“Nah, just keeping you on your toes. Whoa,” she exclaimed as the blue flame appeared. “Wow, thanks.”
“Anytime. Another beer for you Levi?”
“One of us has to find our way home later,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll just keep nursing the rest of this one.
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted and smacked a kiss on Levi’s cheek before she turned a devilish smile my way. “So, you and Margot seem to be cattier than normal. What gives?”
“Catty? I have never in my life been accused of being catty. And nothing gives, just the usual around these parts.” Everyone was starting to notice, which meant I needed to go back to ignoring her jabs. And her presence. And her curves.
“There’s a first time for everything,” Lacey said in a sing-song voice and pushed away from the bar. “I’m going to see what girl talk is going on.” She left and my shoulders relaxed.
“The interrogation is over,” I sighed.
“Better you than me,” Levi agreed.
“Better you than Grady what?” Carlotta asked in that smooth as honey southern belle tone that fooled no one.
“Nothing,” I replied, but Levi the traitor let the truth slip.
“Lacey was interrogating him about the increased tension between him and Margot.”
“Oh that,” she said and turned to me with a studious look. “A pitcher of margaritas please, two extra shots of tequila thanks.”
“Got it.”
Carlotta nodded and stared at me like she wanted to say something else. I hoped she didn’t find her words until I started the blender. “I think the problem is that you’re just so much man. It’s easier to hate you than it is to risk falling for your masculine energy.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Masculine energy? You read too many women’s magazines.”
“Maybe so, but’s part of the job. Anyway you ooze a certain type of virility, the most visceral kind, and Margot has been burned too many times to let a guy like you undo her.”
“A lowly bartender?” Because no matter what she said, that was why she’d backtracked so quickly from a potential relationship I hadn’t even requested.
“Nope, a sexy, tattooed bad boy who has BDE for days. And days.” Carlotta stared at me with a teasing smile and I frowned.
“BDE?”
She leaned over the bar and motioned me closer. “Bick Dick Energy,” she whispered in my ear before she pulled back with a threatening finger aimed my way. “If you tell Chase I said that, I will slice that energy up and put it in my trophy case.”
“I promise not to tell Chase any of that.”
“Damn right,” she shot back and accepted the tray with a pitcher of margarita and fresh glasses on top.
“Tell me what?” The mayor stood right behind his girlfriend with an inquiring look.
Carlotta froze. “You are so dead Grady.”
“Then who will make your favorite pastrami sandwiches?”
She shrugged and kissed Chase’s cheek when he relieved her of the tray. “I’m sure there are other pastrami sandwich makers around.”
“Not as good as mine.”
“I’ll make it work,” she shot back.
I took a step back from the bar. “This conversation is over.”
“Oh thank god,” she sighed. “I actually came up here to talk to you about a couple of bookings, not your personal life or my sandwich obsession.”
“Probably should have led with that,” I told her with a teasing smile.
“Maybe, but giving you a hard time is just so much fun.”
“Yeah, this is a blast,” I deadpanned. “Tell me about the bookings.”
“One’s for the whole space, including the chairs out front and the terrace out back. It’s Roman’s local release party and the studio is tripling your usual rate.”
“Triple?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it would be a good idea to get some more muscle around for that night.”
“Got it. And hey, thanks for thinking of me for this stuff Carlotta.” Business was good and I didn’t need the extra bookings or exposure, but it was nice that she threw extra business my way just because she could.
“Of course. We’re friends, you’re good looking, which the clients appreciate and you make damn good drinks.”
“Now you’re gonna make me blush. Go on back to your coffee klatch or whatever.”
She sucked in a shocked breath. “That is both sexist and old-timey, and I don’t know whether to mock you or be impressed by your usage of old timey slang.”
“How about you take your margaritas back to the table before they melt?”
She smiled cheerfully. “We’ll pick this up later.”
“We won’t,” I assured her as she and Chase walked away. I risked a quick glance at the booth occupied by the women, and now Chase, and stood a little taller, satisfied I hadn’t even noticed Margot slip out.
It was progress.
Small, inconsequential progress, but in my book it still counted.
Right?
Chapter 7
Margot
“We have two more weddings lined up. One for end of August and the other,” I paused as a loud yawn cracked my jaw. “Sorry. The other wedding is mid-September, and consultations have been set up for next week.”