Page 32 of Fierce-Matt
That was before Matt pushed his luck with her one too many times.
She replaced any feelings she had for him with annoyance or distrust by the time she turned sixteen.
What a horrible feeling.
It broke her heart.
No, he broke her heart by not being who she hoped he’d be and making her time in the Kelly household not so enjoyable anymore.
When he went away to college, she was both relieved and frustrated.
She was thrilled she didn’t have to worry what might fall on her head when she walked in a door but then missed the anticipation of seeing his handsome face and the fluttering he brought out in her belly.
It was horrible having those conflicting thoughts for years.
“I see you’re still pushy.”
She was filling orders and handing them over, the tips were left each time.
She loved this.
The beers were paid for with the price of the tour. So the cash dropped on the counter was purely for the bartenders.
When the shift ended, they’d split what was there. All shift changes split what was collected and then it started over when new people came in.
It was the only fair way to do it since customers returned for their second drink and could get someone else, then drop their tip down then.
“I’m having a drink, nothing more.”
“It’s always something more,” she said.
He frowned and said nothing else.
His beer was down toward the bottom of the glass when her shift ended.
Matt almost looked like a lost puppy sitting there and it surprised her.
She wanted to stay annoyed with him but was having a hard time after talking to her mother last night.
“You’re all set, Anya,” Justin said. “Why don’t you count the jar?”
“Got it,” she said. Her replacement popped behind the bar.
Matt quickly put a twenty on the bar and pushed it toward her.
She smiled and would add it with the other tips.
“Are you staying for another?”
“No. No reason to.”
She rolled her eyes and went to throw the twenty into the jar, then picked it up from behind the bar and went to a space in back to count out the tips.
No way she was going to walk out from behind the bar with the money.
When she was done, she had close to four hundred dollars. Not bad for five hours of work. Fridays were big days. The afternoon shift was much better than the night one, she was finding.
She returned to the bar and put the jar down, then nodded Justin over.
