AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I almost got offended at the implication of having ever worn deck shoes, but then I remembered that time in the Hamptons. And sailing on Lake Cuomo in high school. And…yeah, there had been more instances. Several of them.
Bea snapped again. “My tips are dwindling every second I stand here while you wallow in your feels.”
“I’m not wallowing.” More like ruminating. “Hey, you know the girl with the cupcakes?”
“Yep.”
“She’s allowed to be here?”
“Yep.”
“Nick didn’t mention it.”
“Nick’s an asshole.”
I slid the first round of drinks to her. She waited for the rest.
“You know he’s my friend, right?”
She shrugged. “I’ve called him an asshole to his face. Why would I have a problem calling him one behind his back?”
“Fair point, I guess.”
She lifted a finger, jabbing it toward me. “Leave Daisy alone.”
“I would if I knew who Daisy was.”
Bea didn’t care to enlighten me. Grabbing the rest of her drinks, she loaded them onto her tray and marched away, leaving me with even more questions.
Duke was chasing out a few stragglers, and Lloyd and I were cleaning up the bar. The end of the night got me down. Seeing chairs stacked on tables and the lights on high brought a melancholy that was hard to shake.
“Excuse me.”
I looked up from the glass I was polishing to find the cupcake girl holding a piece of paper out to me. Setting the glass down, I sauntered to her end of the bar and snagged it.
“What’s this?”
“Your bill. By my count, you ate six of my cupcakes.”
I rubbed my stomach, trying to think back to the exact number I’d consumed. “That can’t be right. I ate three, maybe four.”
“Six,” she stated. “I keep track of my inventory.”
“All right. I guess I’ll have to take your word.” I glanced at the total. “Nine dollars? For six cupcakes?”
She crossed her pale arms under her breasts, pushing her modest cleavage up and out.
“If you can’t afford it, you shouldn’t have eaten them.”
I almost burst out laughing. There had never been a time in my life when I couldn’t afford something I wanted. This probably explained a lot about the person I had grown into, but it wasn’t like I could go back and yank the silver spoon out of my baby mouth.
Fortunately, I didn’t act like a jackhole and kept my amusement to myself. I was working the bar as a favor for a friend. The rest of the employees were here because this was their job. And hell, nine dollars might’ve been too much for their budgets.
Taking my wallet out of my back pocket, I pulled out a twenty. “Here. Keep the change.”
She grabbed the bill and tucked it in her bodice. “Thanks.” Her mouth opened then closed before she said anything else.
I wasn’t as smart. “You should charge more, you know. A buck fifty for a cupcake isn’t enough.”
