Chapter 2
“Pretty sure tall and broody has a little crush,” Nyla Cain murmured to Clover as they both waited at the end of the bar for their drinks.
Clover was working undercover as a server, though she wasn’t sure if it counted as actually undercover since she was using her real name.
She’d been honest-ish when she’d been hired, said she was looking for a weekend job to make some extra cash.
The weekend part was true, but the cash angle she’d just used to further her agenda.
And it wasn’t like Louis Cain had hired her. That had been his cousin Nyla, and they’d immediately clicked, something she was sure had worked in her favor.
“I doubt it,” she murmured as the bartender set drinks on Nyla’s tray.
“Considering you didn’t even have to look to know who I was talking about, that tells me I’m right.” Nyla grinned. “He’s nice, tips well and never hits on anyone. You should go for it.”
She resisted the urge to glance over to where Micah was sitting.
The man was gorgeous, but more than that he was smart and funny.
He was probably too smart for his own good, but she was thankful he was helping her out with her missing friend.
“He’s always on his laptop.” She shrugged.
“Not my type.” Another bald-faced lie. Micah was “everyone with a pulse” type.
Good-looking, protective, funny… It was taking everything in her not to do something she’d regret.
Because she’d already made that mistake once. She was blaming it on the martini though. The only sane reason she’d kissed him months ago.
“What, hot and clearly has a good job isn’t your type?” Nyla snorted. “He’s coming out with us tonight so maybe you can get to know him.”
She just shook her head, took the drinks set on her own tray and headed toward the high-top table waiting for her.
She’d waited tables in college, and falling back into it had been easy enough even if she didn’t miss it at all.
After dropping off the drinks to the rowdy bachelorette party, she headed for Micah’s booth and pasted on her “server smile.” Though it wasn’t like she had to work hard at smiling at the gorgeous man.
Did her knees get a little weak as she got closer? No. No, no, no. (Maybe a little.)
Nyla hadn’t been wrong about the broody thing he had going on. Though she was pretty sure that was more for show, because he was relaxed and goofy with her. She liked that.
Even if she didn’t want to like him at all.
He was Berkley’s brother, would soon be Nick’s brother-in-law. Even thinking about Micah in anything other than brotherly terms had disaster and messy written all over it.
Messy, messy, messy. And she didn’t do messy. Not again. And not with someone she couldn’t escape if things didn’t work out.
No way. She’d learned her lesson after she’d caught her now ex hooking up with someone she’d considered a best friend. It had split their whole friend group up. God, even thinking of that… She shelved the memory, locked it away. There was no room for that in her headspace at the moment. Or ever.
“You’ve got to stop watching me.” She kept her voice pitched low as she picked up his empty plate, set it on her tray. “Nyla thinks you have a crush on me.”
He just lifted his shoulder. “We can use that to our advantage, play it up tonight.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond so she nodded at his empty drink. “Another tea?”
“No, but thanks. I’m going to head out for a while, but I’ll be back about an hour before closing.” He dropped a hundred on the table.
That was roughly two hours away. She wasn’t going to miss him while he was gone. She absolutely wasn’t. “Sounds good.” And it did, because they had a solid plan tonight, one that might finally give them the break they needed. “I’ll be back with your change.”
“Keep it.” He was already sliding out of the booth before she could protest.
“Micah.” She’d give him the change back later because this was ridiculous.
He just grinned at her, and damn him for looking so adorable.
When he smiled it absolutely transformed him into this sort of boyish, mischievous-looking man she wanted to get naked with.
It didn’t hurt that he was tall with a handful of sexy tattoos winding up his gorgeous forearms, and biceps she wouldn’t mind feeling under her fingertips…
No. No, no, no. Messy, remember?
She couldn’t do messy, especially with someone linked so closely with her family.
Her brother Nick was finally getting his happily ever after, and he deserved it.
Even if he made her crazy sometimes, he was a good man, had protected her when they were younger.
And he was always trying to do the right thing—even if he was still learning how to curb some of his old-school thoughts and behaviors.
“Tell me that man didn’t just leave you a hundred.” Nyla fell in step with her on the way to the back to drop off dirty dishes.
The Laughing Llama mostly served drinks, but they also had a simple menu of mostly American-style fare. Burgers, fried everything—cheese, pickles, onions—nachos and wings. And of course, fries. But that was it. Simple.
And whatever she thought about Cain, the menu was smart because people came here to watch sports, play pool, or get drunk. Or all three. The food was greasy and fried and perfect for the atmosphere.
“I could tell you that, but then I’d be lying.”
“Hmm.” Nyla didn’t say anything else, just gave Clover a knowing look.
She grinned to play it off, especially since she and Micah were apparently going to act like they might be hooking up or whatever later.
It would certainly give them a good excuse to dip out when they were hanging with everyone after work.
From her research, she knew that everyone liked to hang out in the VIP room at this strip club a couple miles away—including the security guys who normally stayed posted at The Laughing Llama during off hours.
There would be no one watching the place.
And Louis was out of town for two more days.
The man was rarely away from his bar, so they had to take advantage and break into his office while the opportunity presented itself. Tonight could be their last chance for…who knew how long.
The next couple hours flew by faster than she’d imagined, mostly because they stayed packed.
Two more bachelorette parties had come in—and tipped well, thank you very much—so now she was loaded down in penis-themed necklaces and straws.
And from the lesbian bachelorette party, she’d walked away with a new T-shirt that said Two Brides Are Better Than One and she kinda loved it.
“Hey, sweet cheeks, where are those drinks!” a man with a polo shirt slurred at her as he practically fell off his bar seat at the high-top he was occupying with three other equally douchey-looking guys.
She gave him a sweet smile. “Call me sweet cheeks again and you’ll be wearing your next drink.”
His friends howled in laughter, and to her surprise the guy actually held his hands up. “I’m sorry, that was shitty,” he said, slowly enunciating each word, probably so he wouldn’t slur. “But you do have a nice butt. For the record.”
She sighed, called on patience she hadn’t had to summon in a looong while. Because waiting on drunk people required a master’s degree in it.
The man next to him covered his face. “She’s going to poison all our drinks.”
“No, I’m not. But, you’re going to drink some coffee and eat some nachos. Deal?” She eyed the one who’d told her she had a nice butt.
He gave her the Boy Scout’s sign, which was weird, but nodded resolutely. “Deal,” he shouted much louder than necessary.
Which just made his friends laugh even louder.
“I thought I was going to have a problem with them,” she said as she met Nyla at the bar.
“Nah, those jerks are manageable. Those…” She sighed, her jaw tightening as her gaze strayed past Clover. “They’ll be trouble.”
She covertly looked around, spotted three bikers sitting at the edge of the eating area and into the area where all the pool tables were. “They regulars?”
“Not exactly. The one with the mean face is my ex.”
“They all have mean faces.”
Nyla snort-laughed, but then sobered. “They must know Louis is out of town,” she muttered, squaring her shoulders. “That’s the only reason those bastards are here.”
“Your cousin doesn’t like them?”
“Not anymore. He and Badger… That’s his name.” She winced. “As I say it out loud, I’m embarrassed I ever dated him.”
“I’ll take their drink orders. They’re in my section anyway.”
“No—”
“I can handle it. I waited tables one summer in Daytona Beach at a well-known biker bar. If I can handle that—and Florida—I’m good.”
Nyla gave her a half smile. “Fine, but I’m putting Jon on notice.”
Jon was one of their security guys milling about. She was also pretty sure he was another one of Louis’s cousins. Clearly the man liked to hire family, which she understood. Even if you didn’t like someone, she felt like you’d be more loyal with a blood connection.
Not that it was rational, but humans weren’t rational. So there was that.
“I’m going to drop off some coffee to the frat boy, then head to your ex’s table. Any tips for dealing with him?”
“If Badger hasn’t been drinking, he’ll be fine.
His two bozo buddies are dumb as rocks. They’ll only jump into something if he initiates.
And not to give them any credit, but they don’t hurt women in their fights.
They just like to start them with any random man who looks at them wrong.
In fact, once you drop off coffee, I’m going to hint to those frat boys it might be time to leave. ”
“Got it.” This was the main thing she didn’t miss about waiting tables—the assholes.
Once she’d taken care of the frat boys, she made her way to the high-top table with the three unsmiling bikers. As she got closer she knew which one Badger was, because he had a badger patch on his vest.
Yep, her powers of deduction were legendary, thank you very much.