Page 59 of Fierce-Matt
“Nope,” she said, putting a bite of her beef in her mouth. “This is so good. It’s a tad overcooked.” She looked at his. “You’ve made it before, haven’t you? You never answered me about grilling at your condo.”
“I have made it before. Not on a grill, but in a pan and then in the oven just like we did here. I’ve watched videos on it too. Asfor grilling, there are several on the grounds or a few on the roof that we can use. Gas grills. It’s a pain to go down and use them or hope one is available when I want to use it.”
“How come you haven’t bought a house?” she asked.
“Convenience more than anything. I like knowing I’m not responsible for the property or any major repairs.”
“Me too. My father took care of everything in the house for years. He still wants to but isn’t always able. My mother lets him do small things when he has a good day.”
“It’s got to be a fine line to balance,” he said. “Men have their pride.”
“It is one. My mother is good at that. I don’t think I’ve always been so good with men’s pride.”
“I don’t care about anyone in your past,” he said.
“Good, because I’ve got no intention of talking about them,” she said firmly.
Talk about the wrong thing to say.
Nowhe wanted to know because he was positive those would be stumbling blocks in his way.
16
UNSOLICITED ADVICE
“Hi, Anya.”
She twirled around on Friday to the sound of her name and saw Jolene Fierce standing there grinning from ear to ear.
“Hi, Jolene. How are you doing?”
She’d been working here almost six months and she’d seen Jolene more in the past few weeks than she had in the entire time.
The matriarch was here often but not when Anya worked it seemed.
Having day shifts during the week could be the reason for the frequent sightings.
“I’m great,” Jolene said. “It’s always nice to see a smiling face. I love Mason has so many women working here, but I wish there were more. I’m on his case about it all the time. He says he’s trying.”
“I can relate to that. There are some women in the back brewing, right?”
It was a heavily male-dominated field.
Female bartenders were the majority now, but not at Fierce. She was the only one.
She knew she got the job because Ben put a good word in for her. Now she wondered if it had more to do with her applying and being a woman, not that she was the most qualified.
Just what she needed to be ping-ponging in her brain.
“There are,” Jolene said. “And what did I say to get the light to leave your eyes?”
“Huh?”
Anya hadn’t realized that had happened. She was still smiling, she knew she was.
“You look troubled,” Jolene said. “You didn’t before I came over. My family is famous for saying I mess things up or get too involved.”
She laughed. “You did nothing. I’ve got a lot on my mind. I hadn’t realized my expression changed.”
