She turns and almost stomps away. Declan’s eyes on her as she makes her retreat. My eyes narrow. Something’s up. They obviously know each other and are not happy about it. I’ll have to ask him about it later, though, when he’s not so visibly high-strung. Maybe I’ll get the chance tomorrow.
Perhaps the encounter explains some things, too. Declan’s been grumpy lately, and while I don’t want to call him out over it in front of everyone, I know that it’s been affecting his work. Harper’s told me how people in the marketing department have been on edge because of it, and that’s a situation that needs to be addressed sooner than later.
“Axel!”
I turn to see Harper grinning at me, holding out Madison’s phone. “Yeah?” I ask, smiling in response to the bright expression on her face.
“What do you think of this one?” She points to a photo of a plush-looking brown couch. “I think the color will contrast nicely, and it looks comfortable.”
I chuckle and take the phone. “Is this the same place that Maddox and Madison are getting their new furniture from?”
“Mm-hmm!”
I grin at her. “Let’s wait until that arrives, then, and find out if it’s as comfortable as it looks.”
She laughs. “Okay.”
Dinner is delicious, and I enjoy spending time with everyone. But at the same time, it is very awkward.
I’ve never seen somebody as hot and cold as the waitress. She laughs and jokes with Harper and Madison and smiles politely when dealing with Maddox and me. But she barely looks at Declan, and every time they speak, it is obvious that she’d rather bite his head off than speak to him. His reactions are similarly blunt, keeping each interaction as short as possible.
“I’ll be right back,” Declan says a couple minutes after she drops off the check to the table. He tosses his card in and heads in the direction of the men’s room.
Maddox and I lean in to do the math since Harper and Madison split a dessert that was way too sweet for either him or me to be interested in. After deciding that I’ll cover the dessert, and he’ll pick up the shared appetizer, we pull out our cards, ready to pay and head home.
I look around for our waitress but am soon distracted by shouting. I turn to see her near the restrooms, facing off against Declan. She starts shouting again, arms making sharp gestures as if to emphasize her point. He says something, and it only seems to further enrage her. Another shout and she shoves him before storming back into the kitchen. She barely moved him an inch, but as silence fills the dining room, it’s clear to everybody that he pissed her off.
“What the hell?” Maddox asks. “Who the fuck is she?”
I start to shake my head, then it suddenly clicks where I know her from, the memory of her angrily flipping me off resurfacing. “Holy shit, it’s the woman from the club. She’s a bartender there.”
He leans forward. “Well, then…looks like things just got interesting.”
I nod. “I think you’re right.”
Declan storms back over. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“Yeah, okay,” I say, casting one last glance towards the kitchen. I then turn to Harper.
“You okay?” Harper asks.
I smile and wrap my arm around her waist. “I am now. Shall we?”
She smiles, and I decide to put Declan’s issues aside for now. I have more important things to worry about.