Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
S he was changing everything!
Ace scowled as he glanced at the walk-in. Millie had been here two weeks. Fourteen measly days and she’d already turned Jacks organization system upside down. He scowled as he stared at the shelves. He’d spent fifteen damn minutes looking for the lemons. They were supposed to be on the bottom shelf. For years they’d always been on the bottom shelf. But now here they sat on the third shelf beside the cherry jars.
“What the fuck,” he grumbled as he grabbed a few, shoving them in the plastic bin in his hand.
Ace turned and headed out of the walk in only to nearly run into his baby sister.
“Woah, Jackasson. Watch where you’re going.”
Mood already sour, Ace glared at her. “I was coming out of the walk-in. How was I supposed to see you through the metal door.”
Dark eyebrows rose as Charlie tilted her head. “Wow, you put extra grump creamer in your coffee today. Didn’t you?”
“The hell does that even mean, Charlie?”
“It means you’re being an ass, and I want to know why.”
“I’m fine,” he muttered as he gripped the plastic bin filled with lemons tighter.
“Ace,” Charlie’s voice softened. Her warm hand rested on his arm, giving it a soft squeeze.
Soft was a word rarely associated with his prickly, tough little sister. Since dating her boyfriend, Luc, she’d learned to manage her temper better, but she still loved to give her brothers shit. He glanced at her, seeing real concern in her blue eyes. A heavy sigh left him. He hated worrying his siblings. It was his job to take care and worry about them. Not the other way around.
“I’m fine, Charlie. Really.”
She snorted, rolling her eyes as she gave his arm a tiny shove. “Ace, I’m a woman. We invented the code for ‘I’m fine’ and it always means I’m pissed seven ways to Sunday. Now tell me what’s wrong or I’m calling mom and telling her you’re acting like a mopey bitch.”
He grinned. “Dare you to say bitch in front of mom.”
Dorothy Jackson did not tolerate swearing from her children. Never mind that they were all well into adulthood. Swearing was obscene and not allowed in her presence.
Charlie huffed out a frustrated breath. “Just can the pissy act and tell me what’s upsetting you. Maybe I can help.”
The offer of help from his sister made Ace realize what an ass he was being. It wasn’t Charlie’s fault he was angry with Millie. Not entirely anyway. His siblings had fallen head over heels for the perky woman. They ate her suggestions up like chef Jeremy’s food. He seemed to be the only sensible one in the group. The only one who thought it was upsetting that the woman had been here just two weeks and was already changing the very fabric of Jacks.
Okay, that was a bit dramatic, but still.
“Who moved the lemons?” he asked motioning to the walk-in behind him.
“Huh?” Her face scrunched into a frown.
“The lemons,” he repeated. “In the walk-in. they’re supposed to be on the bottom shelf, but I couldn’t find them. Took me ages to and then I see that someone put them on the third shelf next to the cherries.”
Understanding lit her eyes as a smile curved her lips. “Oh. That was Millie.”
As if he had any doubts.
“She mentioned that keeping them on the floor was a bad idea because it’s colder there and could spoil them. Plus putting them by the cherry jars keeps the fruits together.” A small laugh left her. “It’s so logical. I don’t know why none of us saw it before.”
He let out a noncommittal grunt. Charlie crossed her arms over her chest, a knowing grin curving her lips.
“Wait, are you pissed because Millie changed the placement of the lemons?”
“No,” he insisted. “I’m pissed because Millie changed the positions of the lemons, and she switched the cleaning solution we use for the rags—”
“It’s cheaper and better quality.” Charlie interrupted.
“She rearranged the bottles in the bar—”
“Kelley said the new arrangement is much more efficient.”
“Will you stop interrupting me!” He glared at his sister, scrubbing a hand over his face when she mimed zipping her lips and throwing away a key, adding a middle finger in his direction at the end.
He was surrounded by toddlers and insubordinates. Taking a deep breath, Ace counted to five before speaking in a calm tone.
“What I’m saying is, Millie has been here less than a month and she’s already changed half a dozen things.”
Charlie spoke, keeping her mouth closed so all that came out was muffled nonsense. He held back a laugh at his sister’s antics. She might be a major pain in his ass, but he loved her.
“You can talk now,” he said.
Her mouth popped open. Sucking in a huge, overly dramatic breath Charlie placed a hand over her chest. “Oh, thank you big brother for your permission to speak. I shall choose my words wisely.”
“Cut the crap, Charlie and let me have it.” He deserved it for taking his frustration out on her.
Charlie grabbed both his arms, staring directly into his eyes. “Ace, my annoyingly anal big brother. You know I love you.”
He frowned. “With qualifiers like that I’m not sure you do.”
“Shut up.”
Now it was his turn to mime zipping his lips. He skipped the middle finger part, because he liked his balls where they were, and his sister had been known to have scary accuracy when kneeing a guy who’d insulted her.
“As I was saying,” Charlie continued. “We all know change is very hard for you, but sometimes it’s a good thing.”
He knew that. Just because he hated when things shifted didn’t mean he didn’t understand the concept. Life was ever changing. But he preferred it when he got to be in control of those changes. If that made him anal, so be it.
“Millie has shared some great ideas with us. She has a ton of experience in the service industry and that knowledge is helpful. Hell, that’s why we hired her, right?”
His siblings insisted they hire her. If it had been up to him, Ace would have thanked her for the interview and showed her the door. Never mind that she’d been the best candidate for the job. There was just something about her…
“Millie’s ideas are good, Ace. We’ve always listened to employee’s ideas and implemented them if we think they can improve Jacks.”
That was true. At the end of the day, all that mattered was making Jacks the best it could be.
“You’ve never gotten your panties in a twist over people’s suggestions before, big brother. Could there be something else going on here?” A teasing light gleamed in her eyes as she asked the question.
He scowled, shifting the lemon bin to his other hand. “One, I don’t wear panties, they’re called boxers. And two, as you said, I don’t like change. What else would be wrong?”
Charlie lifted a finger with dark matte polish on the nail and tapped it against her chin.
“Hmmmm, I don’t know. Maybe all this irritation you have toward Millie is masking an attraction you have to the woman who is your polar opposite? I think—”
“No.” The word left his mouth before his sister could even finish her hypothesis. “That is the most ridiculous thing you have ever said, Charlie.”
“Is it?” she asked with an arched brow.
“Yes. I am not attracted to Millie.” The woman was pushy, opinionated, and far too friendly for his liking. He didn’t trust it. She seemed to make friends with everybody with nothing more than a smile.
Everyone but him.
“Besides,” he continued. “I’m her boss. That’s completely unethical.”
Charlie let out a small laugh. “Whatever you say, big brother. Not like none of us have dated employees before.”
He hadn’t. Ace didn’t really date anyone. He had too much to take care of with the bar, restaurant, and looking after his mom and siblings. These days they didn’t need him as much. They’d all moved on with their lives, getting married, having babies. He was happy for them all, he was, but the less his family needed him the more…lost he felt.
What was his purpose if it wasn’t to take care of those around him?
“Just because Del used to date a few servers back before Cassie doesn’t mean mixing business with pleasure is a good idea.”
“Ah ha!” Charlie pointed a finger and grinned widely. “So you admit thinking about hooking up with Millie gives you pleasure?”
He waved a hand in the air. “I admit nothing.”
Because it didn’t. He wasn’t interested in Millie no matter how beautiful she was, or his chest twisted when he heard that melodic laugh of hers. She frustrated him. End of story.
“Enjoy your denial,” she said with a small sigh. “I can tell you from experience, fighting the feelings only makes it worse.”
A dull throbbing pain started to grow behind his right eye. Ace rubbed his forehead, willing what he called his “sibling induced migraine” to go away.
“Charlie, please just stop—”
A loud cheer from the bar interrupted what Ace was about to say.
“What in the world?” he muttered softly, the hair on the back of his neck rising.
It wasn’t unusual for the bar to get a bit rowdy, but that usually didn’t happen until around ten. It was only six. What could be causing such a ruckus that the sound carried into the back? Suspicion rising, Ace shoved the bin of lemons into Charlie’s hands.
“Hold this.”
“Ace, what are you—”
But the rest of his sister’s words were lost to the rush of blood pounding in his ears. Something was wrong. He could feel the cold prick of danger on his skin.
Ace reached the swinging door separating the back from the front bar area. As he swung it open, he scanned the room. The sight he saw made his heart lodge in his throat.
A crowd was gathered around the tiny open area in front of the jukebox. There was a small parting which allowed Ace to see Millie, her face a mask of concentration as she stood on top of…were those Jacks vodka bottles?
Ace swallowed down a lump of fear as he realized they were indeed Jacks vodka bottles. Millie was arched on the balls of her feet crossing the line of bottles set out on the floor while the crowd cheered her on with encouragement.
What the hell was she doing? The fool was going to fall and break her damn neck. Ace watched as she lifted one foot, slowly moving it to the next bottle top. Horror washed over him as he saw her leg wobble, balance faltering. Millie’s arms started to flail, her body pitching to the side.
Without a second’s thought Ace raced into the room as screams filled the air.