Page 82 of Taming Waves

“Sounds good.”

Jake and I landed on Brew’s deck. He joined us two hours later, and I opened up to the two of them about my and Audrey’s history. Then, I explained I’d missed poker night because I went to talk to her father and ended up helping him work on the fishing boat until the wee hours.

“Damn, I had no idea that hiring you would be so entertaining,” Brew says.

“At least my suffering is amusing,” I reply.

He chuckles. “I’m just happy the two of you haven’t destroyed my bar.”

“Audrey would never do that. I think she loves that place more than she loves herself.”

“I know she does. That’s why I offered her the general manager position,” he says. “You’re welcome.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“It will involve more responsibility, but she will have more freedom and be able to create her own schedule.”

“Which means she will work even more,” I reply.

“You’re probably right,” he agrees.

“She’ll be a great GM,” I say. “She knows that bar inside and out. Her management skills are stellar, and the staff respects her. She’s patient but firm. I think you’re making a good choice.”

“I agree. We’re going to promote Leonard to head bartender, so she will spend the next month training him to take over. We’ll hire two more full-time bartenders, and by the end of the year, we should be in good shape, and you can go back to a life of leisure until March.”

“I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’m going to miss slinging drinks for you,” I confess.

He raises a brow. “You want a permanent job?”

“Fuck no. I miss sleep,” I quip.

He laughs.

I look down at my phone. “Speaking of which, I’m going to head home and get a nap and shower before my shift.”

“I’ll see you there,” Brew says.

“And I’ll see you when I see you,” Jake adds. “Good luck with everything.”

“I appreciate that.”

“What did you do?” Heather hisses when I walk through the door.

“Huh?”

She glances to where Audrey is chatting with a customer at the bar, grabs my sleeve, and pulls me to a corner near the entrance.

“You told Audrey you loved her,” she says.

“I was taking your advice, telling her I wasn’t going to leave again.”

She smacks my chest. “I told you to ease her insecurities, not drop the L-word on her.”

I shrug. “I was winging it in the heat of the moment and pulled out the big guns.”

Her eyes go wide. “Big guns? You pulled the pin and set off a grenade!”

My gaze moves over her head to my girl. “How is she doing?”

---