ringing with excitement.
“Now who’s the pervert? Trust me; it’s something you’ll like.” He arched a brow as he raised his glass. “Have I piqued your curiosity?”
“A little. I mean, you are from away. What can you show me that I haven’t seen?”
“Something small but special.”
“Are you trying to butter me up so I don’t make you clean glasses for eight hours?”
“I’m just trying to get you excited,” he said, then lowered his voice as he leaned in. “Not that I’ve had too much trouble with that in the past.”
“ Stop. ”
She turned quickly away from him. Francie had entered the dining room and looked her way. She’d gotten up the ass of other waitresses for flirting with patrons, and Rory expected her sister would love an opportunity to tear a strip off of her for getting too cozy with the boss’s boy.
Noah’s laughter danced around her. “If you tell me to stop, I’m just going to keep doing it. I’ll keep doing it anyway. I love watching you blush.”
“I’m not blushing.”
“So that’s not a blush but a wicked sunburn?”
She whirled around, unable to stop her giggling. “You need to finish up your beer and take off. You’re going to get me into trouble.”
“It would never happen. Your sister may be a robot, but my father owns this place.”
She shushed him as Tom returned with an order for four Coronas. She went to the fridge and collected the drinks, and quirked an eyebrow at Noah as she popped the tops. “You’re lucky you’re only working the bar for one night. Otherwise we’d punk you.”
“How would you do that?”
She delved into the fridge beneath her and grabbed some fresh lime wedges. “Whenever someone new comes to the bar, we convince them that they have to fish the limes out of the beer bottles at the end of their shifts. We tell them we can’t recycle the bottles with the lime in them, and that it’s one of the most important parts of their job because the recycling depot will fine us if we send them bottles with gnarly old limes floating around-- and they can’t break the bottles to get them.”
“Are you telling me people are dumb enough to fall for that?”
“I was, only I got tricky. I’d pour the Corona out into a glass and keep the bottle here at the bar. I had a customer sitting right where you are and he asked me why I was doing it, and so I told him. He started laughing and told me that it doesn’t matter, the lime is pulverized when the glass is melted down anyway.”
“And yet you’re mean enough to do it to anyone else who starts working with you?”
“Of course. It’s a rite of passage.”
“I’m sorry I’m going to miss the public humiliation. You’ll have to come up with something else.” Noah drained his glass, slid a twenty on the bar, and narrowed his eyes at her. “Do not give me shit for leaving you a big tip.”
“Am I saying anything?” She spotted Tom on his way back for his drinks, and quickly added, “See you tonight?”
“You know where I am.”
Tom glanced at Noah as he headed into the lobby. “Is it true he’s going to be working with Francie this week?”
“Probably not. I think Francie was mistaken about the details.”
Tom pulled his drink tray closer and gave her a crooked smile. “Is it true you and that one are a couple now?”
If Noah could see her now, he’d probably be back to making fun of her for blushing.
“We’re just friends,” she said, but wondered what Noah would have told someone if they asked him the same question.
“Sure you are.”
“Look, if you didn’t want my answer, why did you ask?”
He tittered and scooted away with his order.
“Bloody nosy people,” she murmured, taking Noah’s discarded glass to toss it in the dishwasher. She nearly tripped when she saw her sister standing at the other end of the bar with a poisonous look on her face.
“ Friends ?” she sneered. “Is that why Noah Hyland tore a strip off of me earlier?”
“No,
“Now who’s the pervert? Trust me; it’s something you’ll like.” He arched a brow as he raised his glass. “Have I piqued your curiosity?”
“A little. I mean, you are from away. What can you show me that I haven’t seen?”
“Something small but special.”
“Are you trying to butter me up so I don’t make you clean glasses for eight hours?”
“I’m just trying to get you excited,” he said, then lowered his voice as he leaned in. “Not that I’ve had too much trouble with that in the past.”
“ Stop. ”
She turned quickly away from him. Francie had entered the dining room and looked her way. She’d gotten up the ass of other waitresses for flirting with patrons, and Rory expected her sister would love an opportunity to tear a strip off of her for getting too cozy with the boss’s boy.
Noah’s laughter danced around her. “If you tell me to stop, I’m just going to keep doing it. I’ll keep doing it anyway. I love watching you blush.”
“I’m not blushing.”
“So that’s not a blush but a wicked sunburn?”
She whirled around, unable to stop her giggling. “You need to finish up your beer and take off. You’re going to get me into trouble.”
“It would never happen. Your sister may be a robot, but my father owns this place.”
She shushed him as Tom returned with an order for four Coronas. She went to the fridge and collected the drinks, and quirked an eyebrow at Noah as she popped the tops. “You’re lucky you’re only working the bar for one night. Otherwise we’d punk you.”
“How would you do that?”
She delved into the fridge beneath her and grabbed some fresh lime wedges. “Whenever someone new comes to the bar, we convince them that they have to fish the limes out of the beer bottles at the end of their shifts. We tell them we can’t recycle the bottles with the lime in them, and that it’s one of the most important parts of their job because the recycling depot will fine us if we send them bottles with gnarly old limes floating around-- and they can’t break the bottles to get them.”
“Are you telling me people are dumb enough to fall for that?”
“I was, only I got tricky. I’d pour the Corona out into a glass and keep the bottle here at the bar. I had a customer sitting right where you are and he asked me why I was doing it, and so I told him. He started laughing and told me that it doesn’t matter, the lime is pulverized when the glass is melted down anyway.”
“And yet you’re mean enough to do it to anyone else who starts working with you?”
“Of course. It’s a rite of passage.”
“I’m sorry I’m going to miss the public humiliation. You’ll have to come up with something else.” Noah drained his glass, slid a twenty on the bar, and narrowed his eyes at her. “Do not give me shit for leaving you a big tip.”
“Am I saying anything?” She spotted Tom on his way back for his drinks, and quickly added, “See you tonight?”
“You know where I am.”
Tom glanced at Noah as he headed into the lobby. “Is it true he’s going to be working with Francie this week?”
“Probably not. I think Francie was mistaken about the details.”
Tom pulled his drink tray closer and gave her a crooked smile. “Is it true you and that one are a couple now?”
If Noah could see her now, he’d probably be back to making fun of her for blushing.
“We’re just friends,” she said, but wondered what Noah would have told someone if they asked him the same question.
“Sure you are.”
“Look, if you didn’t want my answer, why did you ask?”
He tittered and scooted away with his order.
“Bloody nosy people,” she murmured, taking Noah’s discarded glass to toss it in the dishwasher. She nearly tripped when she saw her sister standing at the other end of the bar with a poisonous look on her face.
“ Friends ?” she sneered. “Is that why Noah Hyland tore a strip off of me earlier?”
“No,
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