Page 88 of Duty

She was grateful for the extra help, though, no matter what she said to Valeria. Between her, the girl working at the other side of the bar, and Valeria handling the middle, the patrons were covered, drinks were flowing, and Haven ended up needing to call Jackson in early from his break, so he could empty the register of larger bills.

It was a good night.

A great night, really.

A lot like every other night lately.

Haven was grateful for it—to be busy, and to be successful. But mostly, work gave her an escape. Something to keep her mind distracted, and her hands busy. She’d put in more hours at this club over the last couple of months than she had even when she first took it over from her father after buying him out.

Why?

She needed the distraction.

She needed something …

Anything to keep her mind from drifting back to the way Andino Marcello looked the night she left his place. Something to keep her from picking up the phone, and shooting him a text just to see how he was.

The guy had proven he was bad news.

He purposely hid things from her about himself that might have made Haven reconsider her involvement with him.

And yet, she still missed him.

Still thought about him.

Still wondered.

“You okay?” Valeria asked.

Haven glanced up from the bar, and realized she’d been wiping the same spot with a rag for the last two minutes. She found a patron waiting on the other side to be served, and Valeria to her left looking at her like she had suddenly grown a second head.

“Sorry,” Haven said. “Went somewhere else for a second.”

“Okay.”

Haven looked at the patron with a wide smile. “What can I get for you, sir?”

“Long Island Iced Tea.”

Really?

Well, it was his drink.

Not hers.

“You got it,” Haven said.

Valeria slipped past Haven to head for the small waiter’s door behind the bar. “My dance is twenty minutes at most. If the bar is still crazy by the time I am done, I will be back here to help you. No arguments—got it?”

Haven laughed. “Now who is the bossy one?”

Her friend winked, but said nothing as she disappeared into the crowd. Without that extra pair of hands helping behind the bar, it wasn’t long before people were backed up again waiting for drinks between the patrons coming to the bar themselves, and the servers on the floor bringing drink orders to Haven and the other bartender.

She was grateful for this night.

For the work.

The money.