Page 43 of You're All I Need

“Why don’t you sit down?” Caden asks, joining me behind the bar.

I exhale deeply and close my eyes for a brief moment. “I’m good, Caden,” I state pointedly, leveling him with a look relaying my annoyance.

He holds up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, but if you need anything, just ask. Jasper is in the kitchen until he gets it closed down, and then he’ll come relieve you.”

I shake my head, but the slightest pain erupts behind my eyes, so I stop moving immediately. “That’s not necessary,” I reply, though something tells me I’m wasting my breath.

I jump into my work, grabbing a bus bin and heading over to clear the recently vacated pub table. Once I have that clean and the bin behind the counter, I go to check on the last couple of tables in the bar. They’ve both finished their food, so I grab their baskets, offer refills, and then return to the bar to print their checks after they decline more drinks.

Finally, the kitchen is closing and the only patrons left are those having a few drinks while they watch the game. Every move I make, I can feel Caden’s gaze following me. My head is really starting to pound with a headache, but there’s no way I’m going to complain about it. The last thing I want is to be sent home because I slipped on a little water on the floor. I’ve fallen harder on the ice in the middle of winter and still managed to work just fine.

I head over to the end of the bar where Caden seems to have camped out for the night. “You can go home,” I tell him, leaning across the bar and giving him a generous glimpse of cleavage.

“I will. When you do.”

Sighing, I stand up straight and level him with a look. “I’m a big girl, Caden. I don’t need a babysitter.”

His eyes trail down my chest before returning to my face. “I’m well aware you’re a big girl, Adrienne. I’ve had my hands—and my mouth—all over you.”

My cheeks heat up at the memories. “Well, then, you can head home. No reason for you to hang around, hovering.”

“I’m not hovering. I’m hanging out with a friend. There’s a difference.”

My eyes narrow a bit, but before I can say a word, we’re interrupted by Jasper’s arrival behind the bar. “All right, Adrienne, I’m sending you home for the night. Walker and Garreth are both aware of your fall, and both agreed you should go home and rest. We’ll pay you for your full shift, and we’ll need you to fill out an accident report when you come in Thursday, and if you start to feel any symptoms from your fall, you’re to go to urgent care immediately. Any treatment will fall under workman’s comp, so you don’t have to worry about paying for anything.”

My shoulders sag. “I really am okay, Jasper, but I appreciate the concern.”

His eyes soften. “Go on home. I got this.”

My eyebrows shoot for the heavens. “You’re working behind the bar?”

He nods once. “Not my first time, though I do prefer the kitchen. I can handle the last hour, no problem.”

With a resolved exhale, I turn and grab my bag from beneath the bar. “This really isn’t necessary,” I say, trying once more. It’s after nine, and the bar closes at ten, so it’s not like it would kill me to stay a little longer.

“It is. Go home and rest. Call Walker in the morning and let him know how you’re feeling,” Jasper states.

I pull up the employee timesheet program in the system and sign out. Just as I make my way to the end of the bar to head out, I hear, “Here. Take this.” Jasper’s holding the tip jar and pulls the contents out and hands it over. “I’ll leave an envelope with Numbers for the rest of what you’ve earned tonight.”

I want to argue with him, insisting he keep anything else earned tonight, since he’ll be the one serving them, but the look on his face has me zipping my lips. “Thank you.”

As I move through the bar toward the bar entrance, I feel a presence behind me. I don’t have to turn around to know Caden is there, following me out. Once we’re outside in the June night air, I finally stop and turn to face him. “You don’t have to follow me.”

“Of course I do.”

I sigh dramatically and roll my eyes, “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope.”

“Fine, then let’s go,” I say, turning and walking to my car. Turning the ignition, I roll down the windows to allow the hot, stale air to exit, and back out of my parking spot. I can’t helpbut notice Caden isn’t standing there anymore, but he makes his presence known within a few seconds when his SUV pulls out behind me as I head for home.

I can’t ignore the way the beams from his headlights cause me to squint and my head to pound just a little more. I’m certain it’s just a headache, so the faster I get home to take some pain reliever, the better I’ll be.

Pulling into my parking lot, I stop in one of my assigned spaces, noting my tail parks in the spot directly beside me. He climbs out and is at my door within a few moments. I admit the gesture, the concern, is nice. When was the last time someone cared about my health or wanted to help if I was feeling discomfort?

When was the last time I let someone?

I move past him, ignoring the fact he’s there and make my way to my door. Once I have my key releasing the lock, I step inside, leaving enough space for Caden to follow. The moment the door is closed, I hear, “What do you need?”

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