Page 17 of Roar & Lizzy: A Forever Kind of Love

She finished making the drink and compared hers to his, and smiled at the layers she'd created. "They don't mix."

"That's the appeal." He nodded. "Go ahead. Take them to your customers."

"Thanks for showing me." She carried both glasses on a tray to the table.

Delivering the drinks to the customers made her happy. As if she was personally responsible for their beverage of choice. It wasn't on the grand scale of learning a new skill set to advance on the job, but she fit in at The Fire Ring, and acceptance felt good.

After handing off the drinks, she smiled at Peer and received a chin lift in return. Suddenly, she was excited about working here. Everything was new and exciting.

The other women came back from lunch. Kelli, as was her habit, went over and talked with Peer, kissing him up one side of his face. For an instant, she envied the ease they had with each other. They worked side-by-side and went home together, she assumed.

Kelli looked straight at her. Lizzy turned away, afraid her thoughts were written all over her face.

More customers came in. Two different parties sat on opposite sides of the room after admiring the fire. While business wasn't enough to keep her going constantly, she believed the number of customers would increase each day once people started talking about their experience with their friends.

During her last break, she walked out of the main room to remind Kelli her fifteen minutes were over. Peach called her name from the kitchen. She stepped inside, finding the woman cooking, even though there were no orders on the wheel.

Peach pointed a pair of tongs toward the counter. "Take those. I made extra."

"What are they?" She picked up the small paper basket. "Fried mushrooms?"

"Fried cheeseballs. They're seasoned." Peach nodded in appreciation. "Try them and let me know what you think."

"I will." She smiled. "Thank you."

Carrying her snack, she entered the breakroom. Kelli stood from a chair and walked past her, turned, and said, "Peer is mine."

Taken off guard, she set down her food. "You've mentioned that before."

"I don't need you cozying up to him, acting interested in what he does behind the bar." Kelli snapped her fingers together in front of her. "Stay away from him."

Kelli gave her no time to reply that she had no interest in her man. She found herself alone in the room, wondering what in the hell caused that warning. Observing how to make a drink wasn't 'cozying up' to anyone.

Her good mood gone, she plucked a fried cheeseball up and put it in her mouth, taking her frustration out by chewing. Swallowing, she picked up another one and ate it. Halfway done, she realized how good the appetizer was with what she suspected was some kind of ranch seasoning in the cheese.

She threw the basket in the garbage. Her instincts were urging her to go back out on the floor and apologize to Kelli, even though she'd done nothing wrong. Sitting back down in the chair, she cradled her head, taking the rest of her break to change her mind.

She would not be the kind of woman who let other people make her feel guilty. Kelli was a drama queen. It was her problem, not hers.

A soft knock brought her head up to find Roar standing in the doorway. She stood, afraid she'd taken too long on her break.

His prominent brow lowered, squinting his eyes. "Where did your smile go?"

The softness of his question wrapped her in a verbal hug. She rubbed her arms and smiled, though it wobbled.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Ja," he whispered, holding her gaze.

Her stomach fluttered, and she blamed it on the fried cheese, and not the man who despite his hard looks and tallness with his biker clothes and authority brought her comfort simply by his need to see her smile.

Why would her smile matter to him?

And, why was she happy to smile for him?

"My break is over." She raked her upper teeth over her bottom lip. "I need to go back out."

"Before you do, I want to give you this." He reached into his vest pocket and handed her a key on a simple metal ring. "It's for the front door. There's no reason for you to knock if you show up for work a few minutes early."

"Thank you." She slipped it into the front pocket of her shorts. "I enjoy working here."

"Nice," he said huskily. "That's good to hear."

He blocked the door, continuing to look at her. She moistened her lips. It was almost like he had something he wanted to say.

When several seconds passed, and he remained silent, she said, "I really do need to get back out on the floor."

He stepped out of the way. She slipped past him, aware of his body close to her, and hurried out to the bar. Catching Coco's gaze, she flashed a smile. Her friend frowned, knowing her better than anyone in her life. But the bar wasn't the place to talk about what was going through her mind or the most personal conversation she had with Roar.

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