Her Dirty Bartenders (Men at Work #5) - Mika Lane Page 0,31

all for the better. Now can I just—”

He reached for my hand. Dammit. He was touching me now. I wanted to recoil and pretend to be disgusted. But something wouldn’t let me.

His two hands held mine gently, as if saying I could pull back if I wanted, but that he hoped I wouldn’t.

And those eyes. They showed sorrow. Maybe our parting had been a burden on his heart, too. I’d always assumed he’d just left town and forgotten my ass.

There was more to the story, I was learning.

And while these thoughts were screaming through my mind, tormenting me without mercy, something across the room caught my eye.

What the hell was that?

I craned my neck to see beyond Cab, but the club was dimly lit. I couldn’t see the other side of the room clearly.

But I could have sworn Vaughn had been standing there, watching me.

I squinted to see better. There was nothing there now.

“Stell? Are you okay?” Cab asked, looking over his shoulder.

I shook my head, as if that would improve my vision. “Yeah. I thought I saw something strange. But it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.”

He squeezed my hand as if to offer support and dammit, my cold heart melted a little.

Just a little.

But I pulled my hand out of his anyway. There had been enough touching for one day.

“Stell, how are you enjoying Denver?”

I was going to get sucked into his small talk, despite trying to avoid it.

I shrugged. “It’s fine. You know, a nice place for a short stay. But I will eventually hit the road for LA. It’s just a matter of time.”

He smiled at me, and my heart thumped in my chest. “You’re doing a great job for us. We all really appreciate it. Things have never run so smoothly.”

I looked over his shoulder again. Had I really seen Vaughn? Or was it someone who looked like him? I wouldn’t put it past him to show up at Tableau, under some stupid pretense, just so he could keep an eye on me.

Jesus. What would get rid of that creep once and for all?

And like it always had, Cab’s smile smacked me right in the gut. I was quickly losing my resolve to remain mean. And bitter.

I continued babbling. “I'm enjoying Tableau. It’s not a forever thing, but it’s been a great opportunity to get back on track. I guess you know that on my way into town, Robbie plowed into my car.”

He nodded, trying to look serious. Then, he broke out in a smile again. “I’m sorry. It’s just kind of funny. That you ended up working with him.”

I guess I could see the irony in it, now that I’d been paid, and I was pretty much over having almost been ripped off. And I had kissed Robbie in the upstairs office, after all.

So that feud was over.

“I can offer you a tip that might make your job easier,” he said, leaning closer.

“Really? What’s that?” Aside from the manual labor, which I’d pretty much gotten used to, the job really wasn't that hard.

But I’d hear him out.

“Even though you’re not pouring drinks, at least not yet, it’s helpful to know what’s in each cocktail. That way you can anticipate the bar’s needs better. Don’t tell anybody, but when I was learning all the drinks, I made myself flash cards.”

Good old flash cards. Like learning math.

“Why can’t I tell anyone? What’s the big deal?”

He looked around, like anybody cared about his big secret. “Because. It’s super nerdy.”

I snickered. I couldn’t help it.

He wrinkled his brow, clearly stricken by my laughing.

“Sorry, Cab, but you’re right. That is super nerdy.”

He gradually smiled, the dimples popping up again as if to say look how fucking cute I am.

I hated that about him. Actually, I hated a few things about Cab. But I might be willing to work on them.

“Hey, look. It’s a company meeting.”

We turned to find Robbie and Maze making their way behind the bar toward us.

Oh my god oh my god.

The three of these guys right here, all together, looking at none other than me.

I gripped the bar to hide my shaking hands.

I’d kissed two of them, and the third, well, I didn’t want to think about the past.

Maze raised his hand to high-five me. “Stell, we’re gonna tear it up tonight, right?” he asked with a big smile.

“Um, yeah,” I said, returning his high five and looking desperately for something to wipe, clean, or polish.

But I was pretty much caught up on my