Cardinal by Sara Mack Page B

reason my pulse starts to race. I mean, he looks
like sex on a stick, but I feel like I’ve been caught doing something wrong. I
was showboating a little. At least I was good at it and didn’t embarrass myself
in front of him for once.
    I offer him a small wave before I get back to
work. Instead of waving back, or even smiling, he pushes himself off the wall
and makes his way toward me. Now my heart wants to beat out of my chest. I
can’t tell if he looks angry or determined. Am I not supposed to be here?  Is
this why Felix wanted to know if Pete told him I was filling in?
    I busy my hands until he reaches me. When he
does, I look up and force a smile. “Hey.”
    His eyes bounce from my eyes to my lips and
back again. “Come with me. We need to talk.”

Chapter
Seven
    Nervous, I glance around the bar. “Now?  We’re
really busy. I can’t leave Gwen.” And I’d rather avoid you if you’re mad.
    Latson looks past me to see my coworker with
her hands full. He nods. “Fine. But you’re not leaving tonight until we talk.”
    I’ve never seen him this serious before. Hoping
to break the tension, I salute. “Yes, sir.”
    He almost cracks a smile before walking away.
    The rest of the night flies by. Riptide plays
until the bar closes, and I’m running the entire time. When the last of the
patrons are ushered out the front door, Gwen and I start cleaning up the bar
while the band breaks down their equipment.
    As I return from taking a trash bag to the
kitchen, Gwen surprises me by shouting, “Round up!” to no one in particular. Seconds
later Carter appears, followed by Felix. They take seats at the bar as my
brother wanders over, along with most of the other staff. Pete sits down in
front of me, and eventually Latson appears and joins a group opposite us. He glances
at me before one of the band members taps him on the shoulder to ask a question.
I give my brother a curious look. “What’s going on?”
    “End of the night tradition,” he says. “Time to
unwind before heading home.”
    I walk over to Gwen. “What do I do?”
    She hands me a stack of plastic cups. “Fill
these with ice water. Most people just want something wet while they talk.”
    I do as I’m told and place the cups on the bar
top. Carter takes one. “We didn’t get our shift drink.” He fake pouts.
    “We were too busy,” I say. “I don’t think
anyone got a break.”
    “Did you see this girl?” Gwen drapes her arm
over my shoulders. “She knows her stuff. I’d like to learn a few of her fancy
tricks.”
    “Tricks?” Felix gives me a sly smile. “What
kind of tricks?  Queridos sexy?”
    My brother elbows him. I laugh and clarify, “No,
no dirty tricks.”
    “Lemme guess,” my brother says. “You went all
Tom Cruise in Cocktail .”
    “Had to.” I grab a cup of water for myself. “I
needed to prove I knew my job.”
    “And that’s why I recruited you.” Pete smiles. “How’d
you do?”
    “You mean money-wise?” I think of the stack of
bills in my back pocket. “I’m impressed.” I know I made close to three hundred
dollars.
    “Good. Now you can’t be mad at me for asking you
to work during your vacation.”
    “True. But I can be mad at you for
telling Carter my nickname.” I stick my tongue out at him. “I’d be careful
while you sleep.”
    “Your nickname is cute,” Carter chimes in. Then,
he looks at Pete. “Frances though…”  He makes a face.
    Pete rolls his eyes, then asks for a draft. Gwen
gets it for him. As I sip my water, I look around the room. Everyone looks so comfortable;
no one is rushing to go home. People joke with each another; the valets talk
with the waitstaff who hangs out with the kitchen crew. No one appears excluded.
I always wondered why my brother never considered another line of work. Now I know.
Even though I’m an outsider, it feels like a big family here at Torque.
    Half an hour later, when Pete finishes his beer,
he asks, “You ready to go?”
    “Yeah.” It’s