AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Jesus.” He took a quick glug, then looked sincerely baffled. “Flowered coffee? Why?”
“Miles is a coffee purist. It’s not coffee unless it’s black.”
“Then this should fill the bill.”
“Right. Liam’ll have a Coke when he gets here.”
“Cheese fries with that?”
Miles held Morgan’s gaze. No, not a pretty show horse, she thought again. But a really, seriously great-looking workhorse.
“Probably. We’ll grab a booth in the back.”
Still no suit, Morgan noted as they walked away. Black trousers, crisp blue shirt, good shoes—which he wore as easily as his blunt attitude.
She’d gauged Nell as a tough nut, but she’d made some cracks there. Miles struck her as tougher yet, but she’d find a way.
People began to wander in. With the private event at the Lodge, guests who wanted a casual meal would hit Après. Good, she decided as she filled the first drink orders. She’d keep busy.
When Liam rushed in—hiking boots, black sweater, jeans—Morgan gestured to the back booth.
“I’m a little late. They didn’t order yet, did they?”
“No.”
“Cool. Can I get a—”
She offered a tall glass of Coke with a lemon twist.
“Great, perfect. Read my mind.”
He hustled back to the booth.
Not a tough nut, that one, Morgan thought. But kind of a sweetheart. Then she turned her attention to the two women, obviously sisters, potentially twins, who slid onto stools.
The one on the left frowned at the bar sign. “What’s a lavender margarita?”
“Delicious,” Morgan assured her.
She worked the double, and before five, placed the lavender latte sign on the bar. Nell was as good as her word.
At midnight, when she started to dream about a nice hot showerand a soft warm bed, she had six tables, five booths, and five of the eight bar stools occupied.
Miles came in, took a stool at the end of the bar, took out his phone.
The twins—thirty-eight, down from Middlebury for a three-day sister trip—came in for a post-fancy-dinner drink. Lavender margaritas. Once she’d served them, she moved down to Miles.
“Glass of Cab?” she asked.
He just nodded, so she poured the drink and left him to it.
Forty minutes later, she said good night to the twins, and wondered what her life would have been like if she’d had a twin sister. Or brother. Or any sibling at all.
When the boisterous table of six called it a night, the noise level dropped with their departure. That left her with two guys on stools with a couple of swallows of beer left in their glasses, a party of four polishing off a bottle of wine, a couple sipping their second martinis, and Miles.
“Last call, gentlemen. Would you like another round?”
They declined, cashed out. The party of four left minutes later.
