Page 15 of The Lair

“You could come with us,” Sandra offers next. “To visit our son.”

My heart pounds. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You really wouldn’t, dear. The more, the merrier.” Her smile hides a hint of worry. “You never go anywhere, never leave Bannport. A change of scenery could be good for you. I don’t want to overstep, of course, but please know you’re always welcome where Jude and I are.”

My eyes start to sting, and I know it’s not my hormones giving me a hard time. “Thank you.”

Just then, Travis walks into the supply closet. He doesn’t bother with pleasantries. “Your stuff.”

My heart jumps when his fingers brush mine as he passes me a grocery bag.

When he turns to the older woman, his voice softens as much as it’s able to. “Thank you, Sandra. You can go back to work.”

She gives me a reassuring smile as she leaves the supply closet, squeezing Travis’s forearm as she goes.

I peek inside the bag. A box of tampons and a pair of black leggings, just like I asked. Before I can say anything, he starts turning around.

“Wait! Travis, wait.” I walk up to him awkwardly, feeling dirty and sticky and everything that is wrong with this world, but not wanting to part ways without telling him, “Thank you for going to the store for me. You didn’t have to, but I really appreciate it. How much was it? I’ll pay you back.”

I resist the urge to give him a quick hug because we aren’t there yet. I don’t think we’ll ever be, and that’s okay.

He doesn’t reply immediately, those hard eyes scanning every inch of my face. And when he finally does, my shoulders sag. “Charlie has been covering for you. Hurry up.”

“But I?—”

“You don’t have to pay me back, Allie.” The firm way he says my name sends a chill down my spine. “Go back to work. We’re crowded.”

I try to keep a smile on my face but fail.

Out of all the men in the world my heart could beat for, ithadto be my asshole of a boss. Of course.

I’m not in love with Travis. I know where we stand, and I’m not looking to get my heart broken anytime soon—or ever. I’ve had enough drama over the past few years to last me several lifetimes, and a silly workplace crush doesn’t need to be added to the mix.

He might be a full-on grouch most of the time, but he isn’t unnecessarily mean. He doesn’t treat his staff or his customers with disrespect, and he doesn’t think he’s better than anyone else. He’s open to feedback from his uncle—and even from us—and he puts a lot of care into making sure The Lair runssmoothly. Our paychecks arrive on time, and he splits the tips equally—a luxury I haven’t experienced many times before.

Travis might not be easy to be around sometimes, but he isn’t a bad man. A bad man wouldn’t have bought me tampons and new leggings while I was in distress. He would’ve told me periods aren’t a big deal and to go back to work.

So what if I steal furtive glances at him more often than I should?

Maybe I’m just confused. That must be it. It’s not like he would ever be interested in one of his employees—one who happens to be twelve years younger than him and a massive liar at that. Not that he’s aware of the latter, but the point still stands.

Travis and I are what we are—boss and employee—and that’s it. It’s enough, and it will continue to be.

I can’t afford to be anything else to anyone.

Chapter Six

Two weeksafter messing up my second stock order, I almost kill somebody.

At The Lair, all our menus include allergy disclaimers for every dish. Since customers are able to check them, I have never bothered asking if anyone was allergic to something. People can always communicate their needs, right?

Wrong.

“She’s trying to kill me!” our customer bellows.

Before today, I’d never seen this woman in my life, but even if I had, I can guarantee I wouldn’t try to kill her. Not that she knows my intentions, but come on.

“Ma’am—” Charlie starts, having come to my rescue after hearing her loud screeches from across the bar.

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