Page 72 of Secret Billionaire

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Faye propped the front bar door open in preparation for the arrival of the newly painted statue. Jesse and Joe would be there any minute with the delivery. She had the perfect spot right next to the hostess stand at the front of the bar. It would sit nestled between the bench and the fountain. She couldn’t wait to see what her friend had done with it.

The truck pulled in and she excitedly directed them to back the truck up to the front door. Both men hopped out and Jesse unlatched the back end of the pickup.

“Wow! It’s amazing!” Faye said. It was ablaze with color. Just what she’d envisioned.

“And it hasn’t lost any weight since we dropped it off,” Joe said.

They huffed and puffed as they pulled it off the truck bed and muscled it through the door.

“Right here,” Faye instructed.

Ty came out from the back and said, “That is cool as hell!”

“I know, right?” Faye smiled.

“This calls for a few selfies,” Ty said.

“That’s a great idea. We should send a photo to the newspaper. Good publicity,” Jesse said.

“Joe will you do the honors?” Faye asked.

“Sure. You three gather round.”

He snapped some shots with them getting increasingly goofy. He took a shot of Faye kissing the Mayan God on the cheek, one with Faye squatting in front and Jesse and Ty on either side with their arms around its neck. They ended up with some great shots which Joe forwarded to her email. She’d send them to the paper. Maybe they’d do a feature article about her bar. They were usually good about doing that for new businesses. The grand opening was only a couple weeks away.

“This is exactly what was missing. Must be fate!” Faye said.

“I have to admit, he’s grown on me and the bright colors neutralize the creep factor,” Joe said.

“He’s adorable! He looks like a Mayan version of Buddha,” Faye said.

“I wouldn’t go that far. He looks too menacing to be Buddha, I’d say closer to Sasquatch.”

“I think we just came up with his name,” Faye said.

“I’ve got to get back to work on the kitchen. Thanks Joe. Tell the crew hi, and I’ll check in tomorrow some time,” Jesse said.

“Will do, see ya.”

With the outdoor deck completed, Jesse had his sights set on having the kitchen finished by the grand opening. Ty was proving to be a real asset. He had a natural mechanical aptitude and enjoyed working with his hands. Reminded Jess of himself. He, Ty and Faye, The Three Musketeers. Ty had shared with Jess that he was related to Faye and that his father was in prison. That had taken a lot to admit, and it had sealed their friendship.

Jesse rubbed the tension in his neck. He had that weird sense that he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Was Julian lurking around somewhere…just waiting for the perfect opportunity to show up? Faye had halfway convinced herself that he was gone. He hoped that was true.

He and Faye were back to their previous playful bantering. The lack of intimacy was starting to get to him though, and the sexual tension was building…she had to be just as frustrated as he was… There was some small consolation knowing that.

Faye had scheduled karaoke tonight and he was going to be bartending with her. He loved being behind the bar with her. This was the first night for the new waitress Faye had just hired, Addison. She was only twenty-one, but she’d already been a server at a couple of busy establishments and came highly recommended. Faye wasn’t nervous about throwing her to the wolves on a Saturday night.

“Quit daydreaming and hand me that board,” Jess said.

Ty distractedly handed the four by six to Jesse, and said, “I’ve always liked older women.”

“And who might you be referring to?”

“No one in particular.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it couldn’t be Addison you’re talking about.”

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