Hannah fingered her collar. “No. I don’t want that.”
Link looked surprised. “You don’t want Jake to collar you?”
“No. Not until he’s sure he wants me.”
Link’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t think he’s sure he wants you?”
Hannah shook her head. “No.”
“Now, why would you think that?”
“Besides the fact he hasn’t collared me or talked about the future?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I’ve caught him looking restless, and when I ask what’s wrong, he just says nothing. I’ve also caught him on the phone, and when I come into the room, he always shuts down the conversation and hangs up.”
“Maybe you’re reading too much into it?” Link said.
Even though he said it, she could tell he was seeing what she was. She shrugged. “I’m not going to push him into anything. I’m blessed to be with him for as long as it lasts. I love working here and the friends I’ve made. You guys are like the brothers I’ve always wanted. I’m not going to ask for more. If I find his interest has died, I’ll be ready to move on.”
Link scowled. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
Hannah sighed. “Link, I can’t stick around and watch him with another woman. It would kill something inside of me.”
“Fuck, the man’s an idiot. I should kick his ass.”
Her eyes widened. “No! I don’t want you to do or say anything. Please.”
Link cursed. “Fine. But if something happens down the line, I will make him see what he’s losing.”
“I don’t even want you to do that.”
Someone called his name. He held a tray out to her. “Go on and get some orders. We’ll talk later.”
She nodded, turned, and walked off. For the next hour, she kept up with her orders. A little before midnight, she saw a group of women at one of her sitting areas. She’d seen them around a lot, but they had never been friendly, so Hannah ignored them.
“Do you guys want something to drink?” she asked.
The three looked her up and down, and one snorted.
“I told you. There’s no way he’ll stick with her.”
Hannah figured they were talking about Jake and chose to ignore them. “If you don’t want to order, I’ll move on.”
“No, I’ll take white wine.”
The other two ordered beers. Cat bumped shoulders with her when she came up to stand by her side at the bar.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Cat asked.
“Good. It’s busy tonight.”
“Hannah, look at me.”
Hannah sighed and turned to face her friend.
“What’s going on?”