RAY #2
He extended his hand to me, and I shook it. Vince had mentioned him along with all the other names of employees who worked here. I’d done a bit of research on him so far, but I needed to do more.
He had worked here for nearly four years while he wasn’t going to college.
“Tammy tells me you just graduated,” I said, using the information that Wade had actually given me to strike up a conversation.
“Yep. I’ve applied for some jobs, but haven’t heard back yet, so I’m pulling any extra shifts Tammy can give me to pay off my extensive student loans while I wait for a job offer.”
Student loans were expensive, which was why I had Sam on my short list of possible employees to be the culprit.
“I’ll be sad when he goes, ’cause he’ll take all his clientele with him,” Tammy said, nodding back toward the other side of the bar.
It was a section of three women who all appeared to have been vying for Sam’s attention all night.
Sam laughed and made his way back over to the other side of the bar to get those women some refills.
“That man has at least half a dozen women hit on him every single shift, and they sit here drinking more and more, hoping to outlast the others and end up getting his number by the end of the night,” Tammy said, shaking her head in a comical way.
I spent the next two hours eating and pretending to hang out with my “girlfriend.” Tammy was busy, but she’d played her part too, coming over to check on me and make some casual conversation, even if it was quick, in order to keep up the ruse.
Honestly, the conversation part hadn’t felt forced at all, or at least for me it hadn’t.
I’d also spent time scanning the pub, looking for places to put additional cameras and also assessing general security—where all the exits were, bathrooms, and the layout of the restaurant.
At one point, Tammy had bent over to clean up the bin of lemons that she’d bumped onto the floor. That fine ass was right in front of me, and I wasn’t the least bit embarrassed to focus my eyes on the spectacular sight in front of me.
I thought back to how lush her ass had felt in my hands last night as they roamed over her body. The older I got, the more my skin looked and felt like a raisin, but Tammy’s was still soft as silk, and I had loved running my hands over it.
She cleared her throat, her eyes lifting, letting me know she’d caught me looking.
She took a few steps in my direction and leaned in closer, whispering so only I could hear. “Cut it out, or I’ll kick you outta the bar.”
I couldn’t help the grin that overtook my face. “God, you’re so sexy when you lie,” I teased, but it was also the truth.
She just rolled her eyes at me and went back to work.
The place had started to slow down quite a bit, but in the last twenty minutes, the bar had practically cleared out.
Sam was closing tonight, so Tammy had begun her tasks to close down her side of the bar and clock out for the night.
“I’m gonna head back and take care of some scheduling stuff, but thanks for coming to visit tonight,” Tammy said to me, her gaze darting to the man two seats over from me.
“I’ll be back again tomorrow, beautiful,” I said to her, making sure the man heard me, too.
She just smiled and nodded at me.
“I’ll be in the back for a few minutes if you need me,” she said to Sam.
I signed my receipt, jotted a few notes into my phone to remember for tomorrow, and checked my email.
Twenty minutes later, Tammy walked back out and stopped abruptly when she saw me.
I had already left my seat and was standing on the other side of the bar near the kitchen door from which she had just come out.
“You’re still here,” she said, seemingly surprised. “I thought you’d left.”
“I was waiting for you. Plus, you never actually kicked me out, so I consider that a win.”
She stared straight at me, but I could see the mischief in her eyes. “How’s the saying go…? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”
She tilted her head to the side and batted her eyelashes at me, the gesture exaggerated and teasing.
Internally, I laughed at her comment, but I maintained my usual unflappable, composed exterior. “I’m not your enemy, Tammy,” I told her in a soft voice.
She shrugged. “Tomayto, tomahto.”
She briefly turned back to the bar and waved. “Night, Sam.”
He returned the sentiment, and we started to walk toward the door.
“I’ll walk you to your car and follow you home,” I said, putting on hand at the small of her back.
“You don’t need to,” she said in a low voice.
“I know, but I want to.”
As soon as we cleared the door, she stopped and turned to me on the sidewalk. “Fine, but you’re not getting an invite to come in, so don’t get any ideas.”
“I know. I just want to make sure you get home safely, that’s all.”
She said nothing in response but turned and continued to walk toward her car.
“I’d like to go over a few things with you that we can’t exactly discuss here,” I told her. “Do you want to meet for lunch tomorrow?”
“No dates, remember,” she replied quietly as she got to her car door. “You can just call me in the morning instead. I’m usually up by eight.”
I nodded in response, letting her think she’d won this round, but the wheels had already started turning in my head with what I hoped would be a great idea for tomorrow.
Game on, Tammy.