Sage snapped his fingers and whispered something, making sparks explode in the air around his hand.“You said cocktails for everyone?”
“Gimlets.”Lilo pulled a notebook and pen from the front pocket of his apron and handed both to Theo.“There.Your bartender’s notebook.The most important notebook in your entire career behind this hallowed counter.”
Theo looked from the five people eagerly smiling at him—and very encouragingly, in Will’s case—to Lilo.
“You know I’m just here part time?”
Lilo put both hands on his hips.“What the fuck do I care?I have standards, and I take this job seriously.I’ll train you as best as I can, just like Celeste is going to train Sparkly over there as best as she can.”He pointed at Cloudtree.
“My name is—”
“Not the point, Sparkly.”He tapped the notebook.“Open.And start taking notes.You lot better show him how unimpressed you are with your drinks if he gets it wrong.”
“Oh, he won’t do that,” Will said.“Theo’s super smart.”
Sage pressed a kiss to Will’s cheek.“You’re smart, and you already filled more than one notebook with magic.”
Corvin clapped.“We’ll even drink the bad cocktails.Say, are you going to be handling drunk wedding guests too?”
Lilo shook his head.“Not my department, but don’t you have a Carl for that?”
Corvin nodded.“Fair point.”
Mike put an arm around Corvin’s shoulders.“If anyone has too much fun, I’ll sing to them.It’s going to be a wonderful wedding.”
Corvin nodded, his eyes all sparkly with…luuurve.
Theo opened his new notebook, picked up his pen, and wroteGimlet, then underlined it in a mostly straight line.He looked at Sage and Will, Corvin and Mike, even at Cloudtree.Something was missing there.Someone.
“Hey, I just have to make a quick call, guys, okay?”
Mike gave him an amused look.“That didn’t take very long.”
Theo retreated to a corner of the bar while Lilo busied himself opening little cans of salted nuts and putting them in little bowls for the guys.The call connected almost immediately.
“Theodore.”
“Yeah.Hi.I know you’re not supposed to hang out at the bar and all, but if you’re close—if you want to—I’m learning to make my first cocktail, and everyone’s here.So if you want to come too, it would be another chance to practice.”
“Ah.That makes sense.What will you be making?”
“Gimlet.”
“I could drink.Give me two minutes.”
“Two—” But Peter had hung up.The elevator chimed as it came up from the parking garage, and Theo’s jaw dropped when the doors opened and he saw Peter’s ice blue eyes and casual shirt without the tie, the two top buttons open.He frowned.“That wasn’t two minutes.”
Peter took slow, deliberate steps toward the bar, shooed Cloudtree one seat down, and settled in next to Mike.He smiled at Theo.
“I was in a hurry.”
“Luuurve,” Corvin said again.
Will had calmed down and was focused on sitting up straight and not making eye contact with Peter, and Sage had an arm around his back.Cloudtree still sparkled.Both Mike and Peter could’ve passed for actual clients.
“Sweet-assed gods, what a production this is,” Lilo said.
Corvin crunched down on a nut.“Hey, you got yourself a shift at a wedding out of it.I mean, only if you really want to.”
