Second Chance Baby

“We’re seeding,” she whispered.

“You’re what?” I asked.

“Seeding. That’s what we call it. We buy drinks, give you tips, and show what a fabulous time we’re having. Then everybody else follows suit. There were professionals who used to do it in the gold rush towns.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her those professionals drank colored water and got paid for a lot more than shilling drinks to build up sales for the saloons.

“Well, thank you. I think it’s getting noticed by the guys.”

Things got busier as the night went on. Whether it was Stephanie’s seeding or just dumb luck, customers were streaming in and drinks were constantly flowing. I barely felt like I had taken a breath in a couple of hours when Matt and Tyler both leaned over the bar toward me.

“You’re the best thing that has happened to this bar so far,” Tyler told me. “I don’t know what you’re doing but keep it up.”

“I don’t think I’m doing much of anything,” I said.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Matt said. “We haven’t seen these many customers in a long time.”

It stayed busy for the rest of the night, and by the time Mason locked the door behind the last customer, I was exhausted but happy. It was a really good night, and I felt like I had done well. The boys seemed to think so, too. By the time I got back to the bar after visiting the restroom, they had a row of shots lined up waiting for us.

“In celebration of your first night,” Jesse said. “I know you said you’re not much of a drinker, but a celebratory shot is customary.”

Picking up one of the glasses, I held it up. “Not a big drinker doesn’t mean not one at all.”

The guys cheered and we took the shots together. I was feeling a little less on edge and had managed to push aside the feelings that threatened to take over. Our celebration was brief. We had to start cleaning up, but at least now there was no pounding music or customers making it impossible to talk without screaming.

“How’s Jordan?” I asked as I wiped up behind the bar.

“He’s serving in Afghanistan,” Tyler said.

“Oh, wow.”

“He’s getting out soon and will be coming home to join us,” Matt added quickly.

We kept talking as we cleaned up, and one by one the brothers left. In the end, it was just Mason and me. I followed him out through the back door, and he walked me to my car.

“Thank you again for taking the position. You did a great job tonight,” he said.

“Thanks,” I said.

Something else tingled on the tip of my tongue, like there were words there waiting to be said. I only wondered how long they had been waiting. Being near him was seriously doing something to both my mind and my body. And I didn’t know if I liked it or not.8MasonFor all the arguments I could have logically made against having her work at the bar, Ava did seem to be a good-luck charm for us. It wasn’t everything we wanted yet, but we’d had much better days at the bar since she started working there. So good, in fact, we were able to do something we never did. We closed up and took a day off.

It felt extraordinarily luxurious to know I didn’t have to go into the bar that day. I hadn’t taken a full day off since Tom bought The Hollow. Not that I had worked a full shift every single day, but there wasn’t a day when I wasn’t up there for at least a few hours. More often than not, I got there early and stayed late, taking hours so my brothers could have more time away. It was worth it to keep us on the path to making something out of the bar. But it was exhausting.

Having a full day ahead of me felt like I was getting away with something. There was that little hint of a thrill that came from doing something out of the norm.

I slept later than I had in months and woke up only when my phone rang. After searching around under my pillow and on top of my nightstand with my eyes closed, trying to maintain some grip on sleep, I realized I couldn’t find the phone. It just kept ringing, pausing for a couple of seconds after going to voicemail, then picking up again. That made me nervous. Repeat phone calls usually weren’t a good thing.

It forced me to open my eyes and try to figure out what I did with the phone. It was loud enough for me to know it was in the room with me. I just couldn’t place where. Reluctantly throwing the blankets off myself, I got out of bed and searched around. Eventually I realized I’d never taken the phone out of my pocket the night before and ended up tossing it into my hamper along with my jeans. I fished it out and answered.