CHAPTER SEVEN
Jordan
Jordan gazed at the numbers counting down, as the elevator descended to the lobby. It was a gorgeous Wednesday afternoon. The sun was shining, and the air was still warm, even though the calendar said it was autumn. Perfect weather for a little walk down the street on her break to get a coffee.
After purchasing her coffee, she sat on a bench in front of the cafe, sipping the hot caffeinated drink and taking in the sights of the city. Her eyes landed on the space where workers were busy installing a sign. Slap Shot—Noah’s sports bar.
Curiosity got the better of her, as she watched the workers bringing in paint cans, ladders, and boxes. She looked across the road, craning her neck to look at the twentieth floor, where The Sin Bin was located. A twinge of guilt wound around her belly. She needed to tell Talia that she was being courted for a new job, and that the person doing the courting was Noah. Obviously she wasn’t going to accept the job, and her friend and boss needed to know that.
She loved working at The Sin Bin, and Talia and Harrison were like her second family. She was good at her job and had no reason look elsewhere, and especially not to consider a random position offered to her by Noah. The Sin Bin was established, all the fans knew the place was owned by Harrison Dash and his wife, and that was what drew many of them there.
As far as she knew, Noah had never owned a restaurant. That meant that there was uncertain job security. But she was still curious. And it didn’t hurt to look at the place.
Jordan walked down the sidewalk and strolled into the space. The interior looked like every other sports bar, at first. Then she noticed the abundance of chrome and black. The colors were sleek and clean, but also fun.
It was pretty dark inside because not many lights were on, but she was sure when the place was lit up, the chrome would really shine.
She admired the large bar with its ample glass shelving for liquor bottles. She couldn’t see much farther, but she guessed the kitchen would be just as modern and well equipped. Noah had really outdone himself.
“Can I help you?” a man asked.
“Noah said I should stop by,” she responded quickly.
“Jordan!” Noah called from the other end of the room. He hurried over to her. “I can’t believe you actually showed up.”
He was dressed down more than she had ever seen him. He wore blue jeans that showed off his very muscular legs, and a fitted t-shirt with some logo on the front. But she really wasn’t looking at the logo as much as his chest and biceps.
Jordan managed to stop staring before he noticed, and shrugged. “I was on break and my curiosity got the better of me.”
“This is Jared,” Noah said. “He’s a friend of mine. He’s been helping me get set up.” Noah tipped his head towards the rear of the space. “Why don’t you come back to the office, I’ll grab us some waters?”
“I’m not here about the job offer, and I think you know that,” she defended.
“I know, but I can dream, right?” He smirked. “Just give me five minutes of your time.”
She took a deep breath and looked around the room. This place was going to be gorgeous and hip.
“Five minutes. Then I have to get back to work.”
Noah led her carefully around the paint cans and ladders to the office in the back.
He offered her a bottle. “Water?”
“No thank you. I have coffee.” She held up her cup. “It is a really nice place.”
“Thanks. It’ll look much better once the remodel is done.” He opened his bottle of water and took a sip.
“When are you opening?” She had no idea why she was bothering to ask. She certainly wouldn’t be dropping in to eat, much less working here.
“Just a few weeks.” He looked at her with a serious expression. “If you’d consider my offer, whatever you’re making now, I’ll pay more. You’d be the general manager, and my right-hand lady. I see what you do for Talia, and I need that kind of responsible person here. Obviously, I can’t be here as much as Talia is at The Sin Bin. But with it being attached to the arena and right across from my apartment, I can stop in often. Jared is responsible for hiring, right now. But you—or whoever takes the job—would be in charge of hiring once it opens. Jared will head back to Las Vegas as soon we’re up and running.”
“Las Vegas?”
“Yeah. He runs a chain of burger joints on the west coast.” He set his bottle of water on the desk and gazed at her with a gleam in his eyes. “So what do you think of the place? Think you might be happy working here?”
“Noah.” She stopped him. “You do remember that I am not taking the job, right? I just stopped by to look at the place.”
“Oh, I know.” Noah sat back in his chair and smiled. “I just want you to have all the information in order to make an informed decision.”
That cocky smile did things to her. And that was a good enough reason for her not to take the job. She shrugged. “I guess Jared better get looking for your new general manager.”
“Can I ask why you’re not interested?” He leaned forward. “This is legit the next step in your career. Or at least it should be. Unless you are satisfied being a manager forever?”
She didn’t care for his condescending tone. But he wasn’t wrong; this would be the next step. But there was no way she was going to agree with him on this. “My goal is to someday own and run my own restaurant.”
“You didn’t answer my question. You’d have control over the day to day here. You’d have a manager to be the Jordan to your Talia.” He eyed her patiently. “But you’re still not interested? Are you?”
She shook her head and shrugged. “Sorry.”
“Okay. I’m going to have Jared keep looking, but if you change your mind, the position is yours.” His strong shoulders and grin showed nothing but confidence, but his words had a sense of defeat to them that made her feel a little regret.
“Well, I need to get back to work.” Jordan started for the door, but again her curiosity got the better of her. She paused and turned to him. “Why me?”
“Why you?” He grinned and pushed his hair out of his face. Then he coolly leaned back in his chair. “Because you’re everything I’m looking for in a general manager. I’ve seen you work. I don’t need a resume to tell me your qualifications; I’ve seen them live and in person. So the real question is, why not you?”
The way he ran his hand through his hair caused butterflies to dance in her belly. The sheer fact that he made her giddy and annoyed all at the same time should be a warning sign. Even if the offer was tempting—and she wasn’t going to admit that it was—working for him would be a big mistake.
“At least think about it?” Noah asked. He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled on it, then handed it to her. “If you change your mind, call me.”
She took the paper and hurried out of the restaurant.
Once she was safely on the sidewalk, far away from Noah’s seductive grin and intense stare, she could breathe again. She hurried across the street, and tossed her empty coffee cup into the nearest garbage can. Pausing before entering her building, City Towers, she looked back at the sign for Slap Shot.
Part of her wanted to jump at the opportunity Noah presented to her. As general manager, and with Noah not being able to spend much time at the restaurant, she’d be responsible for running it. On the other hand, she practically ran The Sin Bin now. However, there was a big difference between practically running and actually running a place.
As she rode the elevator up to The Sin Bin, her stomach flopped as though she were a kid on the first day of school. When the elevator doors opened, she made a beeline for Talia. She knew what needed to be done. “Talia, can I talk to you?”
“Sure. Bar? Or office?”
“Office.”
“All right. I’ll meet you in there.”
Jordan sat in the office, her heart beating hard. But she needed to do this. Talia was her friend, and this was the right thing to do.
Talia hurried into the office, her face tense with curiosity as she sat down at the desk. “What’s going on, Jordan? You sounded serious. Should I be worried?”
“No, not at all. It’s just something that has been bothering me.”
“Okay.” Talia nodded. “So what’s up? Spill.”
“I’ve been keeping something from you, and I think you deserve to know.” Her stomach flopped with every word.
“Girl, you’re making me nervous!”
“I’m being pursued for another job,” she blurted out.
“Oh.” Talia didn’t respond the way Jordan thought she might. She was calm and not very surprised.
“Yes, it’s true.” She nodded. “I’m not taking it. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”
But Talia’s expression didn’t change. “Jordan, are you not happy here?”
“Talia! How could you even ask me that? Of course I am! I love my job at The Sin Bin. I didn’t go looking for this opportunity—it came to me. And I don’t even want it.” Which wasn’t the whole truth. Part of her did.
“What kind of job?”
Her chest hurt. She could never leave Talia hanging—nor could she leave her for Noah’s new place.
“It doesn’t matter. I just wanted you to know.” Jordan watched Talia’s calm expression. A glimmer of a smile played on the corners of Talia’s mouth. That’s when it dawned on her. She narrowed her eyes. “But you already knew, didn’t you?”
Talia smiled. “Noah told me.”
“Why didn’t someone tell me?” Jordan huffed out a breath. “Look Talia, I am loyal to you and The Sin Bin.” Plus, there was no way she could work for him.
“Jordan, listen. I love you. And you are the most kick-ass manager anyone could ever have. And I don’t want to lose you.”
“Which is why I’m not leaving.”
“But you should.”
“What?” Jordan’s eyebrows shot up.
“This job Noah is offering is the next step in your career. It’s something I can’t give you. There is no next tier here. You’ll always be the manager and fill-in boss. At Slap Shot you will be the boss. Sure, there’d be an occasional discussion with Noah, but you’d make all the operational decisions.”
“What are you saying?” None of this made any sense.
“Look, I don’t want you to go, but I need to be honest with you. I believe that Slap Shot is going to be very successful. Harrison has had a few chats with Noah about his business plan and financials, and he was very impressed. And the position Noah is offering you is an amazing opportunity. I’d be a horrible friend if I told you not to go for it.”
“You are kind of a horrible boss for letting someone like me go, though.”
“I know!” Talia laughed. “I should get my head examined. But you’re my friend, and I love you. I want you to be happy and successful.”
“So…?”
“So, I think you should take the job.” Talia hugged her tight. “I love you, and I’ll still love you when you’re working across the street. Besides, it’ll be great for our friendship.”
Jordan raised an eyebrow. “How’s that?”
“We won’t be working all opposite shifts now. Which means we can go out together once in a while.”
The knot was still in the pit of Jordan’s stomach. It was a great opportunity, but leaving Talia would be difficult. Not to mention her hangup about Noah. “Okay, I’ll think it over. But no promises.”
Jordan went home, reheated her take out from The Sin Bin, and changed into shorts and a sweatshirt. Then she poured a glass of wine and sat down to eat. She stared at her plate. She had absolutely no appetite.
Talia’s words ran through her mind. Her friend had made more sense than Jordan cared for. How wasn’t Tal angry at her? She’d been so calm. Tal was such a good friend. Kind, understanding, and always looking out for her best interests.
Jordan turned on the end of hockey game. The Renegades were playing in Nashville, and with five minutes left in the game, they were leading 3–1.
Confused about everything that had transpired today, Jordan sat back and sipped on her wine. Her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten all day, so it was no wonder her stomach was yelling at her. She picked at the plate of chicken parmesan and considered the pros and cons.
First off, she would be the boss and would make all the decisions. Even though Noah owned the business, he had a busy schedule during the season, so he would count on her to run everything and the success of the place would depend upon her making the right decisions. At The Sin Bin she had a lot of responsibilities, but she didn’t have the title or the pay. Sure, she covered for Talia when she couldn’t be there, but she always had to consult Talia on most decisions, since Tal was the owner. Her position at The Sin Bin was as high as she could go. The next tier was co-owner, and that was taken by Talia and Harrison. There was no good reason to bring in a third partner.
Secondly, Noah was at Slap Shot. She chewed her fingernail, deep in thought. Was that a pro or a con? Sure, he was handsome and suave; that wasn’t lost on her, no matter how she played it off in his presence. When he flirted with her, she caught butterflies. But would that hinder her new position?
Finally, there was the money. Noah had offered her considerably more than she was making at The Sin Bin. She lived comfortably with her current salary, and had managed to save quite a lump sum. A higher salary was always a bonus, and would bring her dream of owning her own place closer.
She huffed out a breath. All this time she had thought Noah had been flirting with her because he was attracted to her. That was undeniable, but on the other hand, he had also been examining her work. She knew that he had offered her the job because she was smart and right for the position.
She twirled some spaghetti on her fork and stabbed a piece of chicken. Taking a bite, she knew what her decision should be. Looking at all the information, the obvious choice was to take the job. This was something she wanted since she’d arrived in Pittsburgh. And that was exactly what Talia was trying to tell her. Not taking this job would be doing herself a disservice.
It was time to take a leap. She picked up the slip of paper and dialed the number. But it went to voicemail.
“Noah, it’s me, Jordan. Um, yes, I’m accepting the job.”
Immediately her phone buzzed with a message: I’ll be back in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Come by Slap Shot on Monday afternoon and we’ll work on Grand Opening plans.
She didn’t know how she should feel. The guilt she felt for leaving Talia and The Sin Bin was still lingering. But a rush of excitement ran through her as well.