One Foot in the Grave (Carly Moore #3) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,10

into a grim look. “I can’t. Max called an employee meeting for after the bar closes in an hour.”

My brow wrinkled. “An employee meeting? Since when? I haven’t heard about this, and besides, you’re not even an employee.”

“Max called it after Wyatt came out with busted knuckles. And you’ll find out the rest after the bar closes.”

“Order up,” Wyatt called out, giving me a dark look.

Why was he still here, anyway?

The crowd started to thin, finally, but if I were the foreman at the construction site, I’d be concerned about all the men showing up to work with hangovers. It wasn’t my place to worry, though, and the tavern was making money hand over fist. Despite Max’s earlier concern about serving a worker a beer for lunch, he seemed totally on board with their nighttime shenanigans.

Max had to kick a few stragglers out, and after he locked up, he stood next to an empty table. “Everyone head on over, and we’ll get started.”

Tiny emerged from the kitchen in back. Wyatt circled the corner of the bar, but instead of leaving, he walked over to the table.

I was about to ask Max why Wyatt was coming to an employee meeting, but then I realized he was supposed to be there. Max must have hired him to help with the expanded crowd. The real question was what Marco was still doing here.

Wyatt took a seat at the table Max was standing in front of, but I sat at that table behind Wyatt. Marco sat across from me, with Ruth between us. Tiny took a seat at the table with Wyatt, while Max stayed standing.

“As y’all have noticed, we’re busier than a snow cone salesman in a heat wave, so there are going to be a few changes. First off, Wyatt has agreed to work nights and weekends to help behind the bar.”

Ruth crossed her arms over her chest. “Is he too good to wait tables with Carly and me? That’s where we need the real help. You know Bingham won’t let Lula help out much longer, and after what happened to Carly tonight…”

My face reddened at the reminder, but I was struck with the fact that she’d insisted we could handle it ourselves just hours earlier.

“Well,” she continued. “Let’s just say Bingham wouldn’t have been as magnanimous as Wyatt if it happened to Lula.”

Max’s face blanched as he realized she was right.

“I’m not above waitin’ tables,” Wyatt said with an expressionless face. “I’ll be happy to help wherever I’m needed.”

“You ever waited tables before?” Ruth asked.

“I have a bit of experience,” he challenged.

She shook her head in disgust.

Max’s jaw tightened. “I’m gonna get you and Carly more help. And you’re right about Lula. I doubt Bingham will let her help out much longer, although we all know the lunch crowd is tamer than the evening. But for now, Wyatt will help out wherever we need him. And after what happened to Carly, I’ve made another hire. Marco’s gonna be workin’ security in the evenings.”

“Security?” I asked in surprise.

I turned to Ruth, expecting her to protest, but she quirked a brow. “What? I think it’s a great idea.”

“You’re against it?” Marco asked.

“Bigger bars have them,” Max countered before I could answer. “Tiny and I have historically acted as security, which has worked out so far, but now there are too many men coming in. Too many that don’t know or follow the rules.”

“I’m not protesting,” I said. “It just seems like a lot for him. He’s working all day, then coming here every night?”

“Hey,” Wyatt said. “What about me?”

I frowned. What about him, indeed. How would he and Marco get along? I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure it will be a lot for you too,” I said grudgingly.

“Gee, thanks,” he grumped.

“This starts tomorrow night,” Max said. “And like I mentioned, I’ll work on finding a replacement or two for Lula.”

“Then are we done?” Ruth asked. “I still need to count tips and get home for some much-needed sleep.”

“Yeah,” Max said with a frown and a wave of his hand. “In fact, you can leave your tips and I’ll count ’em up for you.”

She shook her head. “I’ll do it. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

Max gave me a look that suggested I could leave, but I shook my head and pulled out my money and began to count.

We’d made a lot more than usual, enough that it took us fifteen minutes to count it. By the time we finished, the guys had stacked