Page 4 of Snagged By Hook

“I was.”

“As I was saying, she thinks you were flirting with her with your girlfriend right there. And if you’d do that, you’d treat her the same way. Once a cheater, always a cheater.”

Hook followed her inside.

“But you’re not my girlfriend.”

Dev turned and tapped him on the temple. “Think, monkey.”

She started ticking off points with her fingers.

“One, she doesn’t know that. Two, we were hugging in the parking lot, you kissed me, and from her vantage point, she couldn’t see it was my forehead. And three, we’re probably more touchy-feely than most platonic friends. Which is my fault…” Dev trailed off, caught in her own thoughts.

“Well, I’m gonna make it my mission to let her know you and I are not a thing, but her and I could be.”

“You should let me handle that, big guy. The harder you go after her, the more of an asshole she’ll think you are. I need to make it clear we aren’t together, and you are now, and always were, single and ready to mingle.” She gestured with her hands.

Hook laughed as she shot him with finger guns.

“Okay, lust guru, I submit to your expertise.” He sketched a bow, and they made their way to their reserved tables before the band started.

NOVA

When Nova returned from her nonsmoking smoke break, Dale caught her attention before she slipped back behind the bar.

“Hey, Nova, you mind taking this round over to Croon’s table first? He wants to see how you’re getting on here.” Dale arranged some mugs and shots on the tray. “Guess he didn’t trust me when I said you’re the best damn bartender we’ve had, and the customers love you.” Dale smiled at her with that flirtatious, but not line-crossing, grin.

He’d been absolutely respectful as her boss. Matter of fact, he was her only boss to date who didn’t attempt to corner her or play grab ass before the end of her first shift. She really liked working with Dale.

“No problem. I’ll tell him you’re the tits as far as bosses go.”

He placed the hand with the bar mop on his heart and donned a proud papa look on his face, swiping at his eyes. “Awe, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. Go on before I start blushing.”

When she applied for the job, she’d expected the biker—who didn’t look very bikery, by the way—to type her name intowhatever service they used for background checks and tell her to pound sand.

When she sent Brent packing, she thought she and her daughter would get on with their lives, and that would be that. But she’d soon discovered he’d left her with a mountain of debt and no assets. Except for the piece of shit minivan, which she thought was paid for. She found out otherwise six months ago when she went to hock the title to keep the lights on and pay rent.

Of course, in hindsight, it made sense, otherwise, he wouldn’t have left it. He’d taken out a loan on the title for a ridiculous interest rate. A loan that was also months in arrears.

On paper, she looked like the most irresponsible person on the face of the planet. So, to expect the notorious Royal Bastards MC—or any other respectable business—to hire her was a long shot.

In her defense, she hadn’t known it was an RBMC bar when she’d applied, or she would’ve kept driving when she saw the HELP WANTED sign.

She wanted to cry when Dale called her to come in for the formal interview. He’d hired her on the spot. Nova had been selling her plasma just to feed June, and the day before Dale called, their power got cut off for non-payment.

Since then, she’d accumulated a stack of yellow, orange, and red stamped notices about overdue this and past due that were enough to wipe out an entire forest and displace all the cudawy, cudawy, cweatures who lived there, as June used to say.

Nova smiled at the memory.

June hadn’t talked that way since her teeth came in. She missed those days. When everyone said they grew up too fast, she had no idea how true it was. She’d only wished her father had been a different man, one who loved his daughter with the fierceness other fathers did.

Nova shook herself out of her own thoughts. She couldn’t think about that anymore. Brent was gone, and he was not coming back. Nova had to keep going and remind herself that her first paycheck was just days away. She prayed her check, coupled with tips, would be enough to satisfy the power company at the very least. She could worry about the rest later.

Plastered with her most pleasant and believable smile, she approached the table where Croon sat. He didn’t look at first. Instead, his eyes were boring holes through someone, or multiple someones, toward the back pool table.

Before she could turn her head to see who was drawing his scowl, a hand shot out across the table toward her as she was setting the mugs and shot glasses down.

“I’m Heidi, you must be Nova. It’s nice to meet you.”

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