Becca opened her mouth to say exactly that, but she was too late. He hurried out of the bar to save his leather-clad cat, leaving his neon halo behind.
Chapter 4
Becca
Week one as a waitress had gone swimmingly. Becca had tucked away a tidy number of tips, kept her stress level low, and got a front row seat to some kick-ass bands. Yeah, she had to keep track of her section during those times, but that wasn’t a big deal. She wasn’t talking anyone down from any of life’s ledges.
Responsibility level, point-five. Stress level, two. Totally within normal vacation limits.
She nibbled at her lipstick, hurrying back to the bar with a fresh slew of orders from her section. She made it a point not to look where Linx sat alone in a booth, listening to the music, and nursing a ginger ale in a beer bottle.
Linx had shaved. She’d dug the scruff last week, but the smooth skin left by a razor worked just as well. It made her itch to touch the smooth planes of his cheeks before the scruff returned.
He, uh…hadn’t called her.
He didn’t have her number, so that wasn’t a total shock.Brekhad her number though. He could’ve gotten her information from Brek. Or Linx could’ve askedheragain. He visited the bar often, which was pretty ace. He didn’t get his flirt on with her again, which was not. Even when she’d checked in with him about his cat. The cat was fine, just a menace to Linx’s sanity.
She dropped the orders with Brek, grabbed her tray, squared her shoulders, and marched her sneakered feet to Linx’s booth.
She stuffed her notepad into the black waist-apron. Brek didn’t have much of a dress code other than a Brek’s Bar t-shirt. The apron was optional, and he didn’t care if they wore jeans or yoga pants or shorts. She went with yoga pants most nights, since the boss didn’t care, and she figured it was more vacation chic than anything else. Since it was winter, shorts were definitely out.
“You know, if you’re going to hang out here, you should eventually order something,” she said to Linx.
“Fries?” he asked, like it was a question and not an order.
“Do you want fries?” Becca asked, not reaching for the notepad because she was certain he didn’t really want fries and was just ordering them so she’d let him stick around.
“No, I don’t want fries.” Linx shook his head. He’d pulled his hair back into a low man-bun that should’ve been ridiculous, but somehow managed to be ridiculouslyhot.
“You want to just hang out and listen to the band?” Becca tilted her head toward where the band was setting up.
It was the same band from last weekend when she’d hopped on stage and Linx had joined her.
He leaned forward, elbows on the table, his gaze focused on hers with laser precision.
She squirmed.
A day of clientele barely noticing her made this encounter feel like it was the first time a man had ever given her a once over. She felt his look all the way to the center of her bones, deep down in the marrow.
Which made her want to run.
“How about you let me hang out here without ordering anything tonight, and you stop by every so often to say hello?” he asked once he had her good and melty.
Brek and his abundant muscles moved to stand beside Becca. Hm. This was new. Ever since Becca began working at the bar, Brek rarely left his drink-slinging post. Only a couple of times had he even interacted with patrons at the tables. And now, all of the sudden—
“How about you get your ass up and help me behind the bar?” Brek jerked his thumb toward the bar in question.
“I’m here to entertain Becca.” Linx leaned back, sprawling across the booth. “Becca’s bored.”
This was not true. Even if it were, Linx and his broody musician schtick would not keep her entertained. At all.
“I brought a band in for that.” Brek indicated the stage where they set up an amp. “Earn your keep. I’ll show you what to do.”
Linx rat-a-tat tapped out a beat on the table before nodding, sliding out from the booth, and dropping a hundred-dollar bill to cover his tab. Since he’d only ordered a ginger ale in a Coors bottle, that meant Becca netted a decent amount for her first hour of work. She snagged the bill and headed toward the register.
Unfortunately, this meant that she moved in the same direction as Brek and Linx.
“You and Becca are going to be a team tonight. She’ll help you out. She knows her shit.” Brek tossed a waist apron and a Brek’s Bar tee at Linx. “You’ll need this.”
