Page 15 of Challenged by the Single Dad

She had almost finished it. “Well, you can make this, or whatever else you want, for me every day. This is amazing. I’m eating it so fast because it’s so good.”

His tanned cheeks grew ruddy just as a ticket printed on the machine indicating a new order.

“I’ll leave you to it,” she said, taking one last bite. “Thank you so much. This hit the spot. I didn’t even realize how hungry I was.”

“We never do until it’s too late and we’re tearing into a bag of chips like a rabid raccoon, or biting people’s heads off with a severe case of the ‘hangries,’” Burke said with a chuckle as he slapped a beef patty on the flattop grill.

“Chloe?” Dom barked from the front of the house. “A little help?”

“Shit,” she muttered, pushing the swinging door open only to see the restaurant now full and the ticket machine whirring away like a hamster on speed in his wheel. “Sorry.” She quickly stashed her phone back with her purse beneath the bar, washed her hands, and grabbed the next ticket. Even though she didn’t look at him as she filled up the pitcher with San Camanez Harvest Lager, she knew Dom was glaring at her. His stare was hot and intense.

And she hated the way it made the butterflies in her belly wake up and go berserk.

Yeah, working for Dom McEvoy wasn’t going to be easy. But at least he was pretty to look at.

Even when he scowled.

CHAPTER FOUR

Assoonasfourthirty hit, they were slammed with customers and the restaurant stayed that way all through the dinner hour and beyond. Not your typical Thursday in the fall, that was for sure.

It was good for business, but they were not staffed for the influx.

And for whatever reason, the Sewing Circle was more demanding than ever tonight.

“Well, you’re a new face,” came Jolene Dandy’s voice as Dom rang up another customer who’d just come in for drinks. “Where are you from, dear?”

“Hi, I’m Chloe,” Chloe said, multitasking and chatting with Jolene while also mixing a Tom Collins. “And you are?”

“Oh, you really are new. I’m Jolene Dandy.” Jolene extended her wrinkled hand across the bar as her gaze drifted down Chloe’s athletic figure. “You’re a pretty thing.”

“Uh … thank you.” Chloe shook Jolene’s hand, then immediately washed her hands so she could continue mixing the drink. Even though Dom was still on the fence about this woman, he had to give her props. She washed her hands like she was a surgeon preparing for a craniotomy. Unlike Cammy, whoneverwashed her hands.

“So,” Jolene went on, “where are you from? Are you married? Do you have any children?”

“I, uh …” Chloe put the Tom Collins up on the bar and grabbed the next ticket. “I’m from North Dakota. Was married. No, uh … no children.” Her voice broke at that last bit.

“Was?” Jolene pried.

Chloe flashed the Island Mouth a brittle smile. “We are divorced.”

“And what brought you to San Camanez?”

“A job.” From the looks of things, Chloe was mixing an old-fashioned. Probably for Sunflower Patrick who was part of the Sewing Circle. That woman loved her old-fashioneds. But she was also very particular about them. So it would be interesting to see what she thought of Chloe’s.

“All the way from North Dakota for a bartending job?” Jolene exclaimed. “There has to be more to it than that.”

Chloe shrugged. “Nope. Just needed a fresh start, and I’ve always wanted to live on the beach. I’ve bartended before and the job posting came up. So here I am.”

“And where are you staying, dear?” Jolene was eating up this information with both hands. The whole island would know about Chloe by morning.

“Uh … at the hostel.”

“Oh my. You know Ginny the server here was killed there in August, right?”

“I have heard murmurs of that, yes. But I also heard her killer was put away. So I shouldn’t have anything to worry about, right?” She put up the old-fashioned and grabbed the next ticket. It was a bottle of cider.

She worked fast, efficient, and with great spatial awareness. She was the best bartender he’d seen in a long time.

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