Page 45 of Accidental Baby Daddy

“Find Krista,” I told her as she walked in. “You’ll be training with her tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” she mumbled, but I spotted a small smile in the corner of her mouth and my heart skipped a beat. She always looked so beautiful when she smiled.

I cleared my throat as I headed back to the office, continuing to observe the staff as they worked. I had already noticed that Krista was a steady and hard worker, buzzing around like a busy bee. She was patient with Lex as she trained her, showing her the ropes, and Lex seemed to pick up on it quickly.

She followed Krista closely, mimicking her steps, and I could tell that she was already doing a great job.

Within a couple of hours, Krista was slammed at the bar, every seat full, and Lex picked up the slack, tending to the few stragglers at the end of the bar and even some of the tables.

Krista came to the office for a brief moment to make change. I looked at her curiously as she counted out the bills.

“What do you think of the new girl?”

“Lexie? Oh, she’s great, boss. She’s getting the hang of it quickly. She may be new to all of this, but I think she’ll be a hard worker,” Krista said brightly before hurrying off to give the customer his change.

Around midnight, it started to get a little rowdy. Krista approached me twice about cutting off a couple of regulars, and I gave her the go ahead. I knew that she could tell better than me when someone was three sheets to the wind.

Liquor licenses were fragile, and they involved a lot of liabilities if we overserved, so I trusted my head bartender, just as Clayton had.

The only snafu happened when a regular got belligerent when asked to leave. His name was Greg, and hewanted another beer after getting cut off. When he was denied, he started cursing at Lexie and Krista.

I came out of the office upon hearing the commotion and tapped Greg’s shoulder.

“Excuse me,” I said in a low tone, ready for a fight.

Greg whirled around and even though he was probably fifty pounds heavier than me and just as tall, he stopped short, blinking when he saw me.

“Oliver? Oliver Stanhope? What the hell are you doing at the Pig?” he asked, his eyes glassy.

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” I asked cheerfully. “I bought the place off Clayton, couple of weeks ago. Today is our grand opening.”

“I don’t give a fuck about a grand opening,” Greg slurred. “I want my beer.”

“You can pick up a six pack on your walk home,” I told him, leading him toward the door.

“Clayton would have given my keys back and given me a beer,” he muttered, but he let me lead him to the door anyway.

“I doubt that, but you can be sure to complain to him next time you see him,” I said, calling Greg a taxi to make sure he got home all right.

Greg Wilson was no stranger to the Pig in the Poke, and he was on the list of regular alcoholics that Clayton gave me to watch out for. The list included mostly men and a couple of women who were barflies and had the tendency to overdo it.

Greg was at the top of the list, and I wished he hadn’t waited until my grand opening night to go off the rails. In the end, though, he got into the cab, and everything cooled off, no harm done.

By the time I got my bearings back after that, Krista wasannouncing last call. I asked for a rye whiskey Old Fashioned which Lex made, bringing it to me, ducking her head almost sheepishly.

“It’s my first Old Fashioned,” she admitted.. I took a hesitant sip as she watched me with wide, expectant eyes.

The bitters bloomed on my tongue, the orange and cherry flavors coming right after, and I hummed in pleasure. “It’s delicious, Lex.”

“Really?” she gasped, bouncing a little on her heels excitedly. “I’m so glad.”

“You’re doing great,” Krista said, coming up behind her. “But I need your help with restocking the beer.”

“Got it,” Lex replied, shooting me a shy smile while the butterflies in my stomach fluttered relentlessly.

Krista raised an eyebrow, seeming to notice there was some kind of energy between me and Lex but she didn’t mention it.

At least not right then.

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