She wasn’t sure how long she sat there like that before she pulled herself together, wiped her eyes, and got back to work. She tried to push thoughts of Remy, their argument, and her subsequent breakdown from her mind so she could focus on what she needed to do to get the VIP Lounge ready when the club opened later in the day.
Kylie was hard at work behind the bar when Emelise made an appearance in the VIP Lounge.
“Hey, Kylie. I’m surprised you’re still here. I thought, for sure, Remy would talk you into taking a break.”
Kylie tensed at Emelise’s words, but she took a deep breath and let it out before she turned and gave her friend, and boss, a forced smile. “He stopped by but I had things I needed to do so I told him to leave.”
“Kylie, I’m worried about you. You went through something traumatic and I don’t think you’re giving yourself time to work through it properly. I’m worried how it’s going to affect you in the long run,” Eme replied. “I still think you should speak to someone about what happened.”
“I’m fine, Emelise. Nothing to worry about.” There was no way in hell she was talking to some stranger about what Ezra did. She couldn’t even tell the people who were close to her. She was too ashamed. So, she pushed it down and ignored it as if it didn’t happen. If she ignored it long enough, maybe she would stop having nightmares.
She pushed the thoughts down and turned her attention to what she’d been doing when Emelise approached her. “I am glad you’re here though. I found a discrepancy in the amount of Johnny Walker Rye we have and how much was supposed to be delivered. We’re short three bottles.”
“That’s the third time this month. Thanks for telling me. I’ll have to figure out if it’s happening on their end or ours.”
“Don’t mention it. I hope it’s not anyone on our end of things.”
“That makes two of us.”
Kylie felt Emelise’s eyes on her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Have you eaten yet?”
“No. I’m not hungry. I’ll eat something later.” She wished everyone would just leave her alone.
“I’m going to hold you to that, girl,” Eme told her. “I’ll be in my office if I’m needed.”
Kylie just nodded and watched her go. They had a couple of hours before the club opened and she just wanted the time to fly by so she wouldn’t have to think about anything.
Remy
Was he a glutton for punishment? Maybe he was. After Kylie summarily dismissed him earlier, he’d gone to his office to try to get some work done. He had a lot to still do for the drawings for the hotel and he needed something to show them in a week, but his mind kept going back to his mate. Something was going on with her. The hostility she’d shown wasn’t like her, at all. After trying, for the fifth time, to get a section of the drawing he was working on perfect, and failing, he sighed and admitted defeat. He knew there was no way he was going to be able to focus until he talked to her and sorted out what had set her off earlier.
With a sigh, he put the plans he was working on away, locked up the office, and headed back to Scarlet Flux. Along the way, he passed a vendor selling flowers and a splash of dark blue caught his eye. It reminded him of the hint of ink he’d seen on Kylie during the picnic. He quickly found a parking spot two blocks up and made his way back to her. “Dese are gorgeous; what are dey?”
“Those are midnight orchids,” the vendor replied.
“I’ll take all of dem.”
“All? Are you sure you want all three dozen?”
“Yes. All of dem. All tree dozen.” He didn’t care what the cost was. They made him think of his mate. He waited while the vendor got them wrapped for him, then handed her the cash, took the bouquets, and went back to his truck. He set them on the floor on the passenger side, then continued on his way to Scarlet Flux.
Sometimes, Remy really hated the city. Tonight was one of those nights. He’d hoped to find a spot closer to the club but he ended up having to park three blocks away. He made sure the truck was secure, then turned his attention to the club. He could tell from half a block away that it was packed. He knew Emelise had to be riding high on her success.
Once inside, he maneuvered toward the stairs leading to the VIP Lounge. As he was passing Emelise, he just barely heard the server mention Kylie’s name and moved closer to the pair.
“She’s really struggling up there tonight, Emelise. Kylie is usually the bomb when it comes to mixed drinks, but she’s had to remake several already. I don’t know what’s wrong with her.”
Remy locked eyes with Emelise and nodded. “I’ll take care of dis,” he said loud enough for Emelise to hear him before he made his way up to the VIP Lounge.
Kylie
This day had turned into the day from hell. She should have known when she woke up, feeling like she’d not gotten any sleep, that it wasn’t going to get any better. Work was the one place she usually didn’t have to worry about her past haunting her. She was usually able to push it all away and focus. But not tonight. She’d messed up several drink orders already and they’d not even been open an hour. How much worse was it going to get?
Kylie set a glass on the counter in front of a customer and started to move away. She was stopped when he took a sip of his drink, then reached out and grabbed her wrist.
“Hey, what the fuck is this? I ordered a whiskey sour; this sure as fuck doesn’t taste like one to me.”
