Summer Love_ A Steamy Small Town Romance Anthology - Piper Rayne Page 0,136

slacking?”

I show her a chocolate bar. “I need sugar or I might maim one of my employees or several of the patrons that toured Wicked Luna today.”

“You know how to fix that,” she says.

I have a solution that she might hate. “By quitting?”

She grins. “That’s one solution. The other is contacting the temp agency.”

“Mr. Matthews said today help is on the way. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I had called an agency and requested two people to be here today.”

Her playful smile stretches when she asks, “Are they hot?”

I glare. “I didn’t ask them to send me their profile pictures or Tinder handle names.”

She marches to a shelf where she takes a bag. Then, she takes away the chocolate and shoves said bag into my hand. “Here, this should keep you calm for the rest of the day. You don’t have time to go to the police station, and I don’t have bail money.”

I’m ready to murder someone. She’s right. I wave the lavender gummies bag. “How much for this?”

“It’s on the house,” she answers, concentrating on her computer.

“Nydia,” I say her name as if saying, are-you-kidding-me? She needs paying customers, not a needy friend who comes and steals candy every time she has the urge to murder someone.

“Siobhan,” she says my name and adds, “Leave, I have things to do, and you have a beer empire to run.”

“Honestly, I should just quit,” I finally say that out loud.

I came here for a different reason. Who thought that raising goats and making cheese could be my future? Maybe me, when I had a guy who supported my dream. Who knew he’d meet someone else during his trips to the city? Loyalty is hard to find these days.

Asshole.

Nydia’s body tenses. “There’s always that option. I’ll miss you, but with your qualifications, you can get a better job in the city.”

“I can’t just quit. Mr. Cantú needs me,” I mumble.

The poor guy and I are like soulmates—two people who don’t have a family or anyone to love—or love us.

It happens too fast. Someone pushes me.

I hear the voice before a pair of strong arms catch me. “Watch where you’re going, asshole.” The same voice says, “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

Unfortunately, I can only hold onto the tray and not the pitcher and glasses I carried on it.

“Thank you,” I say, once I find my balance and look at the damage on the floor.

Thankfully, the busboy is already approaching with the roll-in bucket, the mop, and the sweeper.

“I got it, Ms. Walker.”

“Thank you, Arnold.”

When I move my gaze to take a good look at my savior, I almost gasp. He’s nearly a foot taller than my five-five, with broad shoulders. I wonder if he’s lean and athletic under that suit. I can say that he exudes male perfection. If I wasn’t busy worrying about running the sports bar, I’d drag him to the office and see how virile he is.

His dark, chocolate eyes stare at me as if he’s waiting for my next move. I could grab the collar of his white shirt and kiss him. God knows I haven’t kissed anyone in a million years. I bet this guy would stop my heart just by touching me with his sinful lips.

I count to ten, controlling the lust and reminding myself that I’m in a public place. At work. In front of the sexiest specimen I've ever seen in my life. Nydia was right. You can find perfect men outside Luna Harbor. If only they stopped by more often.

“You okay?” he asks, touching my head lightly and then caressing my face. “Did you bang your head?”

His touch makes my skin sizzle. He’s a hot griddle, and I’m just about to be well done.

“I’m fine,” I confirm, dusting off my jeans. “Would you like a table?”

He looks around. “It seems like it’s not your night, is it?”

“You have no idea,” I confirm without adding or my month, year, maybe I should get myself a new life. “We have some room at the bar. Tell Tim, the bartender, that you’re our guest for the night.”

“Do you have guests often?”

I arch a teasing brow. “You want to feel special and know you’re the only one?” I shake my head a couple of times. “I’m not sure if this has been done before, and I don’t want to lie. This is my first. I feel like it’s the least I could do.”

“Don’t think that I just saved you to get a free meal. Maybe