quitting.”
Rory was counting down the minutes to her sister’s exit when Noah strolled into the lounge. He grinned as Rory began pouring the same beer he’d ordered the evening before.
“You were right. Forty-five minutes sitting on the waterfront. It would have been longer, but I just told everyone we were taking a more scenic route and drove halfway across town to get on the open road. I took them all the way up the river and doubled back.”
“I don’t think you’re actually supposed to do that.”
“The passengers loved it. It beat sitting in gridlock listening to a jackhammer.” He straightened up and puffed out his chest. “What do you think? Sexy, or what?”
He was in uniform, a blue polo shirt with the hotel logo and black shorts. He definitely looked sexy with his tanned arms on display, and the color of the shirt brought out his eyes.
“I think you’d probably look good in anything.”
“Thank you,” he took a sip of his beer, and Rory’s stomach flopped as his bright eyes turned naughty and swept down her torso. She knew that he was thinking about her stripped down as she had been the night before. He said nothing, though, instead folding his arms in front of him and wriggling his eyebrows. “So one more night and I’m at your mercy.”
“Yeah, about that, you might want to have a chat with my sister. She seems to think you’re shadowing her.”
“She can think what she wants. Dad says he wants me at the bar.”
“I tried to tell her that but …” Rory shrugged.
“Is she still here?”
“Out on the patio, the last time I saw her.”
He pushed the beer towards her. “Hold onto that for me, would you? I’m setting her straight.”
Rory would have loved to have seen Francie “set straight.” Hell, she could have rounded up the entire kitchen and dining room staff and sold tickets. She discreetly watched through the wall of windows as Noah slipped out onto the waterfront deck and tapped Francie on the shoulder. They moved aside, out of earshot of the diners, and it was clear Francie was trying to reason with him to get her way. Noah clearly lost patience and raised his hands in the air, then spun on his heel.
“That woman did not just tell me my father was ‘mistaken.’ Did you see her face? As soon as she said it, you could see she had forgotten who she was talking to.”
“So, are you working with me or not?”
“Hell, yeah, I’m working with you. I told her if she had a problem with it, take it up with my father.”
Rory nearly burst with the need to smile. She swallowed it and placed his drink back in front of him. He caught her wrist before she could pull away, and giddiness zinged through her body like a pinball.
“I have a confession to make. I really was supposed to be washing dishes, but after I met you, I campaigned hard to get behind the bar so I could spend time with you.”
“I don’t think you need to work at the bar if you want to spend time with me.”
“Me neither, but there’s also a part of me that finds bartending cool, like in that old Tom Cruise movie.”
“Let me set you straight right now,” Rory said, her smile escaping at last, “If you so much as think about tossing a bottle back here, I’ll get a wooden spoon from the kitchen to crack you on the knuckles with.”
“You crack me on the knuckles just once, I’ll bend you over my knee and give you a paddling.”
He didn’t laugh after he said it, and Rory got the impression that he was only half joking. She went breathless for a moment, then covered her face with her hands. “It’s going to be a long night with you back here.”
“You can’t wait. And I can’t wait to see you tonight. Do you work tomorrow morning?”
“I’d like to, but it’s my day off at Garden View and Francie won’t let me pull a double.”
“Then we can take that midnight drive? There’s something I want to show you.”
“I’ll bet,” she said with a snort, but every part of her was
Rory was counting down the minutes to her sister’s exit when Noah strolled into the lounge. He grinned as Rory began pouring the same beer he’d ordered the evening before.
“You were right. Forty-five minutes sitting on the waterfront. It would have been longer, but I just told everyone we were taking a more scenic route and drove halfway across town to get on the open road. I took them all the way up the river and doubled back.”
“I don’t think you’re actually supposed to do that.”
“The passengers loved it. It beat sitting in gridlock listening to a jackhammer.” He straightened up and puffed out his chest. “What do you think? Sexy, or what?”
He was in uniform, a blue polo shirt with the hotel logo and black shorts. He definitely looked sexy with his tanned arms on display, and the color of the shirt brought out his eyes.
“I think you’d probably look good in anything.”
“Thank you,” he took a sip of his beer, and Rory’s stomach flopped as his bright eyes turned naughty and swept down her torso. She knew that he was thinking about her stripped down as she had been the night before. He said nothing, though, instead folding his arms in front of him and wriggling his eyebrows. “So one more night and I’m at your mercy.”
“Yeah, about that, you might want to have a chat with my sister. She seems to think you’re shadowing her.”
“She can think what she wants. Dad says he wants me at the bar.”
“I tried to tell her that but …” Rory shrugged.
“Is she still here?”
“Out on the patio, the last time I saw her.”
He pushed the beer towards her. “Hold onto that for me, would you? I’m setting her straight.”
Rory would have loved to have seen Francie “set straight.” Hell, she could have rounded up the entire kitchen and dining room staff and sold tickets. She discreetly watched through the wall of windows as Noah slipped out onto the waterfront deck and tapped Francie on the shoulder. They moved aside, out of earshot of the diners, and it was clear Francie was trying to reason with him to get her way. Noah clearly lost patience and raised his hands in the air, then spun on his heel.
“That woman did not just tell me my father was ‘mistaken.’ Did you see her face? As soon as she said it, you could see she had forgotten who she was talking to.”
“So, are you working with me or not?”
“Hell, yeah, I’m working with you. I told her if she had a problem with it, take it up with my father.”
Rory nearly burst with the need to smile. She swallowed it and placed his drink back in front of him. He caught her wrist before she could pull away, and giddiness zinged through her body like a pinball.
“I have a confession to make. I really was supposed to be washing dishes, but after I met you, I campaigned hard to get behind the bar so I could spend time with you.”
“I don’t think you need to work at the bar if you want to spend time with me.”
“Me neither, but there’s also a part of me that finds bartending cool, like in that old Tom Cruise movie.”
“Let me set you straight right now,” Rory said, her smile escaping at last, “If you so much as think about tossing a bottle back here, I’ll get a wooden spoon from the kitchen to crack you on the knuckles with.”
“You crack me on the knuckles just once, I’ll bend you over my knee and give you a paddling.”
He didn’t laugh after he said it, and Rory got the impression that he was only half joking. She went breathless for a moment, then covered her face with her hands. “It’s going to be a long night with you back here.”
“You can’t wait. And I can’t wait to see you tonight. Do you work tomorrow morning?”
“I’d like to, but it’s my day off at Garden View and Francie won’t let me pull a double.”
“Then we can take that midnight drive? There’s something I want to show you.”
“I’ll bet,” she said with a snort, but every part of her was
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