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Turning my head in that direction is a dangerous game because Renee's still dancing and looking at the way her body moves affects my entire blood supply.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket. Perfect timing. I need a distraction if I'm not going to get a raging hard-on at work.
I take my phone out and lean back against the counter.
Brody: Hey, I can't come in
Brody: She’s still sick with the flu and I’ve been staying up all night, I'm exhausted
I feel him on that. I don't have any kids myself, but keeping the bar running smoothly means a lot of late nights. Sometimes, when I'm up ‘til close, I can't get to sleep afterward, and when the sun rises, that's it.
Doesn't mean you don't feel guilty. I know Brody does. He goes all in on everything he does, and he thinks he should be superhuman. I can tell he feels bad even if he doesn't say another word.
But sometimes, one person has to carry more of the load. By this point, I'm more than prepared. We've had the bar open for long enough that I can run it myself with the waitresses, cooks, and bartenders. Brody can get a couple hours of sleep, if fate will let him.
Griffin: No worries, everything is under control
Griffin: Seriously, I got it
I glance over, and Renee isn't dancing anymore. She's talking to Patty with their heads leaned together. Nobody catches me looking, but the back of my neck heats up. My phone buzzes before I can think too much.
Brody: Thanks man, I owe you
Griffin: No you don't
I put my phone back into my pocket just as Renee laughs at something Patty said. The back of my neck gets hotter, and the heat goes all over my chest.
Patty wouldn’t do me like that I don’t think. But that laugh…my God it does something to me. My heart races and suddenly Renee's all I can think about. I should be ashamed of where my mind goes.
They're not thoughts I should be having at work or about my employee, but I can't stop them for anything.
Just when I think I'm going to have to excuse myself to the bathroom and splash cold water onto my face, the door to the bar opens.
“Griffin!”
The sound of my name cuts off my thoughts. I take a deep breath of the fresh air that swoops in before the door shuts and turn to find my mother. She has a huge grin on her face and waves at me across the bar, then looks around like it's a five-star restaurant and I've just won a prize for the best bar in the world.
“Hey, Mom,” I call. “You stopped by just in time.”
Renee
In the months I’ve worked at the bar, nothing this exciting has ever happened before.
Unless you count my boss coming to work every day, which is exciting for all the wrong reasons.
Whenever Griffin comes through the door, my body lights up from the tip-top all the way down to my tiptoes. Some parts lighting up hotter than others. I've had dreams about him smiling at me at the beginning of a shift and the soft way he says my name. I've probably thought about my boss for at least twelve hours a day since I started working here.
The truth is, I don't know how to stop having a crush on Griffin. Even if I moved to another town, I'd still think about him and how charming his smile is. I can’t help but to smile myself even when I’m just thinking about that look he gives me.
It might be ridiculous for me to crush so hard on a man I know I shouldn’t lust over…I won't take the blame for how handsome he is, though. I didn't have anything to do with that. I just have to live with it every single time I come in to work a shift.
This shift however, I was not expecting his mother to walk in. I've never met his family, and I have no right to feel as anxious as I do.
It’s nothing to be nervous about, but here I am with clammy hands and a racing heart. I watch as Griffin walks over to his mom with extended arms and gives her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I have the urge to run to the nearest mirror and make sure my hair is smoothed back, and then I get ahold of myself and check on my tables instead.
Nerves flutter in my chest, but I shake them off. It's just Griffin's mom, and Griffin is just my boss. It's not like we can ever be together or anything like that.
I try not to listen as they talk behind me. Swallowing down the ridiculous emotions, I look out the front window to steady myself. A few snowflakes come down from a mostly blue sky. It won't be light for much longer, and I don't mind it. The bar seems cozier in the evenings. The farther we get into the winter, the more people seem to appreciate being here.
