Page 6 of Enchanting the CEO

I passed a small delicatessen shop that sold pancetta, not just regular ham. That gave me an idea, but I wanted to check with my sister first.

Diane: Hey, sorry to disturb you at work. Do you like spaghetti carbonara?

She replied a few seconds later. I thought that was a good thing, as it meant she wasn't too busy. But her message proved the opposite.

Celia: You know I eat anything. Love you for wanting to spoil me. I’m up to my eyeballs in work. Two bartenders are sick. I can't wait for the flu season to be over.

I had no idea the flu was still around. It was April already.

Diane: Holy shit, that is not good.

Diane: You want me to come help? I'm good behind the counter.

Celia: You don't mind? You’ll get paid, of course.

Diane: Of course. I'm on my way.

We lived quite a ways from the bar, but I immediately looked up the route online. Even though I’d been there yesterday, I didn’t remember the name of the subway station. The public transportation system in Boston was so efficient that I'd already put my car up for sale online and was sure I’d sell it any day now.

On the way there, I browsed Craigslist, looking for a shared accommodation because I couldn’t afford anything else.

Part of me wanted to ask Celia if she was tempted to move into something bigger with me. But even though she loved me dearly, she liked living alone, and I respected that.

After getting off from the subway, I hurried to the bar. Stepping inside, I glanced around, wondering if Gabe was here too. My heart was beating a bit quicker at the thought, but I told myself it was simply a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that he was so absolutely, impossibly handsome.

Celia should have warned me, and I would have braced myself. Still, it didn't matter. I was certain that I wouldn't see him again.

Five seconds later, I was proven wrong, as Gabe was with my sister behind the bar.

Gabe looked in my direction as I joined them. Sweet Lord, those blue eyes were far too sinful. And his light brown hair... how could it be so thick and shiny?

"Thanks for saving our butts. I'm in your debt," he said somewhat theatrically.

I couldn't get a good read on him. Celia had mentioned that he owned the distillery and wasn’t a fancy-ass CEO. But judging by his suit, he was. Yesterday, his cuff links were pretty extravagant, engraved with his initials. On instinct, I lowered my eyes to his wrists, wanting to check if he was wearing a pair today.

Then my knees weakened because Gabe had rolled his sleeves up to the elbows, revealing ink that crisscrossed both his forearms. I didn't recognize the pattern, but it was damn sexy. Swallowing hard, I looked back up.

"All right. What do I have to do?" I asked. My voice was a bit on edge, but I didn't think he could tell. The bar was already quite busy and loud.

"I have a list with run-of-the-mill cocktails that are easy to make," he said. "Why don't you take those over, and Celia and I will do the house creations."

Celia told me that when they'd first opened, they only offered surprise cocktails but gradually added a normal menu of drinks.

"Do you have any experience bartending?" he asked.

I nodded feverishly. "Yeah, I did this a few years back. I'm good at it, though it's best if I stick to the simple drinks. Otherwise, I’ll just slow everyone down."

I took in the details. It looked straightforward enough: ice, lime, alcohol, fresh fruit juices. There were also bottles of wine in the fridge underneath the bar. I was ready to go.

Gabe was the one who took the actual orders, and then he passed the easy ones on to me, like Bloody Marys, margaritas, and mojitos. I couldn't help but glance at him every now and again. He looked so at ease talking with customers, making drinks, and slicing lemons and other garnishes.

"Are you deaf?" a male voice asked.

I looked up, one eyebrow raised. "Excuse me?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for ten minutes."

"I've been preparing cocktails," I replied coolly.

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