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“Ha!” She pointed her finger in my face and grinned.
Sky laughed next to her, nudging her with the hand that still held a few cards. “About time someone knocked him off his pedestal.” She winked at me, but I glared. I was competitive, and the feeling of my blood boiling started in my chest.
“Damn it,” I cursed to myself. “You got lucky.”
Simone shrugged, silently waiting for the game to finish and a new round of cards to be dealt. While she waited, she sipped her drink, rolling her lips together between each swallow. My stomach churned with a feeling that felt a lot like loathing, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her mouth.
We played another round, and when she set down her last three cards in a set, leaving the rest of us still holding several cards, I groaned. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“Maybe I can be reigning president after all, huh?” She clapped quietly, cheering herself on. Was she excited about winning or because she knew she was getting to me?
Before I could come up with a witty response, Sky jumped up from the ground with a shriek. “Spider!”
In a blur of blonde hair and blue jeans, Sky, Simone, and Jackson rushed past me and to the opposite side of the room. I expected to see a spider the size of my fist based on their reaction, but when I rounded the table, there was a small, fuzzy spider a little smaller than a dime on the ground.
“You all are screaming over a spider this big.” I closed my finger and thumb together to show a small size and held it up to them. I reached down, grabbing a tissue and using it to pinch the spider. I held it squished between my fingers.
Simone narrowed her eyes. “The spider is on your arm.”
I didn’t recognize the squeal that echoed in the living room as I watched the tissue land on the ground next to me. “Where?” I swatted at my arms frantically.
She folded her arms and tilted her head. “Seriously, Logan? You just killed it. How’d you still fall for that?” Simone smirked. Sky giggled when she nudged her, and Jackson joined them both.
I glared. “You’re lucky I did. All three of you are.” I stepped on the tissue and walked out of the living room. Frustration stiffened my back, and I huffed before walking down the hall. “I’m going to bed.”
Chapter 8
Simone
Iwas relieved to see red hair and a smile behind the counter with me for the night. It meant Logan was off, and Auston never made me clean the bathrooms. That was something just Logan did, probably because he was hoping I was going to quit. He didn’t know me very well if he thought that an old, grungy bathroom would be enough to send me running.
Tossing my towel on the counter behind me, I turned back to the men that seated themselves on the stools. I recognized them both, but I didn’t know their names. “Gentlemen,” I greeted them. “Welcome back. I know you’re no strangers here, but I don’t know your orders yet…” I paused, hoping they’d fill in the blanks.
“Auston knows my order,” the older man said, narrowing his already beady eyes.
I put on my cheesiest smile, the same one I’d usually flash for big tips from older patrons that came into the college bars in Detroit. “I could ask him for your order, but he’s pretty busy, so maybe you can just fill me in on the secret.”
The man groaned. “Is Logan here? I’d rather be served by one of the guys.”
With a sigh, I slammed my hands onto the counter in front of him, keeping the sweet smile painted on my face. “Well, toots, you’re being served by me today. So if you want a drink at all, you’re going to have to let me know what you want, mmkay?”
He hesitated, looking at his friend, who looked plenty ready to keep his head down and order his drink. “Fine. Beer and a shot of whiskey.”
“Now, was that so tough? Give me one second.” With a wink, I turned around and grabbed the glasses.
The man grumbled behind me, mumbling something under his breath about reasons women shouldn’t be working. I chuckled and poured the beer, joined by a laugh to my side. When I turned, Auston stood there with his arms crossed.
He lifted his brow. “That was awesome.” He raised his hand for a high five, and I smacked my palm against his, the clapping sound ringing around us. “I think you’re going to fit in just fine.”
I grinned. “You think so?” Setting the filled glasses in front of the customers at the bar, I held out my palm and turned my attention to him. “Since you’re such a familiar, you already know how much you owe me, right?” I winked, and when Auston laughed, the man handed over a folded twenty-dollar bill.
“I know so.” Auston’s amused smile was always inviting, and I could see why everyone seemed to like the guy. He was easy to get along with.
The cash register clanked shut when I put the money in and closed it. Auston watched me as I turned and leaned against the counter. “What?” I asked, tilting my head.
“You just intrigue me.” He laughed and jumped up, seating himself on the counter next to me.
“I intrigue you?” That’s something I’d never been told. I’d always been the plain friend, the one that just followed the trend or whatever my best friend was doing at the time. It wasn’t one of my best qualities, and it was one I’d always longed to change.
