Page 4 of Melody

When she’d moved to Silver City, she’d needed a place to stay, and the apartments above Tequilaville were the cheapest spot in town. There was definitely a reason why the rent was low, but it was preferable to laying a pillow in the backseat of her car. And it was because of her new landlord that she was applying here—he’d told her he owned the entire building and, although he didn’t own the bar, they paid him rent.

When she’d come by this morning, she’d dropped his name and the manager had had her fill out the application on the spot. For some stupid reason, if they needed help, she figured she’d get a job simply by showing up. Unexpectedly under pressure, she’d made her application look as legitimate as possible.

Already, it was backfiring.

As he continued poring over her work history, she bit her lip. She’d also way overdressed for this. She’d worn the one suit she owned, a dark gray number with slacks and a jacket and an old navy blouse she used on special occasions. She’d always called it herinterview suit, but this was the first time she’d actually worn the jacket and slacks.

At least she’d learn from this mistake.

Her hair and makeup, at least, wouldn’t be held against her. She’d pulled her now brown hair up into a loose bun and kept her eye makeup subtle. Working nights in a dark bar meant she would wear heavier makeup on the job, but in an office—even a cramped one like this that also partially served as a storage closet—she knew she looked okay from the neck up. It was her clothing choice that still had her kicking herself.

She hoped to distract him from digging too deeply by heading him off at the pass. “And then, as you can see, I worked at Chili’s for two months tending bar until I had to leave.”

“So whydidyou?”

“I moved here.”

One corner of his mouth turned up. “You care to share why?”

Thatanswer would at least have a sliver of truth to it. “I had a bad breakup and had to move out of my boyfriend’s place. I decided I wanted a complete change of scenery. My grandparents used to live here in Silver City until they died a few years ago—but I always had fond memories of this place.”

Please don’t ask who my grandparents were.

Although that part was true, that she’d visited them as a kid, she wanted to avoid talking about her personal life as much as possible, because that could expose all the lies.

“You know, I could complain about Silver City like everyone else around here—but one place is just as good as the next. It’s what you make of it.” His eyes shifted back to the paper and Scarlett could swear she could feel the tension in her veins as her blood pressure notched up.

“I really want to get—stay—in this line of work—and I’m a fast learner.”

All of that…mostly true. True enough.

Fortunately, her last words were enough to make him look up from the paper again. “So why didn’t you apply at the Chili’s here in town?”

Shit. Good point—aside from the fact that she’d never actually worked for the one she’d said. “Have you ever been in a Chili’s?”

“Good point.”

Holy hell. Scarlett wondered if she should be excited that she was actually good at deception.

Picking up a pencil on the desk, he began twirling it in his hand. “Before I came back in here a few minutes ago, Denise stopped me.”

“Denise?”

“Yeah. She’s the bartender you talked to when you first walked in. She was impressed with your attitude and thought you’d be a good fit.”

Scarlett hoped she was managing to keep her expression neutral, but she wanted to roll her eyes.

Nope.That was the old me.Her new self didn’t have a hint of snark or sass. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from sayingsomething. “How did she figure that out when we barely talked?”

The manager—was Al his name?—gave her the biggest smile yet. “Bartenders get a good feel for people. That’s something you’ll learn when you get more time on the job.”

Had she heard him right? Although her mood was starting to lift, she had to be sure. “Am I hired?”

“I tell you what. There’s something about you that tells me you’ll work out.”

A smile appeared on her face as she let out a sigh of relief—until he spoke again.

“For now, though, it’s on a temporary basis. It might not look like it right now, but this establishment does a hopping business. Once the sun goes down, it’s balls to the wall—and on the weekends, forget it. You’ll be lucky to have a minute to take a piss—that is, if you can even make your way to the bathroom. You saw how big the floor is out there. Right now, we have tables scattered around and two, maybe three, regulars sitting at the bar. But picture the room packed with excited happythirstypeople blowing off the steam of the week. I don’t know if pouring beer at Chili’s or mixing drinks occasionally at—” pausing, heglanced back down at her application before adding, “Sheldon’s has fully prepared you for the madness of Tequilaville.”

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