“I should go,” I say, ducking back into the living room and heading straight for the exit. “Let me know if you need anything.”
I don’t wait for him to say a word in response. I shut the door behind me and race down the stairs.
I don’t dare look back, practically running all the way back to my house and into my bedroom. I close the door and place a hand over my heart. What in the world have I gotten myself into?
It feels as if there’s a boulder rolling down a hill and it’s too late to stop it now.
I sit on my bed and close my eyes, listening to a tiny little voice deep down inside that says maybe I don’t want it to stop. Maybe I’ve been waiting for something like this to happen for a very long time.
Chapter Seven
I stroll into work Monday afternoon with a smile on my face. I’m still on a high from Saturday night’s crowd, and I’m looking forward to another great night.
At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself.
Okay, so there might be a small part of me that’s looking forward to spending some more time with Jo. It’ll be just the two of us tonight, and those are my favorite kinds of nights here at the bar. Mondays are usually pretty slow, and it gives us a chance to fool around and talk.
I couldn’t believe it when she actually sat down and had a shot with me after work on Saturday night. I think that was the most we’ve actually talked since I started working here over the summer, and gosh, I don’t think I’ve talked about my family that much to anyone in as long as I can remember.
It felt good to really connect with her, and no matter how much I tell myself it’s a long shot that a girl like that would ever want to go out with me, I’ve been thinking about asking her anyway.
There’s a fifty-fifty shot she’ll slap me across the face, but I’m willing to take the risk.
“Hey¸” she says when I walk through the door. She’s wearing her hair in two separate braids that hang over her shoulders, and she’s got my favorite pair of jeans on tonight. “You’re early.”
“Easy commute,” I say, and she laughs. “I thought you could maybe use my help getting the tables and chairs back on the floor, but I see you guys already took care of that.”
The place looks back to normal.
“Knox came over earlier and helped me set it up,” she says. “It’s going to be a pain to keep pulling those tables and chairs out every weekend, but I don’t see any way around it right now.”
“We could always expand,” I say, half-teasing.
She takes in a breath and puts her hands on her hips, looking around the place. “In a dream world, maybe,” she says. “It would be nice to have a bigger stage and more bar space, but there’s no way we could afford that right now. Maybe after a year of great nights like we had this weekend. We ended up taking in over a grand on the covers alone, if you can believe it.”
“Considering it took me most of the weekend before I started to feel my feet again, I believe it.”
She laughs, and the sound reaches into my heart and speeds it up like a drug.
“It was worth it, though, huh?”
“You bet your ass it was worth it,” I say. “I’m already looking forward to this weekend.”
For more reasons than I want to admit. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Knox’s invitation to the lake next Sunday. I’m looking forward to spending some time with Jo outside work to see if this little spark I’m feeling is something more than just a work thing.
“We’ve got that band coming from Alabama this weekend,” she says. “I need to get some flyers printed out and start posting them around town tomorrow. I’ll see if Leigh Anne can pass some out around campus for us, too.”
“I can help if you need it,” I say. “What can I do to help you get things ready for tonight?”
“Would you mind restocking the coolers? I haven’t had a chance to do it yet.”
“On it, Boss,” I say, and she rolls her eyes. Man, I love getting under that girl’s skin.
I wonder if she has any idea just how much she’s getting under mine.