Page 27 of Salvation

“She’s off limits.” The old man sing-songs.

Yes. And no. She’s off limits to nobody,butHaden. He’s a playboy. She doesn’t need a playboy. Especially not after what she went through with her piece of shit ex.

“Shut it.” I point at Sanders without even looking. He raises his hands in surrender before picking his mug back up and busying himself with the newspaper.

“Doesn’t seem like she is. So why does it matter?” Haden butts in.

“Because she’d probably make you cry before you could even score a first date.” I busy myself with sorting out cash in the drawer. That part is true. She’s a bully. Haden wouldn’t know what to do with her.Hell,half the time,Idon’t know what to do with her.

“Alright. Alright. I’ll back off. Unless she comes to me first.” His laughter grates against my ears, and I roll my eyes, knowing he was only trying to get a rise out of me. And succeeded.

“What do you want?” I bark.

“Our darling Harper said you wanted to see me.” Shit. That’s right. Harper. Job. Haden. I’ve been so busy and distracted that it completely left my mind. Leave it to that woman to give me no choice but to deal with it.

“Of course, she did,” I mumble. He scrunches his brows at that, so I cut to the chase. “I need some extra help around the bar. You want a job?”

He laughs like it’s outrageous. “No.”

I didn’t expect him to take the job, but his tone only riles me up more, “Why not?”

“Because I have better things to do. “

I place my hands on my hips and fully face him. “Like?”

“Like taking your hot blonde on a date.”

“That’s it -” I growl and lunge forward, but he’s already bouncing back. I go to follow when Harper’s stern voice cuts through our soon-to-be brawl.

“Alright, boys. It’s barely ten in the morning. No fighting in the damn bar.”

We both stop dead. I’m confident Harper could kick both our asses. She’s maybe 5'3, not very tall, but she packs some muscle, and I’ve seen her break up more than one bar fight. We both know it. We just won’t say it out loud. That’s why we both mutter “Yes, Harper” and step away from each other. Then the asshole flips me off when she turns her head. But somehow? She still sees it.

“You’re a child, Haden," she scolds.

He smirks at her backside. “You love it.”

She doesn’t deign him a response, only rolls her eyes and turns a look at me once she’s done setting her stuff down. “I want to start doing Karaoke Nights every Saturday,” she says matter of fact.

“Karaoke?” I don’t hide the disgust in my tone. Or face.

She crosses her arms like she’s ready for a stand-off. “Yes. Karaoke.”

“I hate karaoke.”

“We need the business.” I sigh. She’s right. I hate it when she’s right.

“And what gave you this brilliant idea?”

She smiles like she knows something I don’t. “A friend.”

I ponder it for a few minutes while she stares at me, waiting for a response. “Friday nights. And if it doesn’t take the first time, we don’t do it again.”

She squints her eyes at me. “If it doesn’t take thesecondtime.”

I close my eyes in feigned annoyance and shake my head. “Deal. But all the planning and running around to get shit is on you.”

Her returning grin is evil. She knew I wouldn’t say no.

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