She flashes me that smile again before hopping off the stool and following me to the back. I just shake my head. Hiring her was a great idea. I just hope I don’t screw up all my other ideas because of it.
EIGHT
Kiersten
Working at Frui Vita is turning out better than I expected. It’s not teaching dance, which I miss desperately, but I enjoy the work I’m doing, and learning recipes for mixed drinks hasn’t been that hard. Not that we have that many specialty drinks orders. But it’s kind of fun coming in a little early and creating something new every day. It’s only for Paul to taste test so he knows I’m making progress in my training, but considering he’s trusting me behind the bar alone more, it’s nice to have the feedback.
It also means I get to spend some alone time with him. I shouldn’t be nearly as happy about that part as I am. But god he smells good. And his unruly brown hair that always looks like he’s been thoroughly fucked, which of course gives me images of what I imagine he looks like naked. And every time he talks his voice makes me want to melt into a puddle.
Oh boy. I should not have a crush on my boss. Shouldn’t, but do.
Even now as I take a free minute to load the dirty glasses into the dishwasher rack, I’m thinking about his broad chest and how it gives me the feeling there is some raw power behind his calm demeanor. It’s not just his physique though. We also have interesting conversations in between customers and share laughs regularly. Altogether, it’s a recipe for my hormones to flare every time we work together. This is why my new routine on the drive over every night is to chant “he’s my boss and off-limits. He’s my boss and off-limits,” hoping it’ll sink it. It never does.
I will admit, however, my job is more pleasant because we all get along well. Whether it’s Paul or even Tammy, I really do enjoy being here. It’s not a dance studio, but it’s a great consolation job.
The only downside is working nights. I’m not a night owl by nature, and it only gives me half days with my baby. Speaking of, I take advantage of the few minutes of downtime I have to wipe my hands off and grab my phone, pulling up the video Lauren sent me earlier. In it, Carson and Heath are standing in front of the television dancing to The Incredibles theme song and pretending to be super heroes. Health grabs my boy and takes off around the room, making Carson fly while he giggles and squeals. I slump against the counter as I watch, happy he’s having a good time, but also sad I’m not there to see it in person.
I take a deep breath to center myself. Yes, it sucks that I’m not with him but I recognize two important things—most single moms have less time than I do with their kids, and most single moms don’t have a pseudo-family to lean on when necessary. I know Carson is in the best hands when I’m gone even if it’s tough on me.
Getting back to work, I take a moment to rinse out the shaker from my last batch of martinis, and I barely hear the door open until someone calls out.
“Hey, bartender!” Lauren yells and my stomach immediately jumps with excitement. Having spent the last few minutes thinking of the love of my life, and knowing Lauren is with him tonight has me automatically assuming my pudgy baby is probably running in with her looking for me. When I don’t hear him, I deflate just a little, but quickly finish what I’m doing. My best friend is still here, after all.
“Where’s my boy?” I inquire as she eases up to the bar.
“He is still at the house with Uncle Heath. They are on hour two of reading all the books.”
I pop open a new pale ale I want her to try and hand it over. “You’re exaggerating.”
“Nope. Remember how I told you Uncle Heath wants Carson to feel at home with us?”
“Oh, god. What did he do?”
“Three words… Barnes. And. Noble.”
I groan. “You really need to give that man some offspring.”
“Hell no. The minute I pop out a baby, my gymnastics days are over. Unless Depends comes out with a brand of leotards which I am uninterested in trying out, I’m good letting Heath dote on your kid for a long, long time.” She takes a sip of the drink. “What is this anyway?”
“It’s an apple pie pale ale. Something new Paul wanted us to try out and see what customers think before stocking it for the fall.” I raise my eyebrows in question as she tries it a second time.
She licks her lips before giving me her opinion. “I like it. I’m not a huge ale drinker but this is something I could go for.”
“Good to know.” I toss the bottle cap in the trash. “We’ve tried it with a couple of our regulars who gave two thumbs up, but they’ve all been older men. I’ll let Paul know the female demographic approves as well.”
Glancing around, I quickly make sure everyone’s glasses are still full before leaning against the bar and taking a breather.
“What brings you out tonight anyway? I expected you to be on viewing number six hundred of The Incredibles tonight.”
Lauren groans. “I love your son but I’m really sick of that movie. It’s wildly unfair that Elastagirl has mom hips and still looks fantastic in her costume.”
“Maybe because she’s a cartoon.”
“I don’t care. Disney needs to think about the kind of image they’re portraying for the women out there. It’s depressing.”
I snicker. She’s ridiculous sometimes. “Leotard envy is what drove you out tonight, huh?”
She takes an even longer swig and drops her bottle on the counter. “Actually, Annika called me. She wants to get out of the house. I guess Jaxon is doing a volunteer clinical tonight and she didn’t feel like being home by herself.”
“That’s unlike her. Married life must be making her needy if she wants to go to a bar.”
This time Lauren laughs. “Maybe. Secretly I think she just wants to show off the pictures from her honeymoon and this is a good way to catch us both at the same time.”
“Don’t sound annoyed with it. You know you’re dying to see them.”
Lauren sighs loudly and drops her chin onto her hand. “You’re not wrong. I’m just so damn happy for them. They give me hope.”
A loud thunk reverberates through the room. Looks like Dwayne found the new dartboard Paul had installed.
“What kind of hope do you need? You’re living with your professional football player boyfriend in his giant house. If anyone should be looking for inspiration in the relationships around here, it should be me.”
Lauren pulls her bottle to her lips but peeks up through her eyelashes at me, batting them just slightly. It’s a clear sign I’m not going to like what she has to say next.
“I’m pretty sure Paul’s single.”
I shake my head. I was hoping she wouldn’t go there but I knew that was coming eventually. “I will admit he’s nice to look at and a really great guy. Plus, he’s a little older and that maturity is damn attractive… “Shaking my head, I pull myself out of the rabbit hole I’m falling in and refocus. “But he’s also my boss which makes him a no-go.”
Lauren gestures with her hand like my boundary is irrelevant. “Who cares? You’re both adults and it’s not like Tammy is single. There’s no competition.”