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“Not that it’s any of your concern, but she asked. My sister would have my ass if I turned her best friend away. I’m not gonna be the target of a pregnant woman’s hormones.”
The grumpy asshole still hasn’t sat down. He just looms like a thunderous cloud waiting to strike. “That’s all it takes to get a job in this place?”
“Are you unhappy about my methods?”
“Yes.”
Garrett rolls his eyes. “Too damn bad.”
“You’re choosing her over me?” Jake cringes as if the words taste bad.
“If you’re stooping to that petulant level, I’ll choose me over you. I don’t question how you run your garage. If you need to be in control, feel free to mosey on back to where you just came from.”
“It’s gonna be like that?”
“Apparently,” my boss retorts. “You seem to have an issue with a member of my staff, which concerns me. Harper is a model employee. The compliments from customers are already flooding in. I’m not sure what your problem is with her, but keep it away from my business.”
I preen under the praise but choose to remain silent. For now.
Jake’s fierce glare slides to me. Tension crackles as our eyes collide. There’s a promise of retaliation in his gaze, as if my employment status at his beloved bar is offensive.
“This is bullshit,” he spits.
“Matches your temper tantrum,” Garrett scoffs. “Can I get back to work without you causing another scene?”
The grumbling brute slides onto an empty stool. “Yeah, yeah. Fuck off.”
The bar owner just laughs in the face of Jake’s shitty attitude. “That’s the spirit.”
Before Garrett leaves the scene, he glances at me and signals that he’ll just be on the other side of the room. I smile and wave him off. The supportive gesture is appreciated but unnecessary. Bickering with Jacob Evans has become somewhat of a standard affair. This is just another opportunity to sharpen my skills.
While a thrum surges under my skin, I shift my attention to the man responsible for unnecessary turmoil. Jake’s startling blue eyes are already pinned on me. That icy stare is cold enough to freeze a lake in July. I wiggle my fingers at him in return. There’s not a chance in this century that I’ll let him see me crumble. Been there, done that, and moved on.
Although, that last point isn’t one hundred percent solid.
Curiosity hooks into me like an addiction I can’t kick. I don’t have the foggiest clue what I’ve done to trigger his wrath. It’s almost as if he has a personal vendetta against me. That’s why I can’t seem to stay away, even though he’s wrong for me.
I square my shoulders and strut toward him. My pulse drums against my sternum, pounding faster as I near his broody presence. The air grows thicker as he watches my approach. His steady focus is predatory, and I’m the prey willingly crossing into dangerous territory.
My shoes squeak on the rubber mat when I stop in front of him. I can’t get too close without wanting to erase the space between us entirely. That’s a slippery slope I have no intention of sliding down. But even from a safe distance, his spicy cologne teases me. Just one more reason to slam my guard down.
“Why the sour face, Jerky Jacob?”
If possible, his scowl stoops lower. “Real cute.”
“At your service.” I fluff my hair in a theatrical fashion.
Jake rips his gaze off me with a foul curse. “And here I thought the week was going well.”
“Aww, shucks. You say the sweetest things.” I cross one hand over the other and lift them to rest under my chin, blinking with mock adoration. Then I drop the act and pop out a hip. “Are you going to order something or continue loitering?”
“Tall Coors,” he mutters.
I grab a glass and pour his beer from the tap. It’s encouraging that my hands don’t shake under his watchful stare. “Would you like to start a tab?”
He’s silent as I set his drink down on a fresh coaster. Thick fingers curl around the chilled glass, lifting until he’s glaring at me over the frothy rim. A bit of foam sticks to his full upper lip when he’s done taunting me with that slow sip. “You had to choose Roosters?”
It doesn’t go unnoticed that he ignored my question. That prompts me to do the same. “Is Syd at Polly’s house? Susan is the sleepover hostess with the mostest. She probably deserves an award.”
