Chapter Five #3
He left without a backward glance, and Keegan had to remind himself several times throughout his shift not to look in Kerry’s direction.
Not when he shadowed Allison at the hostess station and learned the ins and outs of the seating charts and the booking software.
The Feisty Bull accepted reservations, but the bulk of their patronage came from walk-ins.
Keegan wasn’t at all surprised when the entire ranch showed up to support him on his first night.
He got a little flustered, knowing Cash was observing his interactions with the patrons.
But his mentor’s watchful gaze wasn’t what made Keegan’s hands shake when he switched from shadowing the hostess to a server midway through his shift.
There was no one better to observe than Nate, but serving tables included many trips to the bar to place drink orders.
Keegan avoided Kerry whenever he could by giving his drink orders to Ryder, and he avoided Kerry’s gaze whenever the other bartender was busy.
That was what Kerry claimed to want, but the intensity of his stare increased with each passing hour until Keegan thought he’d go nuts before the last customers cleared out.
The entire crew gathered at the bar to share a single drink of their choice to celebrate a successful night.
It was a welcome reward after hustling for hours, but it didn’t signal the end of their work.
They needed to restore the restaurant to pristine order before they could leave, and the crew worked like a well-oiled machine to get it done efficiently.
Keegan felt like a wrench in the cog, but he was grateful to everyone for either their time or instruction.
“The night’s still young,” Allison said when a group of them exited the restaurant through the back door. “Who’s up for pizza?”
Keegan was dead on his feet. He hadn’t slept well the previous night, and it felt like he’d been put through an emotional gauntlet from the moment his feet touched the floor that morning. But pizza sounded amazing, and he didn’t want to be alone with his thoughts yet. “I’m in.”
“Mind if I get a ride with you?” Nate asked. “I rode with Kelly, but she needs to head home. She has church choir practice before the service.”
“Sure,” Keegan said. “I’m just over there.” He pointed toward the Redemption Ridge truck Cash let him drive.
“Hey, Keegan.” Kerry’s voice rang out from behind him. “Can we talk a minute?”
Several pairs of eyes shifted to Keegan, so he worked hard to conceal his dread. He clicked a button on the key fob. “Go ahead and get in,” he told Nate. “This won’t take long.”
Nate darted a glance between Keegan and Kerry, then furrowed his brow. “Is everything okay? I couldn’t help but notice you kind of avoided Kerry tonight.”
Well, darn. So much for not being obvious.
“Everything is fine. I’m sure he wants to ask me something about Sven.
” Nate sent one last questioning look in Kerry’s direction before he walked away.
Keegan pivoted and made his way to where Kerry stood next to the building.
The area was heavily shadowed and kind of creepy, but he wasn’t scared. Much. “Hey,” he said casually.
“What the hell was that back in there?” Kerry’s voice was low and gruff. He gestured toward the building in case Keegan needed clarification.
Keegan had thought his emotional tank was empty when he stepped outside, but Kerry’s surly attitude reignited his spark. He straightened his shoulders and notched his chin higher. “I gave you what you wanted, Kerry. You said you didn’t want me to look in your direction.”
Kerry growled his frustration. “I didn’t mean ever. I just don’t want you to look at me with those bedroom eyes.”
“I don’t even know what that is, so I best keep my gaze averted.”
“Please don’t,” Kerry said.
“Please don’t what? You tell me not to look at you but then get upset when I do what you ask. Do you even hear yourself?”
“I know,” Kerry groaned. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just don’t want hard feelings between us. My family adores you, and they’d never forgive me if you stopped coming around because I’m an asshole.”
“You’re not an asshole,” Keegan said. But he intended to scale back his time with the Hart clan.
He would miss them like crazy, but his mental health wouldn’t survive their matchmaking attempts.
Keegan didn’t really believe Kerry’s standing with his family was in jeopardy, but his concern seemed sincere.
“Everything will be okay. Tonight was just…raw. I’ll see you around. ”
“Christ,” Kerry bit out. “I recognize a brush-off when I hear it.”
Keegan forced a laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“So, you’ll be at dinner tomorrow night?” Kerry pressed.
“Unless something comes up.” And it would.
Kerry huffed out a sigh. “Fine. Be careful tonight, okay?”
“I’ll practice defensive driving and make sure I have Tums on hand for potential heartburn from eating greasy pizza late at night.” He glanced over toward the truck where Nate waited. “And I don’t think my co-pilot is into me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Kerry hooked his finger in the open V of Keegan’s dress shirt and released him as soon as their skin connected. That brief touch of bare skin was enough to transport him right back to the tiny locker room, where he came so close to knowing what Kerry tasted like. “Everyone is into you.”
Along with the memory came the brief resurrection of his confidence. “Well, maybe this night will end better than I hoped. See you later.”
Kerry called out his name before he made it three steps, but Keegan didn’t slow his stride. Keep him guessing. That’s what Sven would do.