Test Drive - Samantha Chase Page 0,79

genius.”

“Willow!”

“You know what? I think we both need some time to calm down. I’ll talk to you next week. Bye!”

She hung up and immediately turned the phone off to avoid any immediate callbacks.

But it also meant Levi couldn’t get through, so…

She still left it off for a little while.

Her heart was back to racing again–and hopefully it was just because of nerves and not because she suddenly developed some sort of heart condition or was having a heart attack–but Willow forced herself to go into the kitchen and make herself something for dinner.

Her appetite wasn’t the best, and she was borderline nauseous, but she knew by the time she was done cooking that she’d feel better.

Or will have thrown up and need food to fill her empty stomach.

Either way, she was going to make the shrimp tacos she had planned on making.

Thirty minutes later, she was sitting at her kitchen table and scrolling through her Instagram feed for entertainment. There wasn’t much going on, but it was always fun to see if Doug the Pug shared anything new or where Popeye the Foodie Dog was eating today. It was a brainless way to pass the time and provided enough smiles to get her through her dinner–which was delicious.

Once she was done, she thought about going to McGee’s and seeing Levi, but she had a feeling he’d be busy and she was honestly too tired to go and then wait for the pub to close. Instead, she sent him a text to let him know she was thinking about him and would see him tomorrow.

Although, she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she told him how her father carried on about him owning the bar. Just thinking about it made her chuckle. No wonder her father had changed his tune that day at Gammy’s.

Yeah, there would be plenty of time to laugh about it tomorrow.

“Hey, there’s my beautiful girl! This is a surprise!” Levi came around the bar late Friday afternoon. It was only four o’clock and Willow didn’t normally come in until some time after seven. Kissing her, he said, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

She took her seat on her favorite stool at the end of the bar and smiled. “Mr. Moore came home early today, and I figured I’d take advantage of the time to come in and see if maybe we could grab an early dinner together.” Reaching out, she squeezed his hand. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he admitted, resting his forehead against hers. “I think I can handle an early dinner. What are you in the mood for?”

She gave him a sexy smile and hoped they were on the same wavelength. Maybe if they went back to his place–even for a quickie–she could convince him not to come back here tonight and call in sick or something.

“Food,” he murmured, kissing her.

So much for being a seductress…

“In that case, how about some…”

The sound of a loud crash in the kitchen made them both jump, and Levi immediately turned and excused himself.

With a sigh, Willow rested her arms on the bar and looked around. There were just a handful of people here to eat and she was the only one sitting at the bar.

“Hey, Willow! How’s it going?”

“Hey, Anthony!” She sat up and smiled. “What happened back there?”

Groaning, he explained, “Dex. Dex is what happened back there. I swear, that guy is a damn mess. I don’t know why Levi keeps him. I mean, I’m all for giving people second chances, but this is like his eighteenth. Levi’s losing money hand over fist because of this. He’s had to restock most of the dishes and glasses. It’s crazy.”

Levi was losing money?

“So…uh…Levi’s in charge of hiring and firing?”

Anthony looked at her funny. “Well, yeah. He’s in charge of everything.”

She had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Swallowing hard, she said, “Because he’s the…manager?”

“Willow, Levi owns the place. He’s literally in charge of it all. And he’s a really kick-ass boss–seriously the best guy I’ve ever worked for–but he’s got a soft heart. I know it will kill him to fire Dex. But hopefully, he’ll just rip it off like a band-aid and move on. We need help in the kitchen that aren’t total klutzes.” He chuckled. “Levi’s really a softie when it comes to them. Just like his grandfather was.”

It was like she could feel the color draining from her face.

“Hey, Willow? You okay?” he asked, concerned.

“I…uh…I’m fine.”

There was yelling coming from the