Page 25 of Love and Other Lost Things

“Of course I am,” she said, with every bit of self-assurance she could muster. I got into every music school I applied to, didn’t I? But she’d just spent two weeks sitting in waiting rooms with dozens of aspiring stars who were only applying for office jobs until they got their big breaks. She’d learned pretty quickly that nobody gave a damn if you got into music school. They only cared about the clubs you’d played, which, for Jane, were none at this point.

Matteo confirmed this by asking, “Where are you playing these days?”

Jane bit her lip. “Uh, well, nowhere yet. I had to leave my guitar back in… uh… East Bumfuck. But I plan to buy another one soon and start booking some gigs.”

Matteo nodded like he believed it, and Jane wasn’t sure if he was humoring her or if she’d actually managed to pull off a little bit of confidence.

“What about you?” Jane changed the subject. “Where are you from?”

“LA, born and bred.”

“And you didn’t want to get out of here? Go someplace new?”

He raised his eyebrows, and Jane immediately realized she might have insulted him, implying he was somehow stuck in this club. “I mean… I didn’t mean that you need to…”

Matteo laughed. “I don’t need to get out of LA to go someplace new. I can just drive across town.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Apparently, it could take hours just to get from one end of the city to the other. Not that she’d had any chance to explore any part of LA that wasn’t within a square mile of the motel. But someday she would. If she managed to land this job, maybe she really would buy that guitar and start playing gigs all over town.

She’d been in this club for ten minutes and Matteo hadn’t kicked her out yet. In fact, he seemed to like her. Her confidence kicked up another notch. Jane flashed her most charming smile. “So… about the job…”

At that moment, a stocky, thirty-something man carrying a bucket of ice under each arm walked in. He gave Jane a nod as he crossed behind the bar to open a cooler and dump it in.

Matteo turned away from Jane to address the man. “Hey, did that tequila order arrive yet?”

The man set the ice buckets on the floor and ran a hand through his hair. “Nope. I called and they said it might not be delivered until tomorrow.”

“Goddamn it.” Matteo slapped a hand down on the bar, causing Jane to jump. “I’ve got a party coming in who specifically requested that brand.” His jaw clenched and eyes narrowed.

“I told them you need it tonight,” the stocky man said. “But they’re understaffed and can’t get someone to the warehouse until tomorrow.” He held up his hands in an I’m just the messenger gesture. “Sorry, man.”

Matteo pushed away from the bar, his face turning red. “Fucking hell.”

Jane shrank back against her chair back. He was on the other side of the bar, and she didn’t really feel threatened. But experience had taught her to tense up when a man was turning red with anger.

But then Matteo’s shoulders relaxed, and Jane felt hers do the same.

“It’s okay,” he said, with a sigh. “I’ll call them later.”

The stocky man picked up his buckets and headed back the way he’d come.

Matteo turned to Jane with a shrug. “Sorry about that. This vendor has been screwing me over for weeks now.”

“I’m sorry,” Jane said. It was probably difficult to run a bar and try to meet so many customers’ demands. “Is there anywhere else to get that tequila? A liquor store or… I don’t know. Another bar, maybe?” And then her face heated up. She’d told him she’d worked in a bar before, so shouldn’t she know something about how to buy tequila? There probably wasn’t another way or he wouldn’t be so upset about it.

But a grin slowly spread across Matteo’s face. “You know what? Maybe there is.” He reached under the bar to pull out a phone, hitting a few buttons and pressing it to his ear. “Hey,” he said, when someone on the other end had answered. “How’s it going?”

There was a pause where the other person was clearly speaking, and then Matteo continued: “Listen, any chance you have an extra bottle of Jalisco Tequila? I have a customer who requested it and a supplier who’s pissing me off.” Another pause, and then, “I’ll pay you double, and I won’t call the health department and let them know your bathroom is a fire trap.”

The person on the other end said something, and Matteo tossed back his head and laughed.

Jane eyed the strong cords of his neck, the stubble on his jaw. And then she felt her cheeks turn crimson.

Matteo was staring back at her with heat smoldering in his dark eyes. He muttered something into the phone, and then something else, but she missed it entirely. Finally, he promised the person on the other end that he’d send someone over to pick up the bottle, and then he hung up the phone. “Well, Jane McCaffrey from East Bumfuck,” he murmured, his voice low and gravelly. “It’s a good thing you walked in here today. You saved my ass.”

Jane’s pulse picked up speed. “So, about the job. Does that mean…”

Matteo gave her a nod. “You’re hired.”

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