Eve sucked in a visible breath, and when Josie dragged her gaze back to Eve’s face, her cheeks were an adorable shade of pink. “I love your hair.”
Josie lifted a hand reflexively, touching her newly lavender locks, the same shade as Dragonfly’s logo. “Yeah?”
Eve nodded. “This is how it looked the first time I ever saw you, in that video about bottle-feeding kittens.”
“I change it up a lot, but this felt right tonight, you know?”
“Very on-brand.” Eve’s gaze lingered on her a moment longer before she turned to scan the room. “Your friends aren’t exactly subtle,” she said with a frown.
“Nope,” Josie agreed with a laugh. Adam and Kaia stood at a table in back, talking to a member of the crew and shooting delighted glances in Eve and Josie’s direction.
“Tell them to knock it off, would you?” Eve said, tapping one hand against the bar before she walked off, hips swaying inside that dress, and what had she just said? Josie’s whole brain had just gone up in smoke.
“You have got it so bad for her,” Adam announced, reappearing magically at her side.
“I know.” She gave her head a slight shake. “But I’ve got to get a grip, because we open in…” She glanced at the clock above the door and gulped. “Thirty minutes.”
“That’s right,” he agreed. “Time to get serious.”
“Yes.” She braced her palms against the bar. “Okay. You stay here and go over that drink menu one more time. Make sure you know where everything is. I think we can expect to sell a lot of the new signature drinks tonight. I’m heading up to check on Elizabeth before we open.”
“Got it,” Adam said, turning to study the recipe chart on the counter behind the bar.
She ducked around him and headed up to the rooftop. It was a clear evening, just cool enough to warrant a light jacket, perfect weather for their grand opening. The rooftop, as Eve had envisioned, had been set with twinkling strands of white lights, with larger lamps around the perimeter of the space to provide sufficient lighting for their customers.
High-topped tables were scattered across the patio, and the bar was freshly painted and fully stocked, with her brand-new bartender Elizabeth standing behind it, texting on her phone. Elizabeth’s short-cropped black hair and full-sleeve tattoos gave her an edgy vibe, offset by her wide smile and the laugh lines around her eyes.
“You all set?” Josie asked.
Elizabeth nodded. Unlike Adam, she had extensive bartending experience. “Ready to rock and roll.”
“You’ve got your recipe sheet?”
Elizabeth pointed to it, taped to the backside of the bar where only she could see it.
“Great,” Josie told her, eyeing the camera crew already milling around the patio area. “Just text me if you need me, okay? And I’ll come check on you when I can.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got everything under control,” Elizabeth said, lifting her right hand to bump her knuckles against Josie’s.
“I’m not worried about you,” Josie said, relieved that it was true. “Okay, I’ve got to get back downstairs before the doors open. See you in a bit.” With a wave, she headed for the stairs, nearly colliding with Eve in the doorway. “Hey.”
“You should be downstairs,” Eve said, looking over Josie’s shoulder, scanning the rooftop. “People are lining up outside. We’re about to open the doors.”
Josie gulped. “People are lining up?”
She nodded. “You’ve got a good crowd building.”
They’re here for the cameras, Josie reminded herself. It wasn’t going to be like this tomorrow night. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Good.” Eve turned to follow her downstairs.
They were quiet as they went down the back stairwell. Josie could feel herself hyperventilating again. This was by far the biggest moment in her professional life. When she’d taken over Swanson’s after her father’s death, it had been a quiet transition. No cameras. No fanfare. No crowd waiting outside the front door. Just a few tears and the support of her friends. Those last two things would likely repeat tonight. She was almost certain to cry at some point, and Adam and Kaia would be there to dry her eyes, just like they had two years ago.
She paused at the bottom of the stairs, drawing in a shaky breath. She’d almost forgotten Eve was behind her until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s going to be fine,” Eve said.
Josie felt herself nodding, but her throat was too tight to respond.
