Sarah looked at her for a moment. “Are you nervous right now?”
The question caught Lizzie off guard. “What?”
“You’ve been tearing your napkin into pieces since we sat down.”
Lizzie looked down. A small mountain of white paper had piled up by her glass. “Oh.”
“So are you?”
“Maybe.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re my boss and we’re at a bar and I don’t really know what this is.” Lizzie met her eyes. “What are we doing?”
Sarah grinned and took a gulp, white foam clung to her lip which she licked off in a way that made Lizzie swallow hard. “Scouting locations for a bar crawl.”
“Right. Of course.”
But something in the way Sarah looked at her suggested maybe it was more than that. Or maybe Lizzie was seeing what she wanted to see.
They finished their beers and headed back out. The street was more crowded now, the night getting later. Sarah led them down a narrow alley to rickety wooden stairs.
“Ruby’s is up here. Watch your step. These stairs are a lawsuit waiting to happen. Make sure you tell the spring breakers that too.”
Lizzie started climbing. Her foot slipped on the third step and she stumbled forward.
Sarah’s hand caught her waist instantly. “Careful.”
The touch sent heat through Lizzie’s entire body. Sarah’s hand was warm and firm, her fingers pressing into Lizzie’s side.
“Thanks,” Lizzie managed.
Sarah kept her hand there as they climbed, like she was ready to catch Lizzie if she fell again. At the top, her hand lingered for just a second before she pulled away.
The bar was small and loud, packed with people. The bartender had a handlebar mustache and sleeve tattoos.
“There’s this drink that’s been trending,” Lizzie said, pulling out her phone. “It’s called a Sunset Flip. Can you make it?”
She showed him the video. He grinned. “Yeah, I got you. What about you?” He looked at Sarah.
“I’ll try one too.”
They found a spot by the window overlooking the side street they’d come through. Duval Street was nearby, cars hoking and people shouting.
“This place is good for the crawl,” Sarah said. “Small enough groups don’t get lost.”
“You’ve done a lot of these?”
“Too many.” Sarah leaned against the windowsill. “Now last year though, Chrisla did it then but she’s my main front desk clerk now.”
The drinks arrived, purple and pink gradient.
Lizzie took a sip. The drink was sweet and strong. “This is really good.”
“Better than Guinness?”
“Way better.”
