“And you are?” he prompts.
“New,” I reply with a wink and step around him, heading for the library entrance on the other side.
“Hold on, now,” Jed calls as he races to catch up to me. “You didn’t tell me your name.”
“Why does it matter what my name is? And don’t give me a creepy answer, please,” I demand with an eye roll.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He stops with me outside the Mystic River Library doors. “Is this where you work?”
“Sometimes,” I respond.
He jokingly sighs. “Do you ever give a straight answer?”
I shrug. “That depends.”
“Well, at least I’ll know where to find yousometimes.” He tilts his head toward the library and turns on his heel, walking back the way we came.
“And why would you need to find me later?” I shout after him.
He turns to answer as he walks backward. “So I can ask you out on a date.”
I smile again. “Raven!”
He stops in his path. “What?”
“My name is Raven.” I don’t wait for his response as I open the door and head inside to finish my shift.
Mystic River has a cancer, and I plan to eradicate it, but I just might enjoy myself while I’m here.
CHAPTER SEVEN
RAVEN
Leaving Noah with someone else for the first time since I got him back was not as easy as I thought it would be. I may trust Kat, but there is something about walking away from your child that stabs you in the heart. I have a feeling that will never go away.
I put on a simple plum-colored tank top, Chucks, and a pair of cutoff denim shorts for tonight’s work uniform. The shorts cover my ass, but with legs like mine, these shorts could be Daisy Dukes.
Oh well. That’s my lot in life.
If worse comes to worst, I’ll pull out the self-defense moves Dahlia taught me. Pierce beat her bloody when he found out she did that. Anthony was ready to put her in the ground, but Pierce stepped in and reminded him that she was worth more alive than dead.
Parking toward the back of the lot to leave room for customers, I stroll across the gravel. When I came by to fill out paperwork the other day, Griffin asked that I get here before the rush starts.
Entering The Wandering Raven, I’m met with the same dismal ambience. A couple of tables are occupied, and again, Benny sits at the bar with a drink in hand.
Griffin gets a mischievous look in his eye when he spots me, dragging his gaze up my exposed legs and across my barely there cleavage. “How’s it goin’, Raven?”
“Good. Ready to get started,” I tell him enthusiastically while hiding the butterflies swarming my stomach. This is my second first day, and it doesn’t help that my boss is hotter than any man I’ve ever seen.
His smile is wide. “Perfect. Come on back here,” he instructs.
I round the bar to the far corner and come up next to Griffin. Being in his proximity makes my brain go all fuzzy. Standing this close to him rids me of the earlier butterflies and causes an overwhelming need to roll through me. When he turns his back on me, my eyes wander south.
Hot damn. He fills his jeans perfectly.
I’ve been with plenty of men. Ninety-nine percent of them were not by choice. But I’d definitely choose Griffin to ram me into the headboard.
“Know how to make a drink?” He turns around, raising a brow, and I know I’ve been caught.
