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“How’s your dad doing?” Saylor asked.
“He’s doing so much better. He still has a ways to go, but I spent the morning over at the hospital, and he’s working hard in physical therapy every day.”
“I took him some pastries yesterday, and I guess I’d just missed you, but he was going on and on about how proud he was of you,” Demi said. “I think he loves having you home.”
My chest squeezed the slightest bit, and I nodded. “Yeah. It’s been nice spending all this time with him again. I didn’t even realize how much I’d missed him.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here, even if it’s just temporary. We’ve got a fun group to go out with now,” Saylor said as she lifted her glass to clink with ours.
“Cheers to a badass girl group.” Peyton waggled her brows.
I shook my head and acted like they were ridiculous, but the truth was, I was enjoying myself. It was nice to feel like part of something.
I’d been solo for so long that I didn’t realize how alone I’d felt over the last few years.
We finished up lunch, and I made my way back to the bar. Doreen was unloading inventory downstairs, and I checked on the kitchen staff to make sure all the orders had arrived.
Things were running smoothly here.
My father had let things go a bit, but the books were getting cleaned up, and the bills were all paid. If he’d stop loaning money to his friends, he’d be making a good living. I’d had to turn away a few of his buddies with outstanding tabs that hadn’t been paid in years.
It was funny how quickly they’d come up with the money once they’d realized they weren’t going to be served until they’d paid it off.
I had just unloaded the dishwasher and cleaned up behind the bar when the door was pulled open, and River walked in.
“Hey, I thought you were avoiding me. It’s been a few days,” I said, as my heart pounded in my ears, which pissed me off for obvious reasons.
I wasn’t a girl whose heart fluttered or whose stomach had butterflies.
But my body was clearly responding to the man who’d managed to give me an epic orgasm and made it look as easy as taking his next breath.
“Ahhh, did you miss me, Queenie?” He pulled up a barstool and sat down. “Just a Dr. Pepper today, and how about a turkey club?”
“You got it,” I said as I filled his glass with ice and soda before sliding it over to him. “How’s the office going today?”
“Hmmm… funny you should ask. Cassie brought her cousin to the office. Yeah. She brought an actual human to work with her and acted like she’d brought a plant or a picture to set on her desk.” He paused to take a sip of his drink. “She just looked at me and said, ‘Hey, boss, I hope you don’t mind that I brought my cousin to work today.’”
I leaned forward and chuckled. “What is her cousin doing there?”
“They talk non-fucking-stop. And then Cassie peeks her head in every twenty minutes or so to tell me that she’s still working while visiting.” He shook his head with pure disgust on his face.
“So, it’s exactly like bringing a plant to the office, then?”
His lips turned up in the corners, and he nodded. “How’s it going over here?”
“Good. It’s been busy. My dad said you were there early this morning. I must have just missed you.” I heard Calvin, our short-order cook, call out that the sandwich was ready, and I walked the few short steps to the window leading into the kitchen and grabbed his order. “Here you go.”
“You think I can eat this in sixty seconds?” He smirked, and damn if it wasn’t the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.
“I don’t know why you’d want to.”
“I think there’s only one thing that I’d want to eat that quickly.” His tongue swiped out along his bottom lip, and his gaze locked with mine. “And I’m looking right at her.”
I did my best to act unaffected. “That was a one-and-done, remember?”
“Sure, it was.” His head turned when the light came in from the door that had just opened, and I sighed as Rico strode toward me.
“Hey, sis. I’ve texted you twice today, and you haven’t responded.” He sat in the seat beside River and turned to give him a quick nod. “I’ll take a beer as long as I’m here.”
