Page 103 of Worth the Chase

“Right. Of course. Sorry about that. Follow me,” I said before dropping the knife and leading him back the way he’d just come in. “I’ll introduce you to everyone as we walk.”

Names were thrown around, and Ben stopped to shake anyone’s hand who let him. Most were in the middle of food prep and didn’t want to stop to wash their hands again, so they gave head nods instead. If they didn’t already know each other, it seemed like they were at least familiar.

We stopped in front of a set of lockers with keys. “You can pick an empty one and put your stuff in there. I’ll introduce you to Addison later. She’s really busy.”

“Sounds good,” he said as he ran his fingers through his blond hair, instantly calming down any of the unruly strands.

When we got back to our station, we both washed our hands, and I went back to cutting the limes, and Ben started slicing the lemons. It was a relief to be working with someone who already knew what to do without even being asked.

“Oh, you should take a look at the current drink menu and let me know if you have any questions.”

I pushed one of the laminated cards toward him, and he reached for it, his eyes taking in each drink and their ingredients.

He laughed out loud, and I glanced at him.

“These are really clever,” he said.

“Thanks.”

“Allergy Season?” He laughed again before reading off the ingredients. “Gin, vermouth, lemon juice, and simple syrup.”

“I put a little sprig of lemongrass in it, hence the allergies.”

“That’s funny.” He smiled, and two dimples appeared. “These all sound really good. How often do we change the menu?”

He’d said the wordwe, and I hoped that meant he’d stick around for a while. “Every season, but we can add special drinksfor holidays or certain days if we want. We actually have free rein, so if you come up with an idea, just let me know.”

“Really?” He sounded shocked, and I had to remember that he’d come from the saloon, just like I had.

“Main Street BBQ is not Sugar Saloon,” I reminded him.

“You can say that again.”

Addi cleared her throat, and I looked up to see her standing in the center of the restaurant, wiping her hands on her apron.

“I just wanted to say welcome to Ben, our new bartender. And I’m sure that everyone heard what had happened last night.”

Ben leaned toward me. “What happened last night?” His brows pulled together.

“I’ll tell you later,” I whispered as Addi continued speaking to her employees.

“With that being said, I wanted to make sure you were all aware that we now have security cameras in place, and I apologize for not putting them up sooner. I should have been smarter. The cameras are not there to make you feel uncomfortable or to spy on you. They are there for your safety. Foroursafety. And speaking of, there is also another new addition to our team.”

Miles Leonard walked out from the back, dressed in a security guard uniform. I wasn’t sure if he was armed or not, but I didn’t spot a weapon strapped to his body anywhere that I could see. I did, however, notice a Taser, a baton, and a pair of handcuffs.

Miles used to be a cop, but had been forced to take medical retirement after he blew out his shoulder in a scuffle a few years back. He still looked downright intimidating, even though he was probably pushing forty years old. Because he was older, I bet anyone who didn’t know him would think they could pull one over on him.

And they’d be wrong.

“Miles will be working here as security. If you see something, tell him. If any customers make you feel uncomfortable, let Miles know. He will be here during our regular business hours and will stay until the last person locks up and leaves. Does anyone have any questions?”

I looked around and waited for someone to raise their hand, but no one did. Addi clapped her hands together as Miles gave me a salute.

“Okay then. Let’s get this party started.” She headed over to the front door and unlocked each one of the locks before pulling it open and greeting the first people in line.

I watched with wide eyes as the people who filed inside did not make their way over toward the food counter, like usual, but headed straight toward me at the bar instead.

“Shit,” I mumbled under my breath, but Ben heard it.

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