“Yeah,” he smiles, and there’s no hostility in it. I feel like maybe he’s just happy, like I am, that things are going so well with the opening.
“I think we did a good thing here,” I tell him.
“Listen, speakeasies are always a bit of a gamble. Either you’re going to have a waitlist, or it’s going to be a dead zone. I think we’re on the upswing of that,” he says.
“I couldn’t agree more,” I tell him. “I think we’re going to need a drink to celebrate after the night is over.”
“Fuck it,” he says, patting me on the back. “I think we need a drink now to celebrate. I know just the girl who can help us out.”
We make our way over to the bar, greeting people as we go. Harper is buzzing around, and I have to force myself not to stare. But in her dark purple cocktail dress, she looks like a gem, and it’s a losing battle.
“Hey bartender, think we could get some service over here?” Jaylen says, and she shoots him a look that is the equivalent of flipping him off.
“I suppose I can help you out,” she says. “But the bar is full and we are on a wait, so you’re gonna to have to stand.”
“I don’t mind,” Jaylen says, greeting someone who is walking by. While he is distracted, I lean in towards Harper.
“I don’t mind either. The view is great from where I’m standing.”
She shoots me a look; it’s a less hostile one than she gave to her brother, and I wink. Then she blushes, and Jaylen’s attention turns back towards us.
“I would tell you two to get a room, but that’s obviously not going to happen,” he jokes, but as usual, his tone suggests otherwise. I can’t blame him. The idea of me and Harper together is still fresh, and he hasn’t fully accepted it.
I’m reminded of the conversation we still have to have. Part of me thinks it’s ridiculous that he thinks it’s even any of hisbusiness what we are or aren’t doing behind closed doors. After all, we are adults, even if he has a hard time seeing his sister that way. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to know. The less I knew the better, as long as she was happy.
But Jaylen is not me; he does care, and he doesn’t want Harper and me hooking up unless I put a ring on it. Which is why the conversation we are having post-party is going to be rough.
“Harper, you’ve been at it all night,” Bridget, one of the lead bartenders says. “We have two more people coming in about ten minutes. Why don’t you take a break?”
Harper looks the room over and checks out the glasses of the people sitting at the bar. Even if I wasn’t head over heels for her, I would hire her. Her people skills are very impressive.
“I could use a minute,” she admits. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a job where I’m on my feet all night.”
“Why don’t we get some air?” I ask her. She smiles and follows me down the hall. Jaylen is busy talking to one of our friends who owns a brewery down the street and doesn’t seem too bothered that Harper and I are walking off alone.
She sighs with a smile, and I slip my arm around her. “You look like you’re having a good time back there,” I say.
“I am. I’ve never had this much freedom at a bar before. Usually, I just make cheap margaritas and serve cans of Bud Light to old guys at a pool hall,” she jokes. At least I hope she’s joking. The idea of her working in a seedy bar at a beer hall makes my skin crawl.
“You belong here,” I tell her. “You’re amazing.”
“I mean, I could say the same about you,” she says. We come to a stop near the bathrooms and the stockroom. The hallway is dark with small mood lights hanging about every six feet. “This place is incredible, Ash. You should be proud. You and Jaylen.”
“I am,” I say with a contented sigh. “It’s turned out exactly the way I was hoping. Better than I would have dreamed, actually,” I take the liberty of stepping closer to her, hooking my arm around her, and pulling her against me. “A lot of things have turned out better than my dreams.”
Her face lights up, and we kiss. She moans into my mouth as her hands press against my chest, and I bring my hand up to her cheek.
“God, I want you,” she murmurs, and every nerve in my body lights on fire as if I am doused in whiskey and standing too close to a flame.
“You can’t say things like that,” I whisper in a raspy voice.
Harper smiles into my mouth. “No? Why not?”
“Because I will find a way to make it happen.”
The hallway fills with laughter and talking as a couple of people round the corner, heading for the bathrooms. I look around, grab her hand, and open the door to the stock room, I step inside and pull her in with me.
“Oh my God, you’re crazy,” she giggles, but I close the door and lock it. When I grab her, she lets out a small shriek. I kiss her, my hands roaming all over her body, over her curves and up under her dress.
