Page 24 of Challenged by the Single Dad

“I’m kidding. Go home.” Renée chuckled. “Wyatt is still in the back. We’ll wait until he leaves.”

Dom gave her a warning look, which she met with a cheeky one of her own.

Then Chloe found him beside her. “How do you feel about it just being you and Renée here for the rest of the night?”

Chloe was making a rum and coke, but she glanced at him as muscle memory took over. “We’ve got this. It sounds like everyone really thinks you need to go spend some time with your kid. So go do that. We won’t hurt your business. I promise.”

It was those last two words that struck a match in his eyes, lighting the blue-hazel up like two flames. His gaze bore into her and his nostrils flared. Heat filled her belly, waking up and warming those butterflies. “Jagger gave you the code for the safe and alarm system?”

She nodded. “Yes. He did. He also said I could call him and he’d come down if I needed help closing up.”

“Okay …”

“I understand your hesitation, but you need to trust that you’ve hired good staff. And I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about the rest. They’re good at their jobs. They like working here, and that says something. They’re not going to let your business fail. And they wouldn’t let me let it fail. I saw that the moment I started yesterday. They respect you.”

“Renée doesn’t,” he scoffed.

That made her smile. “You know she does.”

He slid Renée some side-eye. She was busy flirting with the two guys at the bar.

“Go,” Chloe said. “We’ll be okay.”

He hung out beside her for another minute, then finally swallowed, nodded, grunted and left.

“Time to party!” Renée cheered as soon as the door swung closed behind Dom.

Only for it to swing open a second later to reveal Dom again. “I heard that.”

“And I knew you would,” she teased. “Go home!” He glared at her. She glared back, then pointed the beverage gun at him. “Don’t make me douse you in gin.”

“That’d come out of your paycheck.”

“Dom, seriously. Go home.”

His head bobbed, and he disappeared once more.

“Finally!” Renée said, really loud again. “Who wants me to take off my top?”

Everyone in earshot paused and waited for Dom to re-enter, but he didn’t.

“We do,” the two guys at the bar said at the same time.

“Sure thing.” Then she reached for the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head to reveal a black tank top with a racer back and the Sound Bites logo on it.

That got everyone laughing.

Chloe and Renée worked together like a well-oiled machine. The place continued to be busy all through the dinner hour. There was no lull after seven, in fact, it wasn’t until eight-thirty that Chloe even felt hungry, let alone the need to pee.

“You go first,” Renée said, hitting the button for the frozen drink machine. “I’m good for a little bit on my own.”

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely. Get Burke to make you something yummy.”

“Thank you,” Chloe said, her bladder suddenly about to burst. She took off to the bathroom first, then when that crisis was averted, headed to the kitchen.

“What can I make you tonight?” Burke asked, scooping what looked like chowder out of a warming bin and ladling it into a bowl.

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