AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She touches the rim to mine. “To a wildly successful night in your beach bar.”
“To a well-practiced partner.”
We sip our drinks, and Tillie lets out a long sigh. “The classics are the best. This is an excellent gin for a gimlet.”
My eyes feel glued to the long, smooth line of her throat. “Joe sometimes gets a box of something new when he travels. When we’re lucky, he’ll sell us some.”
“I like it.” She sips again, her eyes bright despite the hours of labor. She really is used to hard work. But then, I feel wide awake, too.
“How did this night compare to what you’re used to?” I ask.
She glances around the closed-up hut. “The customers were nicer. The breeze and open air made a difference. The view was incredible.”
“What sorts of venues have you tended?”
“Mostly hellholes. But I did work for a bar in Alabama where the head bartender was the nephew of the guy who owned it. He was terrific.” She reaches up to slide all the glasses more evenly on the rows by her head.
Jealousy spikes through me. Is this someone she dated? Slept with? Loved? “So, what was so terrific about this nephew?”
“We had a great time inventing drinks, and some of his friends would come in to appreciate them. His name was Cole.”
Her face is so full of admiration for him, I can’t stop myself from asking, “Did you go out with him?”
She laughs, and the metal shutters echo the happy sound. “Oh no. He was in love with one of the barbacks. A male one. It was a big secret because his uncle was, well, you get it.”
My belly settles even though it never should have been upset in the first place. “And he taught you to mix cocktails?”
“Totally. Cole instinctively knew what paired well. He’d take a bottle of blackberry brandy and add a Kentucky bourbon, then cut it with vanilla vodka. And it would be magic.”
“I’m not sure I’ve strayed too far off the usuals.”
“I don’t get much opportunity now. Cole was an artist. I learned the nuances, how some flavors opened up others. When the bar was slow, we would experiment and practice, usually with oddball liquors so his uncle wouldn’t notice them decreasing without sales to match.”
“But you don’t work at that bar anymore?”
“No.”
“I bet he missed you when you left.”
“His leaving was the reason I quit. He and his barback had an ugly breakup. The jerk outed him. His uncle kicked him out of the bar, his house, everything. I never saw him again.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. I was the only decent bartender there, so I left the uncle in a big lurch, right in the middle of a Saturday night rush. Of course, for my impetuousness, I had a hard time getting another job. Lots of the bar owners know each other. But I always have acted impulsively.”
Did she? Was she being impulsive when she kissed me?
“Where did you go next?”
“Really crappy bar. Nothing but shots and beer. Not much mixing. I moved to experimenting at home.”
“So you love it enough to do it in your spare time.”
Her face tilts, and my breath catches at the happy serenity in her expression. “I do.”
“Well, you kicked my butt tonight.”
She laughs again. “I did indeed.”
