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I pick up the tip and show it to the rest of the guys. “Look at that. I should frame this because I bet it never happens again.” I’m wearing a wide smile.
“Hey, I’m a daily drinker in this establishment. If I tipped like everyone else, I wouldn’t have money to drink.”
“And the world would be a much safer place,” I say, looking at Brian.
* * *
All morningI’ve been dreading the moment when that door opens and Riley walks in. I can’t keep my eyes off the clock, especially now that noon is drawing closer. There are a couple of patrons around the bar, the dedicated ones who come in the morning and sip beer all day until it’s time for dinner. That’s why I wanted Riley to come at this time of day. I want to interview her and make sure she has some kind of experience before giving her the job. That would be nearly impossible to do any later in the day as the bar gets busier. Luckily for me, John is scheduled to run the bar for the day shift so when Riley comes in, I’ll have time to sit down with her.
At noon on the dot, the door opens, and it draws the attention of everyone inside. It takes a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim building after being out in the bright sun, but the moment she can see, her eyes find mine and a smile spreads across her face. Her long, blonde hair flows loosely behind her as she walks over to the bar, directly across from me. “Travis… long time no see. How ya been?”
I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart. She’s only gotten more beautiful over the past five years. She’s looking at me from beneath long, thick lashes, and her face flushes as she drinks me in.
“Let’s go back to my office.” I turn to round the bar but stop and look over at John. “You okay here?”
He’s washing a glass and looks at me like I’m stupid. Then his brow arches, and he smiles and nods.
Of course, he’s okay. He works this job every day, and the bar is nowhere near slammed. I’m just looking for an excuse not to take Riley back to my office, but there’s no way around it. With a sigh leaving my lips, I push myself forward, and she follows me back into my small office that now feels ten times smaller with only the two of us inside.
“Have a seat,” I tell her, moving back behind the desk.
She sits in the wooden chair, crossing her legs. My eyes start at her bare ankle, slowly moving up her long, tanned legs until her jean shorts cut me off. Her shorts are entirely too tight and too short. She's going to give the old men around here a heart attack. Her tank top is form-fitting and low-cut—giving me more than a peek at her cleavage. I clear my throat and sit back, needing to clear my head of the dirty thoughts I’m having so we can get down to business.
3
RILEY
My heart is pounding against my chest. Every fiber of my being is telling me to get up and run out of his bar as fast as I can. But I don’t. I can’t. I need this job. I need money so I can start a new life. As loving and welcoming as my mother is, I don’t want to spend my adult life living in my childhood bedroom. I need my own place. I need to figure these things out on my own, and the only way to do that is by taking any job I can get until I can afford to be pickier.
Right now, he’s taking me in, probably forcing himself to go through with this interview. He’s giving me the same look he always has, a look that shows annoyance, repulsion, hate, and disgust. I wish I knew what I did to make him hate me so much. Surely, he isn’t still pissed about how Evie and I crashed his little get-togethers when he was in high school. Maybe he’s not the type to let things go.
“So, you’re back in town and looking for a job, huh?”
I wet my dry lips and nod. “Yep.”
“Do you have any experience in bartending?” He seems to be looking anywhere but at me.
“Not in a bar. I was a waitress at my last job, and I filled in for the bartender when we were short-staffed. I know enough to get me though. And places like this are usually just slinging beer. Something tells me you don’t make a whole lot of banana daiquiris or cosmopolitans.” I offer up a smile.
He rolls his eyes. “What is your availability?”
I shrug. “I can work any shift. I have nothing else going on, and I need to make money. I don’t want to stay with my parents any longer than I have to.”
He nods, looking down at a paper on the top of his desk. “Nights? Weekends?” He glances up at me, his brown eyes darkening as they take me in.
I’m breathless from that look in his eye, but I nod. “I’ll take as many shifts as I can get.”
“When can you start?”
“Right now.”
He leans back in his chair and nods as he rubs his hand over his sharp jaw. “Alright. John is bartending right now; I’ll have him train you. And you know to check I.D.’s and all that, right? I don’t want to lose my license or get fined.”
A smile spreads across my face as I nod eagerly. “Thank you so much,” I breathe out. “When Evie suggested this, I thought she was insane. I thought there was no way in hell you’d hire me.”
His eyes widen and he nods slightly. “Yeah, I thought my sister had lost her mind for sure.”
“So then…” I bite my lower lip. “Why are you hiring me?”
