Page 14 of Everything I Crave

That woman is going to kill me.

Mack and Bennett are going to kill me for hiring her.

She absolutely cannot make a drink to save her life. Poor Bennett has been slammed all night making his drinks, and remaking her drinks.

“Fix that, boss,” Mack grits out as she runs by me to help Bennett from the kitchen.

Shit.

“Willow.” I beckon her to come over to me. I need to get her out of here for tonight, then I will teach her how to simply pour a beer later.

“What? Is there something else wrong with my outfit?”

She blows a stray hair out of her red face. She looks like she’s run a marathon. With how busy the bar is tonight, that’s not too far from the truth.

“Listen, I need you to go out to serve the patio tables with Madeline, and is there a reason you didn’t mention that you can’t make a drink, including a beer from the tap?” I gently push the hair behindher ear, and see the goosebumps forming down her arms.

“You didn’t ask me about that specifically.” She shrugs. “I can serve though. I used to help Rhett sometimes when he’d get slammed after my gigs.” She holds up her pinky to what? Pinky promise me that I’m not an idiot for hiring her?

Taking a deep breath, I hold up my pinky and we lock fingers. “I’ve never pinky promised in lieu of an interview and experience. Please don’t make my customers pissed. Or Mack, more than she already is.” I look over to where Mack is scowling in the kitchen.

Willow turns on her best innocent face, looking up at me with her big green doe eyes. “They will love me, sweetheart.” She flounces off to the patio and I groan inwardly.

“You fucked up,” Mack yells from her spot in the kitchen after witnessing our whole exchange.

I don’t argue. I can’t. She’s right. I fucked up in so many ways. The current being that I can’t stop staring at my friends’ baby sister who is way too young for me and should be totally off limits.

Once I help Bennett get caught up, I go out to the patio to check on Willow. She is flirting with a group of men and bringing them each a new beer. I stand by the door to watch her for a minute. She moves seamlessly throughout the crowded patio, never letting her smile fade, and laughing at something from each table. She is a natural at serving.Maybe Mack won’t quit now like she threatened to earlier.

I lock eyes with Willow as she walks back toward me to come inside to pick up more orders. I watch her hips swaying back and forth while the fringe she cut into that damn tee sways with her movements, threatening to expose the underside of her breasts.

Behind me a commotion breaks out. Mack runs from the kitchen to join me as we both spot the problem. A fight at the bar, Bennett is trying his best to break up the fight, but it's two against one and he has the disadvantage of the bar being between him and the fighting duo.

Fuck. I hate when there are fights in my bar.

Mack and I each pick one of the guys and start pulling, but their buddies join in at the same time, making it impossible for the two of us to control the crowd.

The thought that I might need to hire a bouncer crosses my mind, albeit a bit too late for tonight.

A sweet melodic sound starts covering the room, gathering the attention of those around us and slowly working its way into the group of guys fighting.

When I follow the sound, I find Willow, standing on my bar singing an acoustic version ofLady Mayby Tyler Childers, sounds from the band waft in from the open patio doors accompanying her.

Slowly all the guys stop fighting to take in the beauty on my bar, entranced by the sound of her voice. Myself included.

Mack grabs both guys by the back of their shirts while they’re enchanted by Willow and leads them to the door. She throws them out without much more of a fight, and probably a threat to call Brad, one of the cops who helps me out when we get stuck with a big fight.

Willow finishes the song, and guys push to the front clamoring to be the one that helps her down off the bar. Everyone is clapping, and she’s politely smiling at the guys who helped her down before silently walking out to go back to her tables. Leaving a wake of slack jawed men in her ruin.

I’m standing there, shell shocked where the fight was happening just a minute ago when Mack finds me again.

“Maybe you didn’t fuck up,” is all Mack says before going back to the kitchen with a smile on her face. A knowing smile, as I can’t keep my eyes off the red headed siren that just sang her way into Mack’s heart.

And mine. Where she shouldn’t be getting into anyway.

At the end of the shift we are exhausted, but I need to teach Willow the basics behind the bar for tomorrow night. Bennett can’t be by himself makingall the drinks. Even if Sunday is a slow night with just some regulars.

I send Mack and Bennett home, letting them go a bit early from their duties. They were all too happy to run home and leave the cleaning to me. Traitors.

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