Page 41 of Taming Waves

“He’s harmless.”

“That guy’s a drunk prick. And you shouldn’t be encouraging him,” I say.

“Yeah, well, flirting with drunk pricks is what fills the tip jar, jackass.”

“Flirting is one thing. I didn’t like him grabbing you.”

She turns and faces me. “Like I said, he’s harmless. He comes in here all the time. If I were scared or bothered, I’d handle it.”

“All right, Tiger.”

She points to the other side of the bar and growls, “Go.”

I do as she asks, but I keep one eye on her for the rest of the night.

Audrey

“How did you feel?” I ask Leena as the lights come on and the bouncers herd the stragglers toward the door.

“It took me a bit, but I think I found my groove. I’ve got most of the menu cocktails memorized, and anything they asked for that I wasn’t sure about, I discreetly googled on my phone.”

“You’re a natural. You’ll be running circles around Leonard and Parker in no time,” I praise.

She truly did impress me tonight.

“I’ll go ahead and tip you out. Then, you head home. We’ll handle the cleanup tonight.”

At the end of each shift, I total the tips left on all bar tickets and in our tip jars, and we split them evenly while the servers keep all their earnings from the floor.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying to help,” she says as I hand her an envelope.

“Positive. You did great your first night, and trust me, you’ll get plenty of opportunities to sling a mop. Go rest, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thanks, Audrey.”

“Have one of the bouncers walk you to your car,” I call as she shrugs on her jacket.

“I will.”

Parker comes out of the kitchen with a tray and starts stacking dirty glasses.

“You send Leena home?” he asks as I shove his envelope into the cubby under the bar where he keeps his belongings.

“Yeah, she looked exhausted. I figured I’d let her skip cleaning this time since I have both you and Leonard.”

He stops what he’s doing and leans against the bar. “You’re a good boss.”

“Thanks,” I say as I start sanitizing the taps.

“You are. You put Leena at ease. You broke down the methodology and explained the procedures clearly. You give everyone grace and run this place like a well-oiled machine.”

His praise slides over me like warm honey. It’s not like Brew doesn’t tell me how much he appreciates me every chance he gets, but it’s nice to hear it from someone in the trenches.

We work harmoniously, wiping down the liquor bottles, cleaning the coolers and refrigerators, and rinsing the sinks while Leonard helps the servers stack chairs on the tables and then sweep and mop the floors.

In no time at all, we’re turning off the lights and locking the doors.

Parker insists on walking me out.

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