Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
“Interesting” wasn’t the right word to describe our excursion.
“Stunning” and “eye-opening” would be better.
Vance had no problem spending money. Whenever I stopped in front of a piece of furniture I liked, he bought it.
After the third time he’d bought something that I’d admired in passing—nobody needed a lamp that had ten settings—I kept my gaze on the floor.
Or only briefly glanced over the selection in front of me.
He still bought enough to furnish two houses.
Including kids’ furniture for his spare bedrooms.
He must be planning on his sisters’ kids coming to stay. And he went all out. He didn’t just get them beds but a desk and chair, fairy lights, and a couch.
The rooms would look amazing. And he bought the sleigh bed I’d had my eye on. He wanted it as a Cali King, which made sense given his size. I bet he wouldn’t fit in it otherwise.
“How about these sheets? Do you think they would work for the spare room?”
He held up a deep blue set that would look amazing on the light wooden frame he’d purchased. “Absolutely. And the white fitted sheet with the small flowers would be perfect with it.”
He nodded and added them to the overflowing cart he was pushing.
A glance at the time told me we had to get a move on. “I need to be back soon. I have to be at the bar in two hours.”
Since we’d bought most things in the store, not including all the stuff from Howard Lorton, I think it might have been time to call it anyway; there were only so many beds and couches a single man could buy for an empty house.
At least our shopping trip had taken my mind off having to work tonight. Frankie’s wasn’t exactly my favorite place. But since they were the only ones who were hiring, I didn’t have a choice.
Vance drove me home, coming inside the apartment and closing the door. “I’ll wait while you get ready and drive you there.”
“That’s okay, I’ll drive myself. Otherwise, I don’t have my car to get home.”
“I’ll drive you home as well.”
I studied his unreadable expression. “I finish at two in the morning.”
He didn’t bat an eye. “That’s fine. I’ll wait.”
“For seven hours?”
“I normally work on the weekends, but I didn’t today. It’ll give me a chance to catch up.”
“You think working in a bar is going to be conducive to actually getting anything done?”
He sat down on the couch. “I can work anywhere.” He pulled out his phone as if to demonstrate. “You better get ready or you’ll be late for your first shift.”
A glance at the time made me yelp. Vance let out a chuckle that was cut off when I shut the door to the bathroom I had sprinted to.
I emerged ten minutes later wearing black skinny jeans, a T-shirt with the bar’s logo on it, and sneakers. My hair was in a braid, and I’d dabbed a little more foundation on my face.
“I’m ready.” I stopped in front of Vance, who was still sitting on the couch, engrossed in his phone. “You don’t have to drive me.”
He ignored my comment. “Let’s go.”
It was already crowded when we arrived, and I knew it was going to be a busy night. True to his word, Vance set up at the end of the bar after he softly brushed his lips against mine.
John, one of the guys who owned the bar, greeted me with a big smile. He was a wiry guy and only slightly taller than me, with a goatee and Harry Potter glasses. “Mae, I’m glad you decided to join the team.”
I gave him a tentative smile. I’d only met him briefly, having interviewed with the other owner, Howard. “Hi, John. Thanks so much for giving me a chance.”
He waved me off, handing me an apron and iPad.
“We always need more servers. And as you can see, it’s as busy as ever.
Which is why I’ll have to throw you right in there.
Regan called in sick, and she’s usually behind the bar, so I’m helping out and can’t train you today.
But Howard said he’s already shown you the system? ”
I gave him a shaky smile. A ten-minute demonstration on how to input orders into a tablet was not exactly enough. I still didn’t know how to work the cash register. “Hopefully I’ll remember everything.”
He served someone who’d stepped up to the bar before saying, “If you have any questions, let me know. I’ll be here until closing. And Rosie has been here for years, so she can help you as well.”
He pointed to a platinum blonde server whose shirt was cut off halfway, her toned stomach on display. She glanced our way with narrowed eyes, then walked off to take another order.
I nodded at John, smile now gone. This was going to be a long night.
“You both have your own section.” He pointed to a hog’s head mounted to the wall. “You’re to the right of the hog, Rosie is to the left.”
Another nod, which seemed to be sufficient for John, who left to serve another customer. Taking a deep breath, I willed my shaking hands to still and went out there.
I would have liked to say that I was a natural, but I was everything but.
I had no problem taking orders once I’d figured out the system.
But I’d spilled more beer than I’d served, and I could never tell which order was what.
They mostly looked the same to me. And how would I know which burger has bacon in it when it doesn’t stick out the side?
Rosie was absolutely no help. Every time I asked her something, her response was to roll her eyes and flounce off. The only bright spot was that Vance was in my section, and every time I walked past him, he winked at me or smiled.
Since he was sitting at the bar, John served him. It was about an hour before closing when things went sideways. A rowdy group who made a slightly wobbly beeline to a table in my section came in.
The bar was mostly empty, having cleared out around midnight. John was in the basement switching out one of the kegs, and Rosie was sitting at a table chatting with a group of girls.
I walked up to the loud table, clutching my tablet to my chest.
The first guy who saw me let out a loud whistle, and my cheeks heated.
I fought hard not to cringe. Because I was small, people often assumed I was much younger than I was.
Seemed like this guy had come to that exact same conclusion.
If he knew I was nearly thirty and had two kids, he wouldn’t be so enthused by my appearance.
“Welcome to Frankie’s. My name is Mae, and I’ll be your server tonight. What can I get you?”
One of the guys grabbed my arm and pulled me into his side. It brought his head right in front of my breasts. “I’ll take you.”
His friends guffawed with laughter while I tried to pull my arm back. I didn’t succeed, and he gave a sharp tug, tipping me off-balance. I landed on his lap, causing more amusement.
He stank of beer and cigarettes, and I crinkled my nose, looking away from him while struggling to stand back up. He was drunk enough that his hold on me wasn’t tight. I figured I could roll off him and get up that way.
Before I had a chance to so much as move a muscle, though, a large body stepped up next to us. “Let her go.”
Drunk Guy looked up at Vance with an even drunker grin. “Or what? You gonna tell on me?”
“That would make it too easy on you. I will kick you out myself—judging by the state of you, it won’t take much effort.”
This was all delivered in an even voice that Vance had perfected. But I knew he was angry by the way his hands were clenched and his jaw tightened.
Trying to defuse the situation, I put my planned-out rolling motion into place. It didn’t go as successfully as I’d envisioned in my head, and I ended up squashed between the table and Drunk Guy.
Who still hadn’t loosened his hold on me.
Vance took my hand, pulling me up. Somehow, he succeeded with minimal resistance, and two seconds later, I was standing next to him. “It might be best if you find another place to get a drink.”
Drunk Guy stood up, swaying on his feet. “This your bar or something?
“Nope. But this is my girlfriend you harassed. Now take your friends and get out.”
“Nobody tells me to fucking get out.”
“Funny, since that’s exactly what I did. Now, I’m happy to use simpler words so you can understand if that will help.”
Drunk Guy’s face went red before he stepped back, then swung his arm, aiming at Vance’s head. Vance stepped in front of me, swatting the guy’s hand away like an annoying fly, followed by a quick punch to his gut that made him double over.
Vance looked at the rest of the group, who were gaping at us. “Now, if you could take your friend and get out of here, I’d appreciate it.”
They all stared at Vance, then at their friend, who was currently hunched over kneeling on the floor.
“What the fuck is going on here?” John stormed up to us, his gaze going to the guy on the ground. “He better have an upset stomach.”
Vance scoffed. “I didn’t hit him hard. And it was self-defense since he threw the first punch. You can check the tapes.”
John turned his anger on me. “Already causing shit on your first shift. You’re officially on notice. And you’re not allowed to bring your boyfriend anymore.”
I opened my mouth to apologize, but Vance beat me to it. “Where were you when one of your customers harassed your waitress and then tried to punch one of your other customers?”
There was practically steam coming out of John’s ears. “Mae, your shift is over. I don’t think this is working out.”
My body went cold. “But—”
John turned away and kneeled next to the drunk guy.
Vance led me back to the bar, helping me take off my apron and putting the tablet back where it belonged. At least I made some tips tonight, so it wasn’t a total waste of time. By the time we walked out, the guy was off the floor and back to swaying on his feet.
Vance led me straight to his car. I stopped, not getting in when he held the door open. “I’m going to call a taxi.”
“Mae? What’s going on?”