Page 7 of Challenged by the Single Dad

Jagger and Wyat softly nodded like they understood. Dom remained stoic.

“I don’t have my van anymore. So I’m choosing to take the loss of her as a sign that I need to change. That I need to hold down a job again, make some friends that last more than two weeks, and get a job that I like, I’m good at, and will encourage me to stick around.”

“And you think that’s here?” Jagger asked.

She shrugged. “I like small towns. I like the people. I like the community. I grew up in a small town. Everybody has each other’s backs. And I love the ocean.” She glanced out toward the water. “I never thought I would get the opportunity to work in such a naturally beautiful place. You know? You dream about it, but it doesn’t seem real. Or attainable. It seems too far-fetched, too wild of a notion to genuinely take shape. And yet, here I am. Interviewing to bartend withthatas my daily view.” She offered the guys a smile. “You’d be making ten-year-old Chloe very happy.”

“Where would you live?” Wyatt asked. “It’s very difficult to find rentals, and even tougher to buy on the island. It’s the off-season right now so it might be a bit easier, but it’s not cheap.”

“I have a room at the hostel right now. Even if I don’t get the job, I’m going to hang around for a few days and explore. But I checked with the owner, and he said that the room is basically open and mine for as long as I want it.”

All three men’s eyes went wide.

“I hope you’re at least in a private room,” Jagger said. “The hostel can get wild.”

“Yes. I checked in a little over an hour ago and there were some very drunk young men playing flip cup in the common room. I can just imagine it’s even louder and chaotic in the evenings and weekends.”

All they did was nod.

“Well, we’ll need to call your references. But that shouldn’t take too long.” Wyatt glanced at Dom. “I’m assuming you’re going to want to test her yourself?”

Dom grunted. “Yep.”

Chloe swallowed again and stood up from the booth at the same time the other three did. She followed Dom around behind the bar, set her purse on a shelf underneath, and immediately washed her hands in the sink. He watched her, and if she hadn’t glanced at him, she would have missed it, but the smallest of ticks lifted the corner of his mouth up half an inch.

“First, pour me a beer from the tap,” he said, nodding to taps.

No problem. She grabbed a pint glass from the row behind them, put it down to wash it in the glass cleaner, then flipped it up, tilted it to the perfect angle beneath the spout, and slowly pulled the lever so the beer flowed down against the inside of the glass. When it was almost at the top, she stood the glass straight up so it wound up with the perfect, half-inch, foam head to the rim. Then she grabbed a coaster and set the beer down on the bar in front of Dom who sat between his brothers.

Wyatt elbowed him. “Already better than the one yesterday.”

Dom merely grunted. “Manhattan.”

With one firm head bob, she brought a martini glass down from the rack overhead, and went to work adding the vermouth, whiskey, and bitters to the shaker over ice. Then she put the lid on and gave it a really thorough shake, her gaze landing on Dom’s.

Did the man even blink?

But rather than strain it into the martini glass just yet, she used some tongs to grab a cherry from the tray of garnishes, then she plopped it into a shot glass and poured the smallest amount of brandy over it.

While the cherry soaked, she strained the cocktail into the glass. Then, using the tongs again, she grabbed a lemon wedge, a wooden cocktail skewer, and carefully but easily, impaled the lemon quarter on the skewer. Then she plunged the skewer into the cherry in the shot glass before resting it over top the rim of the martini glass. She set that down in front of Dom as well.

Wyatt and Jagger both had triumphant smirks on their faces.

Dom’s mouth remained a flat line as he lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip.

“Well, how is it?” Wyatt asked, throwing in an impatient eye roll which Chloe appreciated.

“It’s a Manhattan,” he said. “Hard to screw it up.”

Jagger scoffed.

“Bloody Mary,” Dom said.

“Ooh,” Jagger said. “I’ll have that when it’s done.”

Chloe did a little happy dance on the inside, then she focused on Wyatt. “Do you happen to have any clam juice in the kitchen.”

“What the fuck?” Dom said.

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