Page 29 of Firecracker

“Don’t we all.”

“But Iwillhave something to eat. Can I get a pulled pork sandwich?”

“You bet.”

The pork came with a tangy marinade made with Guinness that was damn good, along with the bar’s excellent fries. That was dinner for tonight.

What was Arden doing for dinner on her own?

Christ, he had to stop thinking about her. Worrying about her. She wasn’t his concern.

But she’d just moved back to Chicago and was living alone and…

Stop.

He forced himself to focus on the banter between the guys while he waited for his sandwich.

It arrived moments later, served by Sorcha. She smiled at him across the bar as she set the plate down. “Here you go, handsome.” She turned away and grabbed a goblet, filled it with ice and water and placed it in front of him too. “Anything else I can get you?”

He gave her a vague smile and shook his head. “This looks great, thanks.”

She didn’t leave, watching him, still smiling at him with an idolizing look on her face.

Tyler repressed a sigh. Sorcha didn’t hide how much she liked him. She’d even asked him out. Why he didn’t want to go out with her, he wasn’t sure. She was pretty and nice. She kept Liam in line; without her, he’d dream away his days and the bar would go all to hell. That probably wasn’t entirely fair to Liam. But there was an element of truth to it.

Finally Sorcha’s smile dimmed, and she moved away to look after other customers.

Damn. The young redhead just didn’t interest him. There was no figuring out why; chemistry was there or it wasn’t. And even though he’d already determined that he needed to get laid, it wouldn’t be with her.

He looked around the bar. Maybe there was someone else here he could hook up with tonight. A group of four women sat at one of the booths, all of them attractive, apparently having a good time.

Actually that would be a shitty thing to do in front of Sorcha. He wasn’t interested in her and didn’t want to lead her on in any way, but picking up another chick and leaving with her in front of Sorcha was kind of asshole-ish.

Then again, maybe that was the best way to show her once and for all they weren’t going to be together.

He sighed. Maybe it was time to stop hanging out at Shenanigans.

Except Arden was working here now, and he was definitely going to make sure she was okay. He couldn’t be here every day, obviously. It just sucked that Sorcha made him feel uncomfortable when he really liked this place. He and Jamie liked coming here to watch baseball, football, or hockey, depending on the season, kicking back on the couches over by the fireplace, munching on chicken wings and Irish nachos.

He finished his food, pulled out his wallet, and left the money on the bar including a decent tip, then waved good night at the guys he’d been talking to. He headed out into the summer evening for the walk home. Another benefit of Shenanigans—within walking distance, so no worries about drinking and driving.

Back in the apartment building, he tried to pretend he didn’t care whether Arden was behind her closed apartment door or not. He sniffed the air. Even though he’d just eaten, something smelled fantastic.

Ignoring it, he went in and closed his door. He had shit to do—laundry he hadn’t put away since last week, dishes he hadn’t unloaded from the dishwasher, and garbage that needed taking out. That would keep him busy until bedtime.

* * *

“You know that saying…you never get a second chance to make a first impression?”

Arden nodded at Sorcha, nerves buzzing in her stomach at her first shift of her new job. She resisted the urge to twist her fingers together and tried to appear relaxed and attentive.

“That’s so true in the restaurant business. Luckily, we have a lot of regulars, but still, we get new customers all the time and we want them to come back. If something happens in their first visit, they won’t. No matter how good the food is, no matter how big the beer menu is, if the service is crappy, it ruins the whole experience.”

Arden listened intently. She was going to rock this job.

Sorcha spent time with her showing her their standard table settings, explaining how the tables were divided into sections, and where silverware, glasses, menus, and cleaning supplies were located. She showed her the computer program they used. She let Arden shadow her as she waited tables so she could get used to greeting and seating guests. Sorcha walked her through the order-taking process, showing her how orders were called when ready and how to deliver them to tables, and told her how often she should approach diners during the meal and what to say.

“You don’t want to be interrupting them constantly. So also take cues from what’s happening…if they’re in a deep conversation, that’s not a good moment to stop and ask how things are. For tables like that, I do what I call a ‘slow pass’…I walk by their table slowly so they can see I’m looking at the table, not them. I can pick up an empty plate, or fill their water glasses, and they’ll know I’m aware of them and available if they need something, without interrupting.”

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