?” I ask.
And just like that, I’m lost again in the rhythm of this place. The constant push and pull, the give and take. The dance that keeps the bar spinning all night long.
It’s my favorite place to be on a Saturday night. I’m safe and happy here, and I don’t want anything to change.
Colton catches my eye and smiles, one eyebrow raised.
I suck in a breath and force my gaze away, trying to ignore the way he makes my cheeks flush and my heart race. He’s the kind of guy who acts like he wants to turn my whole life upside-down.
Well, no thank you.
I had my life turned upside-down once before, and I barely survived it. Things are finally back on track, and I am not about to let someone like Colton Tucker mess that up for me.
And yet, I can’t resist risking one more glance his way.
Chapter Two
“How y’all doing tonight?” I say into the microphone.
The crowd screams, holding their drinks up. We spent all morning moving the tables out of the bar so that we’d have more room, and every inch of floor space is packed. The place is electric with energy and excitement.
“We here at Rob’s want to thank you all for coming out tonight and supporting us. Where is old Rob?” I ask, lifting my hand to cover my eyes so I can see through the crowd.
Over by the door Rob gives a salute, a huge smile plastered across his face. I’ve never seen him so happy.
“There he is,” I say. “Let’s give it up for Rob.”
I hold my mic out to the crowd and they eat it up, screaming at the top of their lungs.
“Just to let you guys know, we’ll be having live music here at Rob’s every Saturday night, so I hope to see y’all right back here next week,” I say. “But I’m sure you didn’t come here to hear me yap my trap all night, so let’s get down to the music.”
More screams, and I’m loving every minute of it. I laugh and for some reason, find myself searching for Jo behind the bar. Our eyes meet across the crowd, and she smiles and shakes her head. She holds up her index finger and swirls it around, motioning for me to wrap it up. I laugh and nod.
“Without further ado, let’s give it up for one of our newest and best local bands, The Mason Dixon Line.”
I settle the mic back in its stand and step back to give Mason room to take over. “Knock ‘em dead, man,” I say, patting him on the back.
“Here goes nothing,” Mason says.
He strums the first few chords of a popular country song and the crowd goes completely nuts.
I jump off the edge of the stage and weave back toward the bar, saying hello to friends on my way through. Someone grabs hold of my belt loop and pulls me backward. I stumble and nearly bump into the kind of guy you just don’t mess with, but I manage to avoid him and turn toward the mystery girl.
“Colton Tucker, you sexy thing. Where do you think you’re going?” Missy Cartwright has her hands around my waist before I even realize what’s going on.
“Hey, darlin’, you having a good time?” I say. Missy’s a sweet girl. We went out a few times last year, but it never turned into anything serious.
Story of my life.
“I am now that I found you,” she says.
She’s obviously had a few drinks and is feeling good. I glance toward the bar and when I catch sight of Jo, she looks away a bit too fast.
My mouth goes dry. “It’s good to see you, too,” I say, but I’m already pushing her away. “I need to get back to work, though, so I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”
“I’m going to come find you,” she says in a sing-song voice. She lifts up on her toes and kisses my cheek.
I laugh and pull her hand away from my hip so that I can make my escape. Another girl I used to know tries to stop me, but I just say hello and push on. This place is a total madhouse tonight.
I head back to the bar as fast as I can and when I climb over the top and pass behind Jo, she stops and turns around.
“Good job on stage,” she says.
“Thanks.”
“For a minute there I wasn’t sure you were going to make it back to the bar,” she says. “Was that your girlfriend?”
“Who, Missy?” I ask. “Nah, she’s just a girl I used to know.”
“Of course she is,” Jo mumbles. She turns back around to start taking orders, but her shoulders are tense and so is her jaw.
I just shake my head. Is she jealous?
Jo is a hard nut to crack. I can’t seem to figure her out.
Sometimes I could swear she’s flirting with me, but then the next thing I know, she’s shutting down so fast it makes my head spin.
Which is probably for the best, considering that she’s basically my boss here at Rob’s. I like this job, and I don’t want to mess it up.
Back when I left Brantley’s I wasn’t sure it was the right move. Maria—my manager over at the restaurant—was good to me, always giving me great hours and letting me pretty much run things the way I wanted. It was a quiet gig where I got to talk to people and take things slow, but there were too many nights where I walked out the door with nothing more than a couple of twenties for an eight-hour shift.
That doesn’t happen here at Rob’s. We’re not usually this packed, but business is good and I’ve never left with less than a hundred bucks. I can’t afford to lose this job, so the worst possible thing I can do is start flirting with the woman who signs my paychecks, but damn. Some days it’s just hard to resist her.
I’ve never met a girl who could take my teasing and turn it right back around on me. It’s fun, but I don’t dare try to take it any further than that. I’m half afraid she’d bite my head off if I actually tried to get anything started with her.
I’ve never actually seen her go out with anyone, come to think of it. No girlfriends. No boyfriends. She mostly just works and hangs out with her dad. I’ve heard her talk about going out to the lake house with Knox and Leigh Anne, but other than that, I have no idea what she does to have fun. Does she ever just let her hair down and let loose?
Mmm, there’s something about the mental image that conjures in my head that makes me want to grab her and loosen her braids until her hair rolls down her back. Dangerous thoughts, but hard ones to get rid of.
I head back to my station and get back to work, pouring drinks and opening bottles as fast as I can. I have to go into the storeroom to get more beer and cups twice and there’s still a crowd waiting for drinks. The way the tip jar is filling up, this looks like it’s going to be the best night I’ve ever had tending bar.
God knows I can use the money, too. It’ll be fun to do some counting once the place is empty.
Thank goodness for Penny’s suggestion to bring on a waitress tonight, or we’d be even more slammed up here than we are. Suzanne comes up to the drinks station at the end of the bar and plunks down a long list of orders.
“Have you ever seen anything like this?” she asks, using her notebook to fan herself. Her blonde hair is up in a ponytail and there’s sweat trickling down the side of her face.
“Good times,” I say, having to shout over the music. I pick up her
list of orders and start setting up cups and filling them with ice.
“What are you doing after?” she asks, leaning over the top of the bar so that her ample cleavage is practically in my face. There’s a sly smile on her pretty face, and I’m surprised at the blatant flirtation. We hardly know each other except for hanging out a few times here at the bar.
Is she asking me out?
I measure out shots of vodka and pour them into the cups, daring a quick glance at Jo down at the other end. What is she doing after? That’s what I really want to know. Maybe I could convince her to hang around the bar for a while once it’s empty.
I shake my head. Wasn’t I just telling myself to stop thinking about that girl? I’m off my game. She’s got me all turned around.
Normally, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell a girl like Suzanne hell yes, let’s hang out as long as she wants after, but tonight I can’t even force interest. What the heck is wrong with me?
“After this, I’ll probably want to spread my cash on the bed and pass out for about twelve hours,” I say with a laugh. “I’m exhausted and we’ve still got hours to go.”
“I could come over and we could lay low. We could rent a movie or something,” she offers as she arranges the drinks on her tray. “If you want, I mean. I’ve got a couple of those free Redbox codes. Might be something good left by the time we knock off.”
“Catch me on the flipside,” I say, even though I’m not really interested. “But I have a feeling I’m not going to want to do anything but sleep once we close this place down.”
Disappointment flickers across her features. “Oh, me too, I’m sure,” she says. “Maybe some other night.”
“Sounds good,” I say. “Get back out there and make some money.”
“You know it,” she says with a giggle.
She lifts the heavy tray over her head like a pro and wades through the dense crowd. I keep an eye on her for a while, even as I take a few more drink orders and fill them up. Suzanne is definitely easy on the eyes with her curvy body and baby blues. A few weeks ago, I would have been eager to accept a movie invitation from a girl like that, with every intention to skip the movie. Hell, I’ve never been one to shy away from a good time with a pretty girl. But ever since coming to work at Rob’s, I haven’t been able to get Jo off my mind. There is just something about that girl that drives me crazy.
She’s feisty. Smart with a quick wit that makes it fun just be around her. She makes me nervous in a good way, like I’m always wanting to impress her. I’m not sure a girl has ever made me feel quite like that, and I’m not sure what to make of it.
She’s not my usual type. She’s closed off and makes it obvious at every turn that she’s not interested in a relationship. I’ve heard plenty of guys hit on her during her shifts, but she shoots them down every time without blinking an eye.
She’s exactly the kind of girl I should stay away from.
I glance her way and whistle softly. She looks good tonight, though. Her long black hair hangs down her back in a braid and she’s wearing tight jeans, doc martens, and a tight little black tank top that hugs her curves in all the right places. There’s a grace in her movements that does something to my insides every time I look at her.
Yeah, there’s definitely something about that girl I can’t resist.
It may be a mistake to flirt with my boss, but something tells me it’s a mistake I won’t regret making.
Chapter Three
The bar is trashed, and I’ve never been happier to clean the dang place in my life.
When the last of our customers walks out the door, I lock it and throw my hands up in triumph. “We did it!”
Colton is standing by the tip jar digging out dollar bills and smiling like a kid on Christmas morning. “I’ve never been so happy to be so tired,” he says. “This place was packed. Could you believe that crowd?”
“I was hoping it would be a good turnout, but I never dreamed it would be so huge,” I say. “I just feel like flying. Damn, that was fun.”
I sit down on a barstool across from Colton. He’s staring at me like I’ve gone crazy.
“What? I’m not allowed to be happy?” I ask.
He laughs. “It’s not that. It’s just that I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say the word fun,” he says. “I wasn’t sure you knew the meaning of the word.”
I frown. “I know how to have fun.”
“Okay, so when was the last time you had a really crazy, let-loose kind of good time?” he asks.
I open my mouth to answer, but he holds up a hand.
“And it doesn’t count if it happened here at the bar,” he says.
I pout. “That’s not fair. I’m always here.”
“Exactly,” he says, one eyebrow raised.
I roll my eyes and help him count the tips. “I know how to have a good time,” I say again. “I’ve just been working a lot lately.”
“We both have, but I still know how to go out after with my friends and live it up.”
“Don’t kill my joy, Colton,” I say. “I want to enjoy this.”
He smiles and our eyes meet over the counter. There’s something brewing in his mind, I just know it, but I can’t even let myself go there. He’s an employee and besides, it would never work between us.
Knox comes out of the storeroom and slaps his hands together. “Finished,” he says. “I’m exhausted.”
“Me, too,” I say. “I can’t wait to get home and put my feet up for the next twenty years. Thank God we’re closed on Sundays. I don’t want to put shoes on again until Monday.”
“If y’all are good, I’m going to head on home.”
“You don’t want to wait for your tips?” I ask. “We’re almost done and then we’ll see what Daddy has on the receipts.”
“Nah, Leigh Anne’s been waiting up,” Knox says, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t forget about the barbeque at the lake next weekend. Colton, you’re welcome to join us if you want.”
I suck in a breath and glance sideways at Knox. Why did he have to invite Colton? I’ve been looking forward to some quiet time with just the family for weeks. Maybe he’ll be busy.
“Sure, when is it?” Colton asks.
I bite my lip. Damn.
“Next Sunday around lunch time,” Knox says. “You remember how to get out there, right?”
“I think so,” Colton says.
Knox says goodnight, leaving Colton and I alone in the bar again. Daddy’s in the office going through receipts.
It’s strangely quiet after the deafening noise of the music and the crowd.
“Thanks for staying to help clean up,” I say, just trying to break up the silence. “I heard you and Suzanne might be going out, so if you need to go, I can finish up on my own.”
I don’t even know why I mentioned Suzanne, but she cornered me earlier to tell me she was going to ask him out, and it bothered me. Like, really bothered me.
Which only upset me even more.
I watch his expression to see how he’ll react, half-expecting him to run a rag over the counter and call it a night. Instead, he shrugs.
“I don’t mind cleaning up,” he says. “Besides, I don’t feel like partying tonight. I just want to stretch out in front of the TV for a while.”
“All those late-night infomercials are really gaining traction among the male gender these days,” I mumble.
He raises an eyebrow in question.
I laugh. “Sorry. My dad hasn’t been sleeping much these days. Any time I wake up in the middle of the night, he’s lying in his recliner watching people get stains out of their carpet or talk about how to get your beach body ready for summer.”
“I can’t stand those things,” he says. “Everybody trying to sell you on some product that you know isn’t going to work worth a damn. You guys seriously need to get Netflix or something.”
I stand and roll my eyes. “We have Netflix. I don’t even know why he’s up watching those things,” I say. “M
aybe he’s hoping they’ll bore him to sleep. All I know is they’re driving me crazy.”
“Have you ever thought about getting your own place?”
I clean off the booth tables and pick up all the empty cups and bottles that got dropped on the floor. “I guess I thought about it a few times, but it seems silly. It’s just easier to stay home since we live right behind the bar,” I say. “Besides, it’s just been the two of us for as long as I can remember. I don’t like to think about him living there by himself with no one to look after him.”
“He’s a grown man. I think he could probably handle it,” he says. He’s done counting the money and a large stack of bills sits on the counter as he washes out glasses.
“How much?” I ask, nodding to the cash.
That crooked smile breaks out on his face, and I have to look away.
“Five hundred sixty-two smackeroos,” he says.
My jaw drops. “Are you sure?”
“Counted it twice.”
I smile and shake my head. I can’t believe it. If that’s what we brought in from cash tips alone, I can’t wait to see what the bar tabs look like.
“Do you live by yourself?” I ask, going back to the previous subject. I know surprisingly little about Colton other than what nights of the week he works here. Is he going to college? Does he have a girlfriend? I never realized just how little he actually talks about himself.
“In a way,” he says. When I stare at him, he continues. “My family’s what you would call close, I guess.”
“Care to elaborate on that? Or are you just going to let my imagination run wild? Because I’m picturing you in a big barn with one giant family bed right now.”
He laughs so hard he has to lower his head and stop cleaning for a second. “It’s nothing like that,” he says. “Some people think we’re a bit strange, though, I’ll put it that way.”
“Aww, come on, you’ve got to give me more than that,” I say, honestly interested now in figuring out what he seems so hesitant to explain to me.
He pulls a couple fresh shot glasses from the pile and sets them out. “Come take a break for a minute and have a celebratory shot,” he says. “And I’ll tell you all about my crazy family.”