Carlie gave Samara the side-eye. "He won't let anyone forget it."
Samara felt a twinge of envy. Carlie and George reminded her so much of her own parents. They were always laughing and joking with one another before they died.
George turned away with a smile to flip a few burgers on the grill.
"All right, back to work!" Carlie announced, leading Samara out of the kitchen and into the dining room once more. A line had started to form at the door. "Think you can handle yourself for a while?"
"I’m ready." Pulling out her pen and pad, Samara stepped forward to take the next customer.
The man had a baby face that made him look as if he were in his early twenties but was trying to appear older with a thin mustache which matched his shaggy brown hair. He wore well-used khaki mountain climbing pants with boots and a gray t-shirt. Samara immediately noticed that the t-shirt was too small as if the guy was trying to show off his body. She couldn’t help but remember how Kellen's shirt fit just fine which made his upper body so much more attractive.
And she wouldn't get anywhere if she kept comparing Kellen to every other male in town.
"I'm sorry," she said. "All of our booths are full right now. Do you want to wait?"
"No, I'm starving. I'll take the first table available." He flashed her a sweet smile that should have stopped her heart, but her instincts told her she was being watched and that killed the effect. Sure enough, across the dining room stood Kellen, near the door to the sun deck. He kept still, saying nothing, his face carved in stone.
To cover her confusion, she checked the seating chart and grabbed a menu. "Follow me, please."
"I'm new around here." The guy pulled out a chair from the table she had chosen for him. "What do folks do on a Saturday night?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm new too." She handed him the menu and gave him what she hoped was a professional smile. Hopefully, he wasn’t the type of guy who would pursue the Saturday night question any further. "Today's specials are the Winterbourne ribeye with two sides and the barbecue chicken sandwich with one side." She prioritized the ribeye because it looked like something this guy would want. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Do you have a local IPA?"
"We do."
"I’ll have that."
Samara noted it on her pad relaxing a bit. "I'll be right back to take your order."
"And a date?"
That stopped her cold. "What?"
He shrugged his well-muscled shoulders. "I'm new, you're new. Maybe we could explore the town together?"
"I'm sorry, but I just started this job and I..." Can't stop thinking about my boss. "... have a lot of unpacking to do."
As far as responses go, that one was pretty lame, but it was the best she could think of under the circumstances.
"No problem." He smiled at her again, but this time with muted interest.
It was time to retreat, but only to get his drink. Kellen was behind the bar by this point waiting for her.
"I have an order for the IPA." She kept her eyes on the bar top.
Kellen reached for the glass and started to fill it. "Is he giving you a hard time?"
Oh, hell's bells. The last thing she needed was for the boss to think she was flirting with her first solo customer. She had to be honest though, because wolf shifters had a keen sense of smell and he would know if she lied. He more than likely already knew she’d lied about her name.
"He's new in town and asked me for a date. I said no."
Kellen slid the filled glass toward her. "If he keeps it up, you get me. If I'm not here, get George."
Samara nodded, picked up the glass and took it over to the guy, who didn't give her a second look. She prayed he wouldn't press her about the date.
He didn't, thank heavens. Without any drama he ordered the ribeye, well done, with mashed potatoes, which she jotted down before returning to the kitchen to hook the page on the order wheel.
