She started the night dressed in a classic pink poodle skirt and saddle shoes, serving up chocolate milkshakes with whipped cream and cherries, her hair in a high ponytail. She looked adorable, but halfway through the night, she changed into black leather pants, a tight black shirt, and a leather jacket. In place of the milkshakes, she served up mixed drinks and boozy ice cream. That was when she became irresistible.
I wanted to try to steal just a few moments with her, so I went to look for her. That was when I found her out in the street, offering some of the tiny one-bite appetizers we had on our menu to people enjoying the festival. She walked around the classic cars, giving out to the treats and pointing people in the direction of the bar. I was almost to her when a couple of guys walked up and started flirting with her.
To say just seeing it drove me a little nuts would be an understatement. The worst part was, from a distance, I couldn’t tell if she was flirting back or just dealing with it because it was part of the night. I tried to push it out of my mind, but it still bothered me. I was heading over to another of the displays when Ava was suddenly beside me.
I looked down at her and saw her smile.
“How’s the bar doing?” she asked.
“Really well,” I said. “Last I checked, Matt and Jesse were making drinks while Tyler was trying to handle the kitchen. He and Jesse keep switching back and forth. They had to stop selling wristbands because so many people were interested in coming.”
She grinned even wider. “That’s amazing.” She got up on her toes to kiss me, but I barely responded. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” I said.
“It’s obviously something,” she said. “Tell me.”
“I saw those guys flirting with you.”
She let out a sigh and shook her head. “It comes with the territory. And you shouldn’t ever worry. I only want you.”
I internally scolded myself for my unfounded jealousy. Just for good measure, I wrapped my arm around her waist again and pulled her in for another kiss. Just in case anybody happened to be watching. I wanted to make the situation as clear as possible.
From behind us, I heard a cheer. Pulling out of the kiss, I turned around and saw Stephanie a few feet away, her hands up in the air in celebration. Ava shook her head and laughed, resting her head forward in the center of my chest. When she lifted it again, she threw a look in Stephanie’s direction.
“Subtle,” she said.
“Sorry,” Stephanie said. “It’s just the two of you are so cute. I just can’t get over it. You two are adorable together, and I am just so happy for you.”
“Thank you,” Ava said. “I’m pretty happy for me, too.”
I laughed. “So am I.”
With that, we went back to work. Ava led Stephanie and her usual gaggle of followers to the bar, while I went to do another round through the other locations and the outdoor events. I wanted to keep up connection with the other business owners and the customers as much as possible. Having a good rapport with the other people in the area could do well for both of us.
As I went, I was able to relax and enjoy myself. I was no longer worried about the flirting. Ava was mine, and she was happy to let everybody know it.19AvaI was still buzzing with excitement over the success of the classic-car night the next morning. I’d had a feeling people were going to enjoy it, but it went over even better than I could have imagined. The other businesses around the area were excited to be a part of the event with us. I had to imagine they’d heard about our theme nights and seen how much more business we were getting and were eager to get in on it.
The crowds were truly amazing, and by the end of the night, we had run out of all of the food and drink specials we planned. People laughed, asking when the next time we were going to have one of the festivals was and what the theme would be so they could start thinking about their costumes. That was on my mind the next morning as Mason drove me to work.
I’ve gotten very comfortably accustomed to riding to work with him in the morning and then home with him at night. It was a fantastic way to start the workday and something to look forward to during all those hours at the bar. Sometimes we just sat listening to music. Other times we talked about the things we overheard from the customers at the bar. That was always a fun conversation.
That morning, though, I was bubbling over with ideas for all the events we could have throughout the year. What that customer had said about trying to figure out what costumes they wanted to wear to the next theme night really stuck with me, inspiring a plan for another festival later in the year.