“You’re missing out. They’re fantastic.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he said, “because I’m never setting foot in a spa.”
She grinned. “Whatever, tough guy.”
They were leaning in close now, so close she could see the honeyed flecks in his chocolate eyes, so close that the rest of the bar had melted away from her awareness. “Stand up,” he said, his voice gone low and husky.
“Why?”
“I need to get a better look at that dress. Still trying to figure out what you’ve got on underneath it.” His gaze dipped lower.
She stood, smoothing the front of her green dress, and did a little twirl for him before sliding back onto her stool. “So what’s your guess?”
He leaned on his elbows, his voice low enough that only she could hear. “Yes, you’re wearing panties, but I bet they’re something really sexy.”
She frowned at him. “How in the world can you tell that? Do you have x-ray vision?”
He grinned widely. “No, but that skirt doesn’t even hit your knees, and it twirls a lot. No way the Emma I know would risk flashing this whole joint.”
“You win.” She leaned forward. “But if you’d like me to wear it for you somewhere more private, I’d be happy to.”
“Definitely taking you up on that another time when I’m not working. Hang on a sec.” He sauntered off down the bar, checking on the other patrons.
She watched as he turned his flirty bartender smile on every woman at the bar. Funny, tonight it didn’t bother her a bit because now she could tell the difference. That was his professional smile, flirtatious but without any heat or intent behind it. Nothing like the way he looked at her, like it was all he could do not to get her naked every time he laid eyes on her.
While Ryan chatted up another couple, Emma glanced over her shoulder to check on Jessica. She spotted Jess and her date at a table against the back wall. They had beers in front of them and some kind of appetizer—wings, maybe?—on the table between them. Things looked like they were going well. They appeared to be deep in conversation, and Jessica was smiling.
Ruben’s knee bounced rapidly beneath the table, but it was kind of sweet that he was nervous. He wasn’t hot in a Ryan Blake kind of way, but he wasn’t bad looking by any means. And let’s face it, Ryan had heartbreak written all over him, while Ruben looked like the kind of solid guy who wouldn’t bolt at the first mention of the L word.
Emma took another swallow of her beer and watched Ryan as he poured drinks. He mixed a margarita, served a couple of beers, and laughed at several jokes that probably weren’t nearly as funny as his reaction. But it worked. She saw the tips people were leaving for him. The women all wanted to do him, and the men wanted to be him. He had a win-win going on with the customers.
“Bet you’ll miss this when Off-the-Grid really gets on its feet,” she said when he’d finally made his way back over to her.
“Hadn’t bartended in years. Forgot how much I enjoy it.”
“You’re good at it.” She swirled her beer and took another swallow.
“But to answer your question, nah, I won’t miss it when the time comes to quit.”
“No?”
He wiped down the counter as he talked. “No. Off-the-Grid’s where it’s at for me now. The potential to grow is endless, and I get to work with Ethan and Mark.”
“You three really are close,” she said.
“Like brothers.”
She envied him that a little bit. She had lots of friends, but none as close as he, Ethan, and Mark were. “You guys are really lucky to have each other.”
“Don’t I know it.” His eyes narrowed. “What about you? You still keep in touch with the Mackenzies?”
“Yes, but it’s more like saying hello when I bump into them places and sending a card at Christmas.” Emma had lived with the Mackenzies for three years, but they’d made no real effort to keep in touch after she turned eighteen. They’d never treated her like family. So Emma hid behind her smile and let them slip quietly from her life.
Actually, she’d done that a lot since losing her mom and Derek. She had plenty of friends, but nobestfriend…not until Gabby came along anyway. She was always surrounded by people, and yet somehow she still felt incredibly lonely.
“What about their daughter?” Ryan asked. “You guys used to be close. What was her name?”
“Clara. We grew apart, I guess. We’re still friendly, but we don’t really hang out.” And a big part of that had been when Clara hooked up with Ryan right after graduation.
