“Um, I have a question,” Tate started, his lips twitching. “There’s an application form on the bar, and the recruitment pack for employees has been completed. You’re leaving Townsend Oil to come and work here, Na-Na?”
Both women stared blankly back at him, the information taking time to sink in.
Ari did a lot of the admin for the oil company and every so often visited some of the sites, but I know she wasn’t happy doing it. She was an active person, but she was also a guarded person. Would working behind the bar be better for her mentally and emotionally? It might draw her out of her shell, get her to lower her shield, and open up.
And I’d also have easier access to her here.
Chewing her lower lip, she glanced at Beau and broke into a huge smile. “Guess that makes you my boss.”
Apparently Beau wasn’t fully back online yet because she just grunted and moved past everyone to the door. When she got to it, she looked back over her shoulder. “Coffee. Now.”
Ari stumbled slightly as she followed behind her, leaving Tate and me to bring up the rear.
“Hey, Parker,” he whispered, grabbing my arm and stopping me just in front of the door. “Wanna hear something awesome?”
“Always.”
“After the fire, Lily and her dad installed security cameras everywhere. Besides the bathrooms, there isn’t a spot in the bar that doesn’t have a camera on it.”
The implications sank in, and I burst out laughing. “When are we watching it?”
“You get the popcorn, and we’ll meet at mine once we’ve got them moving. The Saturday lunch crew will be in soon, so we’ll drop them off at their homes first.”ThreeArianaPicking up some empty bottles as I passed a table, I made my way behind the bar to drop them off in the large bucket dedicated to glass, checking first that they weren’t ones that went back to a brewery.
Grimacing at how sticky my hands felt, I moved over to the sink near Sadie and listened in to what she was saying to the person she was serving. Apparently her second wind had faded, and now her hangover was catching up with her again. I really liked her, she was hilarious, but there was also something about her that seemed like she was wounded deep down that made me want to protect her, too.
“Know what I mean? Is there any reason to be so bloody rude about it? Tell me this—using a British word for something, is it really that offensive to you?”
The man she was serving gulped and shook his head. “No.”
“Right? All I did was ask for tinned tomatoes, I didn’t need a bleeding lecture on the pronunciation of the word. Then she launches into a rant about red sauce and whatever other shit. Like, you’re putting tomatoes into it, of course it’s bloody red. I’m making Bolognese, not carbonara. If you went to Italy, they wouldn’t say, ‘oh, do you want red sauce with that?’, would they?”
Relaxing slightly, the man shot her a grin. “Probably not, babe.”
Nodding her head, she wiped down the bar. “Exactly. Oh, and don’t get me started on that garden bullshit either. I’ve got the details from an estate agent for six properties, and only one of them lists the green area around them as a yard. Know what the rest have written on them?”
Raising his eyebrows, he guessed, “A garden?”
“Yes,” Sadie shouted, smacking her hand down on the bar. “A freaking garden. Not a lawn, not a yard, a garden. And if you go to a home improvement store, what do you look for on a sign if you want to get stuff for that green area? Do they have a lawn or yard department? No, it’s the garden or gardening department. Why split hairs about it, then?”
Leaning onto the bar, I asked the man, “What did you say to start her off?”
“I can’t remember now, but I’m definitely coming back here again,” he assured me and picked up the tray of drinks next to him, taking it to a table with five men waiting for them.
I was about to ask Sadie if she was okay when the front door opened, and in walked one of my favorite humans in the world—my grandad. Scanning the bar, he waved and smiled at the patrons he recognized and then stopped when he saw me, grinning widely as he made his way over to where I was.
“Well, if it isn’t the most beautiful girl in the world,” he greeted.
“Uh huh, I’m not falling for that, old man. I happen to know you say the same thing to Layla and the others.”
I swear I heard a whimper from Sadie. “He has a harem?”
Turning my upper body, I thought about telling her who he was but decided against it. “Really?”