“Oh.”I blinked and the haze disappeared.“Sorry. I don’t know what that was.”I turned back to face everyone. “What’re you doin’?”I asked, watching Sean mix a drink.
“Making myself a drink.”
I leaned across the bar to see what he was making. “Preakness manhattan?”
“You know that one?”a new voice asked. An older man behind the bar was watching me.
“Yup! I know all the recipes.” I started pointing to bottles and listing cocktail ingredients, showing off for funsies.
“Do you wanna work here?”the man asked, coming to stand beside Sean.
“Really?” I glanced at Sean,wondering who he is and if they know each other.
“This is my boss, Richard. He owns the bar.”
“Oh! In that case, I’m Emy.”I grinned and shook Richard’s hand.
“I’d like to hire you, if you’re interested? We could use a woman’s presence around here. You’d bring in more customers. And money.”
“Sure! That sounds like a fun adventure. But do you have an ugly dress code? Like hideous uniforms or anything? Because if I have to dress gross, I’m out.”
“Emy!” Arismacked my leg, but Richard only laughed.
“The guys don’t have one, so I don’t see why you should. Dress however you want, as long as it’s reasonable. You’ll need shoes with a strong grip for safety, but other than that, the clothes are up to you. I would prefer mostly black.”
“Perfect, it’s all I own!”I clapped my hands.“So I’m hired?”
“You have my word.” He shook my hand a second time. “Can you start Thursday?We’ll settle paperwork and Sean can train you.”
“Thursday is fine. Thank you!”I beamed and did a happy dance.
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you Thursday, then. Same shift as Sean.”
With that, he walked away, disappearing through the staff door. What a random fun thing to happen to Emy the Great!
“I guess you’re our new coworker starting Thursday.”Sean grinned the second Richard was gone.“I’m pretty sure the other guys are gonna love you.”
“How many are there?”I asked.
“Us three,”Nate gestured to himself and Sean, then the back room where Richard was.“Plus three other guys. All vamps. You’ll probably meet them all by Thursday or Friday.”
“This is so perfect!” I spun, then slammed my hands on the counter to stop the momentum. “I’ve always wanted to be a bartender.”
“You have?” Ari’s voice was skeptical.
“Yeah! I always talk about it, remember? It’s like my dream job.”
“You’ve never mentioned it,” she said. “Ever. Your only goal is fancy stripping in Vegas.That’swhat you’ve always talked about.”
“Mm.” I scrunched my nose. That doesn’t sound right. “No, bartending has always been my goal. You probably forgot. Anyway, working with all vampires will be awesome!”
“You’re lucky he didn’t check your criminal record,‘cause that would be no new job for you.”She laughed as I propped an arm on the bar.
“I know, right? That would’ve been horrible.”
“What all is on there?”Sean asked. “I’m curious.”
“Go ahead,”Ariencouraged,“tell them. Go in order so they can see how long and ridiculous the list is.”
