Page 24 of Fangs and Fudge

Shepard stepped closer. “What makes you ask that?”

“I just wanted to make sure he’s okay. He’s not at his station.”

Shepard inhaled a breath and stared at me funny. Did he smell Cross? I took a shower before my shift to make sure there were no lingering scents.

Shepard’s face cleared, but his eyes strayed to my forehead. Before I registered him moving closer, his lips pressed against my forehead.

“Uh, Shepard?”

He exhaled against my skin then backed away.

“Everything is fine, Everly,” he said. “Gunther and Anchor didn’t come into work today, but they’ve been working hard. They’re probably asleep somewhere and forgot to set the alarm.”

His words said one thing, but the tension in his expression said something else. Even without the worry reflecting in his gaze, I would have been concerned. Anchor was never late. He never missed a shift. Neither had Gunther, not even after Sierra had drugged him. Sure, he’d reeked like alcohol a few times, but he never ghosted his shifts.

I opened my mouth to ask but closed it again realizing Shepard would have said more if he’d wanted to. So, I nodded and left the office.

As soon as I had my station ready for the shift to start, I went to the top of the stairs to check on Vena below.

With my bird’s-eye view, I saw the way she paused to look at MC as he took his place at the bottom of the stairs. He caught her looking at him and nodded at her, sending a flirty smile her way.

Instead of smiling back, she lifted her gaze to me. I could see the whirlwind of questions in her gaze, I shook my head slightly, warning her not to do or say whatever she was thinking about doing or saying.

I loved Vena like crazy. She was my ride-or-die girl till the end. And she was wicked smart. But I also knew she had a tendency to jump first and think later. Considering recent events, I needed her to be more of a thinker and less of a jumper.

She sighed visibly and turned back to straightening her tables.

MC looked up with a slight frown until he saw me. I received the same nod and flirty smile that Vena had. I returned both, but without the flirt. After, I checked with Detroit, who was manning the VIP bar. He was dark and handsome as always, but even he had a crease on his brow. That didn’t stop him from giving me a friendly wink when he realized I was studying him.

Once the doors opened, I barely had time to glance over the railing at Vena. The three times I did manage to check, she was laughing with customers and taking orders. Seeing her handling her own section without any problems and seeming to enjoy it, relieved me. After all, that was the whole point of talking her into working at Blur. To give her another option to earn money other than treasure hunting.

By the time the last call was announced, my feet were tired, and I was ready for the shift to end. Detroit helped me clear my tables as soon as they emptied and carried the full bin of dishes downstairs.

I peeked over the railing again and saw MC offering to take Vena’s tray. She shook her head, giving him a polite smile as she walked around him. MC watched after her, and I could almost hear his thoughts.

But she’d called me Man Candy. What gives with the cold shoulder now?

I almost felt sorry for him. He wasn’t the first guy to fall for Vena’s fun-loving and flirty ways, and I doubted he’d be the last.

Hurrying back to my tables, I finished straightening my chairs and went downstairs. MC had moved off to help Pam clear her tables, and Thomas was clearing his and Adrian’s while Adrian washed and straightened the cleared ones. Vena was finishing wiping down her last table.

“Not a bad night,” Shepard said as I sat at the bar to wait for her.

“Sales-wise or…?”

He smiled slightly. “All around. Vena kept up with her tables. The floor was packed. The sales barely reflected what happened a few days ago. And we didn’t need Doc to remove any patrons.”

“So, not a bad night,” I repeated with a smile.

He grinned and nodded as he wiped down the soda gun nozzles.

I unloaded my tip money and started counting it. Vena sat beside me.

“Damn, girl, look at you being rich. Oh, wait…” She placed a neat stack of bills on the bar. “One. Ah-ah-ah! Two. Ah-ah-ah!”

I rolled my eyes at Shepard. “I’m dead on my feet, and she has enough energy to be The Count. The universe does not divvy up energy as fairly as we do tip money.”

Vena snorted. “I give them ten percent just like you.”

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