by Jody Holford
One of the front doors swung open, and Declan’s moody thoughts shifted and cleared. Megan walked through with Adam right behind her, his hand on her hip. She smiled that adorable megawatt smile at him, and his tension disappeared.
“What are you two doing here?” He set napkins in front of them when they settled on bar stools.
“Charlie stayed with Stella and Zach last night. So, we…slept in and thought we’d have your yummy breakfast special before heading to get him,” Megan said.
She glanced at Adam, her husband of exactly one year yesterday, and Declan felt it again—that bone-deep longing that had sprung up out of nowhere. The sensation had been choking him lately, and he didn’t quite know what to do with it.
“Slept in, huh?” He winked at Megan and smiled at Adam.
“Yup. Adam made it past seven thirty, so it was like a new record,” Megan teased.
Adam stroked a hand down her hair with an affectionate gaze. Then he looked at Declan, and his gaze lost any traces of softness. “You two are very funny. Maybe you should have comedy night here at the pub and perform as a duo.”
“What do you guys want besides breakfast?” Declan glanced at the drink order that printed in front of him from the waitress station but waited for his friends to answer.
“Orange juice, please,” Megan said.
“Same.” Adam took Megan’s jacket and his own and laid them over a stool before sitting down.
“Be right back,” Declan said. He filled Cora’s order first, plugged in Megan and Adam’s breakfast orders—which he knew by heart—and then grabbed two orange juices and brought them over.
“How was last night?” Adam asked after taking a long swallow of juice.
Declan shrugged and rested his forearms on the bar. “Probably not as good as yours. We were busy, but I’m wondering if next year I should try one of those package deals. I’ll have to run it by my new manager.”
Both Adam and Megan started and then waited for him to fill in the blanks. He leaned a little closer and spoke to Adam. “You remember little Sophia Strombi? Marcus’s sister?”
Adam nodded and looked at Meg. “Of course. Youngest of the Strombi kids. She left about ten years ago.”
“Left for where?” Megan looked back and forth between them.
Declan glanced over his shoulder to make sure Sophia wasn’t coming out from the back. He wasn’t sharing state secrets, but he didn’t want her to walk in on pieces of a conversation and think he was telling them something he shouldn’t.
“The other three kids work for their dad, but Sophia never wanted to. She went west. I think she traveled a bit and put herself through school. Marcus stays in touch with her more than anyone else, and I guess he mentioned I was looking for a manager. She showed up on my doorstep. She hasn’t told them she’s home yet.”
“Hmm. You talk to Marcus?”
Declan shook his head. That question was roiling around in his gut. It wasn’t his place, but on the other hand, he knew his friend would be pissed. “I’m hoping she’ll handle it pretty soon.”
“So, you just hired her?” Adam asked, arching his eyebrows.
Declan grinned, still not sure if he’d solved all his professional problems or just loaded himself down with personal ones. “She wanted a job. Knew I had one. So yeah, I hired her this morning. I have a really good feeling that she’s going to be a great manager.” She was going to be a hell of a lot more than that. Her marketing and promotional background was going to help him take his bar, and hopefully his beer, to the next level.
“Are you nuts?” Adam asked loudly enough to have heads turn.
Megan leaned forward. “Is this a bad thing?”
Running a hand over his clean-shaven jaw, Adam frowned. “I don’t think the Strombi family will be very happy with their youngest daughter working in a bar. They’ve always been a little conservative.”
Declan shoved his hands in his pockets. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had the same concern, but she was an adult. He jutted his chin toward Adam, but spoke to Megan. “Not stick-up-their-ass conservative like Adam here, but yeah, they’re pretty set in their ways.”
Adam flipped up his middle finger, and Megan laughed, leaning into her husband.
“She’s a grown woman now. I’m sure they’ll respect her decisions. It’s not like she’s working at a dive bar in a sketchy area of town,” Megan said.
“They were pretty upset when she left, if I remember correctly. Dec and I were close to Marc, and he didn’t handle it well. But he’s always had the most pressure of the four of them from his dad, so it was probably the stress of knowing he’d have to pick up his sister’s slack on top of his worries about her taking off that made it more difficult.” Adam looked like he was mulling this over.
The bell rang to signal a food order was up. Declan’s brows scrunched. “It’s not unusual for kids to go off to university. Maybe her family shouldn’t have put so much pressure on her.” Great. He sounded defensive even to himself.
Adam arched a brow. “Regardless, you think they’ll be on board with her working here?”
Declan sighed. “I don’t think they’ll be happy she’s here, and I don’t know about respecting the choice, but she’s as stubborn as any of them, so hopefully they’ll accept it and I didn’t invite family drama into my place.”
He walked to the kitchen, grabbed their breakfasts, and set plates of bacon, eggs, fried potatoes, and toast in front of them. His own stomach growled. He snagged a potato off Megan’s plate and grinned at Adam’s responding glare.
“Maybe you should get your own,” Adam suggested, unfolding his napkin.
Yeah, bud. I was already thinking that myself. And he didn’t mean the breakfast. He’d watched Adam take the slow, reluctant tumble into love with Megan. He’d also watched him almost fuck it up. At the time, Declan was able to offer advice without any undertones of jealousy. He’d had a steady flow of women in his life. Women he laughed with, cared for, slept with, flirted with—he’d never felt the need to settle down with just one. He’d thought he was in love once, at eighteen, but when she’d run off to marry a man twelve years older than her who could better provide the future she wanted, he hadn’t dwelt on her any longer.
“You okay?” Megan asked, tilting her head and picking up a piece of bacon.
“I’m good, cutie.”
Adam nearly growled. His uptight, by-the-book buddy was over the moon for his wife. You never thought it’d happen for him, and here he is. He’d be lost without Meg.
“Hey, Dec,” Sophia’s sultry, sweet voice said from behind him. Even with the music pumping through the speakers, he had no trouble hearing her.
He turned, hating the way just her voice made him feel like she’d run her fingertips over his skin. Dangerous territory, man. Hiring her was supposed to lodge her firmly in the off-limits-employee category. His heart—and other areas—were acting slow on the uptake, though.
Sophia held his binder that housed contact information for all of his vendors. She glanced at him and then to Megan and Adam.
“I can wait, if you’re busy. Or if you want to come back to the office when you’re free, I just have a few quick questions,” she said.
With her skin the color of silky, smooth caramel, he didn’t expect the flush of pink that spread over her cheeks. His heart hammered harder in response, and his gut clenched. Adorable.
The printer signaling an order buzzed, and the kitchen rang the bell for another food order up. Declan stood there staring at Sophia’s lips, and it wasn’t until Adam tossed a crumpled napkin at him that he shook himself free of the trance.
When he did, he felt like an idiot. All three of them were staring at him with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. Smooth. Leaning over, he picked up the napkin and tossed it in the trash.
He glared at Adam but kept his voice even. “I’m not busy. This clown used to be one of my friends. Marcus’s too, actually. This is Adam Klein—who you might remember—and hi
s wife, definitely his better half, Megan. Guys, this is Sophia.”
Megan leaned over the bar, hand outstretched. “Hi, Sophia. I am a big fan of your family’s restaurant, but you probably hear that all the time.”
Declan grimaced. He got the feeling her father’s restaurant was not what Sophia wanted to be known for. But Sophia shook Meg’s hand, a wide smile on her pretty lips.
“The recipes were passed down from my great-great grandmother. She’d be thrilled to know that all these years later, people still enjoy her food.” Sophia looked at Adam and shook his hand as well. “I do remember you. Sort of. Everyone has filled out and matured. I probably still just look like Marc’s younger sister.”
She smiled, but Declan had to work to keep his mouth shut. Like hell she looked the same. At eighteen she’d been…well, he didn’t really know because he hadn’t fucking looked. Because sisters of friends were off-limits. Then and now, man.
“I remember you, too. You used to try to tag along when your brother got the odd Friday night off,” Adam said.
Sophia’s laugh struck Declan right in the gut like a fist. How could a laugh be sexy? He made women laugh all the time, and he hadn’t been turned on from just that sound.
“I was never allowed to go anywhere. You’d think, being the youngest, they would have loosened the reins, but it was the opposite. They gave Marcus a bit more freedom because he was a boy. Me? I was practically tied to my mother’s apron.”
She said it matter-of-factly, without rancor, but Declan had a feeling the truth of what she’d said had been a catalyst for pushing her out of town.
“You guys want anything else?” Declan asked.
“I’m good right now,” Megan said, still sending Sophia glances.
When Declan looked at Adam, there was a strange glint in his friend’s gaze. Declan swallowed a knot of irritation that he couldn’t quite explain and flashed a smile at Sophia.
“What did you need me to look at?”
She moved farther down the bar, and he followed her, watching as she opened the binder. She had used Post-its in different colors to mark the pages she wanted to show him. It was hard to lean in to see what she was sharing without inhaling the sweet scent of her hair and her body. He wondered if she used one of those fruity body scrubs. Do not go there.
“I think I can get you better deals than these vendors are giving you. I know you have long-term relationships with some, but these guys for produce, these ones for frozen foods, and these guys for to-go bags could easily be bargained with.”
He smiled at her, and she looked up, brushing a thick curl out of her way. He wanted to follow the motion but stopped himself.
“Knock yourself out. I was serious about wanting to cut back, so you taking on the vendors and the ordering is a huge step in the right direction. It’s less stress on me, being here and having that shit taken care of. Especially since Marcus and I are just about ready to do a tasting for our beer. If you have any ideas there, I’m all ears.”
Her slow perusal down, then up his body heated him to a disturbing degree. He wasn’t a damn teenager who got turned on from a look.
“You’re definitely not all ears. And as a matter of fact, I have several ideas. But, um…” She glanced around, and Declan fought the desire to cover her hand with his own. Instead, he just waited for her to continue.
Her eyes moved back, focusing on him. “I’ll write up some ideas, but maybe you could leave my name out of it for now? I know I need to deal with my family, but I’m not ready yet. I need a few days.”
He nodded, telling himself that the hug he wanted to give her was just who he was. He hugged people. Lots of people. Women included. But most of the time, he wasn’t trying to fight an attraction to them. He either didn’t feel it or didn’t fight it. “I can do that. Anything else?”
“I have interviews scheduled for tomorrow and the next day. Depending on how they go, your current staff is about to experience a lot of changes. A staff meeting is great for establishing expectations and all, but I’m thinking with this many new hires, myself included, you need something else.”
Declan did a quick survey of the bar and saw everyone was fine. His eyes caught on Megan and Adam who were unabashedly staring his way. He turned back to Sophia.
“What kind of something else?”
She grinned. “Some sort of team-building activity. I organized a lot of these at my last job in Arizona. There’s a ton of different ideas. Escape rooms, fitness challenges, mock-survival challenges, cook-offs.”
Declan shook his head as the grin overtook him. “Damn, you’re good. I’m already not sorry. That’s a great idea. Let’s go with the cooking thing. I have a couple of friends,” he said, hooking his thumb in Megan’s direction. “Meg’s brother and his husband actually. They’re both chefs, so maybe they could be like celebrity judges or something.”
Sophia’s eyes sparkled. “Yes! That’s perfect. That’s exactly the idea. You close early on Sundays, so we’ll make it for the Sunday after you schedule the staff meeting.”
Happiness hummed along his skin, and despite the attraction threatening to choke him, he knew he’d made a solid business decision. One day and she was an asset.
“One more thing. I don’t want people to feel like I’m stepping on toes. Some people will remember me, but a lot won’t. I want your staff to feel like I understand them. I haven’t worked a restaurant or pub in a long time, so I think I should take a turn working the floor at least one shift and maybe even the kitchen.”
Declan straightened so he was a full head taller than her and scrunched his brows. “Why the hell would you want to do that?”
Matching his stance, she stiffened her own shoulders and met his gaze. “Because in order for your staff to feel like I understand them, I have to literally walk in their shoes. I’ll take a couple of opening shifts, a couple closing, and maybe do split shift as bartender. I’ve done all of it before. You know that. It’s like riding a bike,” she said, then frowned. “I think.”
“I didn’t hire you as a goddamn fry cook, Sophia. You have a degree in marketing and business.”
“I do. And I specialize in PR. Which means I know how to approach people and get them on my side. This will accomplish that quicker than anything else. People love a boss who’ll jump down in the trenches with them.”
Frustration zipped across his skin when he thought of her serving beers to the regulars or, worse, some handsy idiots he didn’t know. Declan always did his best to make sure his waitresses felt safe and comfortable to do their job, but they flirted, and he watched for any sign that they wanted him to step in. With Sophia, the thought of watching some random dude flirt with her turned his stomach in a new and troublesome way.
“No.”
She slammed the book shut. “Excuse me?”
Cora called his name from the waitress station. “I need those beers, hon.”
“Be right there.”
“We’ll discuss this later,” she said, walking past him. She stopped at Megan and Adam and said something he couldn’t hear over the sound of his blood pulsating in his ears. It shouldn’t bother him. It made sense, the whole walking-in-their-shoes thing. But hell. All he could picture was the attention she’d get out on the floor. She’d get it regardless, but it would be different if she was serving customers. Shouldn’t bother you. She’s an employee. With damn good ideas.
“Dec?” Cora called, looking over at him.
Shit. He didn’t need to be distracted like this. If she wanted to waitress, that was her call. He’d hired her because it was clear she knew what she was doing. He just hoped he did.
After filling Cora’s order, Declan joined his friends again as Adam was throwing some cash down on the bar top.
“He’s not going to be happy,” Adam said, glancing up from helping Megan with her coat.
“Who isn’t?” Declan stared at them.
“Adam thinks you’re going to be mad that I invited Sophia for dinner. I
know she’s from here, but she’s been gone a long time. She could probably use some friends. Stella is having a BBQ this weekend, so I invited her.”
Declan started to say something, then stopped. He leaned on the counter, pressing his palms to the cool top. “I’m going to Stella’s this weekend.” What the hell was Meg up to? It was obviously going to be harder than he thought to keep Sophia in her assigned categories of employee, friend, and buddy’s little sister. He did not need Adam’s wife meddling.
Eyes wide with faux innocence, she nodded. “So, she can come with you.”
“Megan,” Declan growled. This was the same woman who’d tried to find Adam a wife. At his buddy’s request—just one of the ways his friend had almost screwed up the second-best thing to ever happen to him. At the time, Megan had asked Declan for ideas on how to hook people up. She was not fucking hooking him up with the only woman he couldn’t have. The thought tightened his airway.
“Don’t be mad at her. She took one look at how you all but salivated over Sophia and knew you were smitten,” Adam said.
Declan put his hands on his hips and forced himself to breathe through his nose. His buddy was teasing him. Trying to get a rise out of him. But the fact that it felt true pissed him off. “I was not salivating. I am sure as hell not smitten. Pretty sure you should have your guy card revoked for saying it.” He leaned forward and added, “She’s an employee and the sister of a friend.” You reminding yourself or Adam?
Adam just grinned. His friend had smiled more since Megan than Declan could remember. “Both hard no-fly zones. I get it, man. But some rules were meant to be broken.” With those words, he looked down at Megan with such affection, Declan’s heart muscles tightened painfully.
Megan had been Charlie’s—Adam’s son’s—nanny. He knew all about not wanting to cross lines and blur boundaries. But this was different.
“Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?”
Megan laughed and boosted herself up on the seat, leaning over the bar so Declan could reach her to kiss her cheek. “I like her. I like the way you look at her. See you Saturday.”