Both of them had visited the bar back when her dad still owned it, although they hadn’t become regulars until after his death. At first, they’d come to offer moral support to Josie, and over time, it had become their regular hangout, along with lots of their mutual friends.
Josie blinked, resisting the urge to rub her eyes. TheDo Overteam had sent over hair and makeup people to get her camera ready, and the false lashes they’d applied were heavy and itchy, but if they looked half as good on her as they looked on Eve…
Right now, Eve stood near the door, deep in conversation with a member of the film crew. She had on an emerald-green blouse, neatly tucked into a black pencil skirt with sky-high black heels. Her hair was swept into a neat knot on the back of her head, accentuating the graceful curve of her neck.
And Josie was one hundred percent smitten, even if she did want to strangle Eve half the time. She didn’t always like her, but she couldn’t seem to stop wanting to kiss her. Then there was that moment earlier, when she’d walked in on Eve alone in the bar, looking like she was about to cry. There had been something heartbreakingly raw and vulnerable about her, although it was long gone by the time Josie finished filming her vlog with the kittens.
Whatever it was, Josie hated that being in her bar was so painful for Eve, both emotionally and physically, because she’d noticed Eve rubbing her lower back between takes. Surely, those stilettos weren’t helping, but it was hardly Josie’s place to judge. Here she was, working herself to the bone for this place that had been her dad’s passion, not hers.
Josie had always loved Swanson’s. She’d grown up here. It was home. But she’d never wanted to own it. She’d never imagined spending her life behind the bar, serving drinks while her YouTube channel and her animal rescue faded into nonexistence. Someday, Swanson’s would be successful enough that she could hire a full staff to run the day-to-day operations so she could get back to doing what she loved.
Someday.
In the meantime, she let herself get lost for a minute watching Eve. A shaft of light fell across her face, illuminating the red sheen of her lips and the chocolate depths of her eyes. She turned to speak to another member of the crew, and Josie’s gaze dropped to her ass.
“Someone’s got it bad for the pretty television host,” Kaia whispered in her ear.
Josie grinned, glancing over at her friend. “No clue what you’re talking about.”
“No?” Kaia followed her gaze. “Can’t say I blame you. She’s hot with a capital ‘h.’”
Josie gave her a sharp look.
Kaia lifted her hands with a laugh. “Don’t worry. She’s all yours. Actually, I had a really hot date the other night, and I’m seeing her again tomorrow.”
“Really? Why am I just hearing about this now?” Josie focused on her friend as Kaia told her all about her date. From there, she moved down the bar to pour drinks for a couple who’d just come in. It was unusually busy for a Tuesday night, and everyone was gawking at the cameras. Obviously, word about the taping had gotten out.
Josie tried not to notice them filming her as she worked, but it seemed like every time she looked up, those red lights were aimed in her direction. It was nerve-racking. Around nine, the film crew left, apparently having gotten all the footage they needed.
Eve settled herself at the far end of the bar, typing busily on her phone. She’d been upstairs several times to check on the kittens, reminding Josie of the softness that lurked beneath her steely exterior, although…maybe it was better if she forgot.
Once she’d taken care of her customers, she made her way down to Eve. She looked up from her phone, flawless and poised, anddamn, her camera-ready makeup was really next level. Her eyes locked on Josie’s, a hunger gleaming there that rivaled the one Josie felt burning inside herself. And Eve’s brown eyes narrowed, heat recognizing heat.
If Josie had had any questions about Eve’s sexuality, they were gone now. She’d already had her suspicions, deepened after she searched Eve online and found not so much as a whisper about her ever having been seen in public with a man. That, and a certain way she looked at Josie sometimes that made her wonder…
Eve’s tongue darted out to wet her lips, and a warm flush crept over Josie’s skin, spreading heat through her belly. God, how was she supposed to work with her for the next few weeks without kissing her?
“What’s a woman have to do to get a beer around here?” Eve said, breaking the loaded silence between them, eyes never leaving Josie’s.
“A beer?” she repeated stupidly. Somehow, she’d internalized Kaia’s words, assuming Eve was a recovering alcoholic, but was she wrong? Or was Eve so affected by whatever had happened earlier, she was about to fall off the wagon? “I thought…the way you reacted to bars…”
Eve’s delicately shaped eyebrows arched as she realized what Josie was trying to say. “My reasons for disliking bars are just that…mine.”
“Right.” Of course, Eve wouldn’t give her an inch, even now. “A beer, then?”
“Whatever you have on tap. Something light, a pilsner or an amber ale.”
“Got it.” Josie moved down the bar to pour her a pilsner from a local brewery she had on tap. “White Horse pilsner. It’s one of my favorites,” she said as she set it in front of Eve. “I try to keep as many local breweries on tap as possible.”
“That’s good to know,” Eve said, a thoughtful look on her face that had everything to do withDo Overand nothing to do with Josie herself.
“Be right back,” Josie told her before moving down the bar to check on her customers. She poured more beer, a couple of shots, and mixed a whiskey sour for one of the women who’d come in earlier to gawk at the camera crew. Kaia and Adam caught her eye and waved, heading for the door.
By the time she made it back to Eve, the beer was half gone, and Eve was looking a lot more relaxed, elbows on the bar as she looked at something on her phone.
“Are you hungry?” Josie asked. They had been rushing around since the camera crew arrived at six without pausing for dinner, and it was now approaching ten.
“Mm,” Eve said, lifting her beer for another sip. “I’ll stop for something on the way home.” She paused, frowning. “Except I’ll have the kittens.”
