Page 137 of Small Town Firsts
Good thing, because I couldn’t wait to introduce Kira to them.
I headed down the hill to the path and up the steps to meet her. The taproom cast a golden glow around her hair, turning it copper in this light. She’d left it down and curled it so it fell around her shoulders in beachy waves. All her curves were on display in the poppy red dress she wore. Her waist was cinched with a wide leather belt that echoed in the shimmery black tank that peeked from the deep vee of her dress. She glittered with gold at her ears and layers of fine chains that sparkled in the low light.
“You’re stunning.”
She smiled. “You clean up pretty damn nicely yourself, Viking.” She lifted a hand to my face where I’d trimmed up my beard. “I still like you wild.” She fingered one of the beads in the smaller braids I wore tonight. Her hand smoothed down my chest, over the black dress shirt I wore to the heavy silver buckle.
I caught her fingers before she could go any lower. “Don’t start what you can’t finish.”
She grinned. “Later.”
“Later.” I flipped her hand and brought her wrist to my lips so I could nip the fragile skin. “You ready to do this?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” She glanced over her shoulder at our staff waiting for us. “They’ve worked their asses off.”
“And we haven’t even opened the doors yet.”
She stepped closer to me and her voice dropped to a whisper. “There’s a line. I’m not sure how that happened.”
“Jess is worth her salary, it seems.”
“Evidently.” Her eyes got a little big as excitement thrummed through her. “I can’t believe we’re finally here.”
I leaned down to press a light kiss on her blood red lips. “I can. Now let’s get this party started.”
She reached up to wipe my mouth. “You’re not nervous?”
I shook my head. “I’ve got all the faith I need right here.” I took her hand and led her to the door.
We opened the doors together, greeting people as they came in. One after the other, dozens came through the door. Murmurs of how big the place was, how cool the paintings were, and excitement for the bar filled the air.
Lennon was in her element, serving up drinks while her support staff poured drafts of cider. The first thirty minutes of the opening had dollar drafts, which had been Kira’s idea.
She’d been worried that no one would show.
That was my Sunshine—contingency plans for days.
We both grinned at each other as many went right to the bar and others spilled out onto the patio. The outdoor seating was lit for people who wanted to wander the paths between the concert stage and the taproom.
I stepped out the front door, pleased to see the parking lot was more than half full already and Ian Kagan hadn’t even finished his concert. He’d played a sunset show at the concert stage and would be here within the hour.
I opened the door for another group of women with a smile, then motioned to Annette. “How are you doing?”
Her eyes were still a little red, but her chin was held high. “I’m good.”
I nodded. “Watch the numbers. Let me know if we start looking like we’re at capacity. I didn’t think that would be a worry, but now I’m not so sure.”
“You got it.”
I moved through the room, checking on the waitstaff and bartenders to make sure they didn’t need anything. All the while, I heard people talking about my ciders.
The Firefly and Sunshine were already needing a change of kegs. Some of it was the dollar drafts, but I knew people would only crowd around for a cheap drink for so long without complaint.
I counted it as a good sign.
Kira was in her element, ordering people around and putting out fires. I left her to it and went to check on Kain.
He must have been getting lessons from Sunshine because he was barking orders at the staff. The scent of pork and baskets of french fries getting ready for plating nearly made me groan.
