Chapter Twenty-Five Part Two
Bryce
“So, you’ve bartended before, right?”
“Yep. Over at The Mill in Concord.”
“Okay, good enough for me. Show me what you got.” I rattle off a few drinks for Recker to mix. He works quickly, making all three at the same time, and he has them in front of me in under a minute. “Shit, you’re fast.”
“Are you complaining?”
His smirk is a little cocky, but I’m not worried about that. He’s a cool guy, and it’s okay to know you’re good at something.
“Not at all.”
We go through a few more sets of drinks before I’m satisfied that he knows how to handle himself behind the bar.
I introduce him to Dillon and Caleb; both have seen him around when Kasey works.
I notice Dillon giving him the side-eye.
He’s a little bit of a grump sometimes, but he’s great with customers.
It’s been two weeks since Bodie left for Raleigh, and I need Recker to work out here. The first two people we interviewed and tried out behind the bar failed miserably. Kasey swore by Recker’s abilities, though, and so far, he’s living up to them.
The rest of the night goes smoothly, and aside from Recker bumping into Dillon a couple times, he passed his first night spectacularly.
The managers want me to be on for at least a week with whoever we choose.
So, it looks like the countdown to me joining Bodie starts now.
I take a few minutes to myself, sitting on a few cases of beer in the stockroom.
Me
You awake, beautiful?
Bodie
Waiting up for you, Oz. Like always. *smiley face emoji*
Me
Well, I think the wait just got shorter. Recker seems like he might be the one.
Bodie
Really? How long until you can get here?
Me
Almost everything is packed already. So, another week or two max.
He doesn’t respond right away, and I suddenly worry that he may have changed his mind.
Me
Bode, are you okay? You still want me there, don’t you?
Bodie
Yes, I’m here. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t contain the zoomies.
Me
*laughing face emoji* You ran around your apartment in your underwear, didn’t you?
Bodie
Our apartment.
My cheeks hurt thinking of him being as happy as I am right now.
“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone smile so big before. Sorry if I’m interrupting anything.” Recker breaks my concentration on Bodie’s texts.
“Oh, no. You’re okay.”
“Alright. I was just coming to see if you needed me for anything else before I get out of here.” He picks his helmet up off a rack.
“Nah, you’re good to go. Ride safe.”
“Always,” he says with that smirk of his.
I turn back to my phone and see Bodie has responded.
Bodie
Now I’ll never get to sleep.
Me
Go try, babe. I need to finish up here. I love you. See you soon.
Bodie
Goodnight. I love you!
And just like that, for the first time in two months, I can breathe again without feeling like there’s a weight on my chest.