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And then...
And I liked the way you felt against me, too, Hannah. Clearly.
“Lord save me.”
four
SAWYER
I wiped down the bar,eyeing the clock. Only an hour left in my shift. The Anchorage was packed for a Thursday night. Tables and chairs were pushed close together to accommodate the crowd. Colorful lights hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the scene. Dishes clattered as the bus boys cleared tables, laughter rang out over the din of conversation.
It was all so familiar. Comfortable, even. I felt at ease in this environment. But I wondered if that was the problem.
A flash of blonde hair caught my eye as Landry wove through the crowd. She gestured with her head, beckoning me to the back office. I tossed my rag under the bar and followed.
Landry perched on the edge of her desk, arms crossed. “Take a seat, Sawyer.”
“Well this seems pretty official.” I sank into the chair opposite her, stretching out my tired legs. “What’s up, boss?”
Landry stared for a moment, her narrowed eyes boring into me. If she hadn’t also been my friend, I would have been intimidated as fuck. This short little blondie looked cute and unsuspecting, but she was a shark. Now that she was running the place, she’d increased profits by forty percent and lowered our overhead by almost as much. She didn’t put up with any bullshit, which was one of the reasons we worked together so well.
I knew that. But this domineering stare had me feeling like I was in the principal’s office all over again.
I raised my eyebrows in a question.
The corner of her mouth turned up. “I’m offering you the floor manager position. You’ve more than earned it.” She held my gaze.
My pulse spiked. Floor manager. It was the promotion I’d been angling for ever since Saint, the owner of the Anchorage and Landry’s boyfriend, had left to run their restaurant downtown. Landry was the GM now, and the Floor Manager’s spot had been vacant ever since, and tempting as hell. But that would mean giving up the bar manager spot. My crew here was far from solid and I didn’t want to leave them without a good leader to run things.
“I appreciate that, Landry. Really. But I’m not sure my team is ready for me to step away.” I rubbed the back of my neck, avoiding her stare.
“I know you’re picky about your team.”
“I’m not picky—“
“That’s one of the reasons I need you as my number two. You have an extreme attention to detail and you run a tight ship.”
I smirked. “That’s a nice way of putting it.”
“Yes, it is. So let me put it another way. I need an asshole in charge sometimes.”
I squawked in fake offense, grabbing my chest like she’d shot me. “I am hardly an asshole.”
“You really are.”
“Well if it gets me the promotion, I guess I can live with that.”
Her eyes perked up. “So you’ll take it?”
Shit. “Can I think about it?”
“Of course. But let me give you more of a reason to take it. Lucy’s been killer on the bar and you know it. She’d make a good replacement. It’s true the others are...”
“Abysmal?”
“Less than stellar—“
“That’s an understatement.”
