I unlock my phone, thumb hovering over the Kindle app, desperate for something to distract me before I start pacing. Just as I pull up the book?—
“Sorry to keep you w?—”
My eyes snap up. We freeze. My stomach drops.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I blurt out.
Nick’s eyes narrow. “What are you doing here?”
I scoff. “What do you mean, what am I doing here? I’m here for a job interview.”
He tilts his head, blinking like he didn’t just walk out of my nightmares. “You’re the girl?”
“You’re the manager?” I throw the same incredulous tone back at him.
He flashes that arrogant smirk. “How ya doing, princess?”
Oh hell no. This cannot be happening. “No. No, no, no.” I shove up from the booth so fast my knee bangs the table. “Absolutely not.”
“I take it you had no idea.”
That smug tone in his voice makes my blood simmer.
“No,” I snap, spinning to face him. “Abigail told me the manager’s name was Bianca. Not you.”
He shrugs. “Technically, I’m the one in charge. But my mom, Bianca, handles the back-end hiring. She’s got final say.”
I stop mid-step, eyes narrowing. “Wait—your mom works here? And I thought you were in the Army?”
“I am. Well, not active duty anymore.” He leans against the booth casually, arms crossed like this is just some casual catch-up and not the most awkward job interview of my life. “I was gonnare-enlist. Do another five years. But things changed. Cooking’s always been the dream. So… here I am.”
My mouth opens, then closes. I fold my arms, bracing myself for the headache this is going to be. “And why would you hire me? You hate me. And don’t act like you think I’m cut out for this job. I mean, even a monkey could do it.”
Nick’s smirk grows sharper. “No, you’re definitely not cut out for the job. And no, a monkey couldn’t do it. It’s harder than it looks.”
“Then why even offer?”
He straightens, walking toward me slowly. Too slowly. Like a lion sizing up a meal. “Because Colt asked me to. And Colt’s engaged to Abigail. And since Abigail’s friends with you, that makes us…” He lifts his brows. “Well, not friends. But you get the idea.”
“Unbelievable.” I tighten my arms across my chest, knuckles white.
“Look, princess,” he says, voice low, stepping in just close enough that I catch the sharp chill of wintermint on his breath. “Makes no difference to me if you walk that pretty ass out of here or not.”
My eyes narrow. “What’s in it for you? No one just does favors. What—do I have to sleep with you or something?”
He chuckles. “Again, with the sex.” He leans in, just a hair. “And no. But if you’re offering, I won’t decline.”
“I’m serious.”
“Me too.”
I throw my hands in the air, spinning away from him before saying something I’ll regret. “God, you are such a dick.”
“I don’t know what your deal is,” he says, tone suddenly more grounded, “but not all men are scum. All I need is someone who can get a liquor license. If you don’t want to serve alcohol, fine. But that’s where the tips are. Everything else? Up to you.”
His voice is close again—too close—and I don’t just hear the words, I feel them this time. They vibrate down my spine.
“What’s it gonna be, princess?”
