by R. E. Butler
“Can’t help it.” She touched her cheek and smiled.
“Jack and Vaughn are sticking around for tonight, even though I explained we only needed them for the weekend shifts. They offered to work for free.”
Ivy glanced at the bar, where Vaughn was leaning on the counter and talking to Jack, whose gaze was riveted on her. “Why?” she whispered.
“Well, I’m not sure about Vaughn, but Jack said he didn’t want to go anywhere until he had a chance to talk to you again.” She paused for a moment and then said, “He’s handsome.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “Jack’s not handsome – he’s gorgeous on a thousand different levels. But Vaughn is handsome. Don’t you think so?”
“Hello, I’m the owner.”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t date employees.”
“To be fair, we’ve never had any male employees worth dating before.”
Holly shook her head. “This is a sexual harassment lawsuit just waiting to happen.”
Ivy leaned forward and smiled, whispering, “Vaughn hasn’t taken his eyes off you.”
Holly’s whole body stiffened and her cheeks turned scarlet, which made Ivy want to cackle in glee. “I think it’s okay for us to be happy, you know.”
“Not at the expense of our dreams.” Holly straightened, and the mask of indifference that Ivy had witnessed her sister putting on over the years came back with a vengeance. This was a woman who didn’t need a man for any reason, not even sexy times. Holly had a mission, and that was to make the bar a success. No one would get in the way of that dream coming true.
“Your dream.”
Holly blinked. “What?”
“My dream isn’t this,” Ivy said, gesturing to the bar.
“It was at one time.”
“As a stepping stone, sure. To help you out, yeah. But not forever. I’m here all the time, Holly, and it’s sucking my creativity and happiness away. I want to help you with your dream, but maybe not at the expense of mine.”
“You just figured out the lyrics to the song you’ve been noodling with forever,” Holly pointed out, hands on her hips and an unhappy gleam in her eyes.
“Because I was suddenly inspired.” Ivy looked away from her sister and found Jack staring at her, one brow cocked and a smile curving the edge of his very kissable lips.
“So, I’m holding you back?”
Ivy looked at her sister, even though every fiber of her being demanded she stare at Jack as much as possible. Sexy man. Incredible kisser.
“I don’t want to fight. I just want you to know that maybe it’s time for me to get back to work on my dream. It’s been pushed aside for a long time.”
“Far be it from me to stand in the way of your dreams, sis. Do what you want. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“Holly,” she said, protesting as her sister turned on her heels and strode to the counter.
Without looking at Ivy, Holly said loudly, “I’ll be in the office, trying to figure out how to make my dream happen. Turn on the recorded music and leave if you want. I wouldn’t want to hold you back.”
Ivy stared after her sister as she walked angrily through the bar. Her heart dropped as she realized she’d inadvertently hurt her sister’s feelings by blaming her.
Jack and Vaughn walked up to the stage.
“Everything okay?” Jack asked.
“No. I messed up.”
“How?”
“I told her I wanted to focus on myself instead of the bar.”
“She got angry about that?” Vaughn asked, glancing at Ivy for only a moment before looking at the hall where Holly had disappeared.
“Of course she did. I basically blamed her for my situation, and it’s not her fault. She asked me to help and I said yes. I could’ve said no.”
Jack arched a brow. “I don’t think you could’ve.”
“Know me so well already, do you?”
He chuckled. “Not as well as I’d like to, but yeah. You’re all about family, even at the expense of yourself. I said I’d help you, and I will.”
“How?”
He opened his mouth just as the door swung open and a small group of people walked in.
“We’ll talk later,” he said as he and Vaughn hustled to their places.
Holly came out of the office a short while later and opened the kitchen, taking drink and food orders and expertly ignoring Ivy as she sang and played. It hurt Ivy’s heart to be the reason for the rift between them, but she wasn’t sure how to fix it. The reality was that Ivy hadn’t expected to still be working at the bar, at least not in the capacity she was. Playing every now and then? Sure. But several nights a week, and at the expense of teaching and writing? Not even remotely.
After finishing a set at midnight, Ivy walked off the stage and headed to the kitchen. The deep fryer was crackling with whatever was being fried, and the air was saturated with the heavy scent of oil. Holly lifted the basket and peered at the fried mushrooms, then set them back in the oil.
“I’m sorry,” Ivy said.
Holly sighed but said nothing, concentrating on the mushrooms until they were perfectly browned and ready to be served. After placing a basket of fries into the oil, she turned to face Ivy.
“No, I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to be here all the time, and I can’t really express how much I appreciate your help, even when it’s getting in the way of what you thought you’d be doing at this point in your life. I wish I could fix everything. I wish I could tell you that I don’t need you, but you know I do. It kills me that I can’t run this place without you. Makes me feel like a bad sister.”
Ivy hugged her hard. “You’re not a bad sister.”
“Yeah, I am. I sank all my savings into the renovation, and now I’m struggling to pay bills. I thought things would be better by now, but they’re not. I really wanted that remodel so we could draw in customers.”
“We can still do that, but it’ll just take longer. You need to stop beating yourself up about the money. I thought he was a stand-up guy, too, but he wasn’t.” Ivy gave Holly’s shoulders a gentle squeeze. “Go to the office, shut the door, and take the rest of the night to figure out your plan for the next three months. And I mean a real plan, not just hoping things get better but what we can do to get things back on track.”
“Seriously? You expect me to set up a business plan in one night?”
“Yes. It’s better than not having a plan at all. When I first started the band, I set up a planner with my big and small goals for us. My big goal was a music contract, but in order to get to that big goal, I had to get the band gigs, and the easiest way to do that was to leverage the Internet and social media. We can do the same thing with the bar, you just have to actually make a plan.”
“Why three months?”
“You have to start somewhere.”
“When did you get so smart?”
“Well, I failed at the band thing, but I have experience backing me up.”
“Hey! You didn’t fail – you were betrayed.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about them. I want to talk about the bar. Let’s get things back on track, okay? Then I can figure out how to get myself back to rights, too. You first, then me.”
Holly smiled sadly. “That’s not fair.”
“Maybe, maybe not. It’s what I want, though.”
“And also a certain bouncer?” Holly’s brow arched so high it disappeared into her hairline.
Ivy’s cheeks heated as she gave her sister a friendly shove. “For the record, he kissed me.”
“From where I was standing, it appeared that you were kissing him back.”
“Well, yeah. He’s gorgeous, and… I don’t know… there’s just something about him.” Ivy mused on it for a moment, replaying the kiss in her mind. She felt addicted to him already. The idea of getting close to a guy again, which had been the furthest thing from her mind before Jack walked into the bar, now appealed to her. She wondered if this was what love at first si
ght felt like – if that was a real thing.
How else could she explain the attraction?
“Just be careful,” Holly said. “I don’t want to have to find another bouncer.”
“What about Vaughn?”
“What about him?”
“I think he likes you, too.”
Her eyes went wide, and then she scoffed. “I don’t have time for a relationship. Maybe once the bar’s back on track, I’ll think about it.”
“Think about him.”
“Ugh, you’re so annoying. I’m your boss. I’m ordering you to forget about my love life.”
Ivy couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re worth the hassle. Maybe Vaughn is the right guy for you, and maybe not. But if there’s a chance that he might be, don’t push him aside just because he doesn’t fit into your plan to make the bar a success.”
“I haven’t made my plan yet.”
“Well, be sure to include some snuggle time. I think it’s why you’ve been so bitchy.”
“Hey!”
Ivy put up her hands and took a few steps back, grinning at her sister. “You know it’s true.”
Holly turned and lifted the fries from the deep fryer. “Get back to work, slacker. And no more kissing the staff.”
“Come on!”
Holly cut a glance at her with a grin. “Not during business hours.”
“That’s better. I’ll deliver the appetizers. You go lock yourself in the office and don’t come out until you have the first quarter’s plan ready to go.”
“Now who’s being bitchy?”
Ivy pointed her thumbs at herself. “This girl. Get moving.”
Holly walked toward the door and stopped, looking over her shoulder. “Thanks.”
“That’s what sisters are for.”
“I got lucky in that department.”
“Me, too.”
Chapter 6
To Jack’s surprise, Holly disappeared soon after the bar opened and Ivy took over, attending to the tables and helping Vaughn with drinks. Although it was a weeknight, there were quite a few people in the bar, up until last call.
Jack held open the door for a group of females who were giggling and leaning on each other.
“You ladies need a cab?” he asked.
“I’m the designated driver,” one of them said. She was the only one not giggling.
“Good for you. Have a nice night.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey,” one of the ladies called out as she stumbled by. She grasped his shirt in her fist. “You wanna come home with us?”
He gently extracted her hand from his shirt and gave her a dismissive smile. “Thanks, but I’m taken.”
“Aw, we won’t tell. I’m super good at keeping secrets.”
“Well, I’d know, and I’m not the sort of male to cheat. Have a nice night.”
He stepped back into the bar and shut the door.
“Are you?” Ivy asked.
He turned and found her looking at him curiously. He inhaled briefly, taking in her honey-sweet scent.
“Am I what?”
“Taken.”
He froze for a moment, wondering what he should say. She was human, after all. What would she think if he told her that he’d decided the moment he stepped into the bar that she was his whole future wrapped in a devastatingly gorgeous package?
He looked at the bar, which was empty now save for three males finishing their drinks. Vaughn was wiping down the counter, and Holly was still in the office.
He stepped close to Ivy and looked down at her, wrapping a lock of her silky hair around his fingers, and rubbing his thumb over the glossy strands. “Tell me our kiss didn’t rock your world.”
She snorted, and it somehow managed to look both elegant and adorable. “You think a lot about yourself there, conceited.”
With a chuckle, he tugged gently on her hair. “You kissed me back, sweetheart.”
“I was just being polite.”
“Liar,” he murmured, dropping his head to the crux of her neck and kissing it. She inhaled shakily, and the scent of her arousal spiked in the air. She smelled amazing, so feminine and sweet. He wanted to know if she tasted as good as she smelled; he’d bet a million dollars that she did, like love and sweet dreams.
“Holly said we shouldn’t kiss during work hours.” Her voice was raspy and so sexy it would’ve brought him to his knees if they’d been somewhere private.
“You talked about me?” He ran his tongue along her pulse and then nipped at the skin, straightening and grinning at the unfocused gaze in her beautiful eyes.
“I had to. You’re very inappropriate. Groping me in public like that, and in front of my family.”
He loved her banter and the way her eyes glittered with humor. “What happens when the work night is over?”
“We can talk.”
“Is ‘talk’ code for kissing?”
“You wish.”
Very much so.
He looked over her head to the bar, where Vaughn settled the remaining customers’ tabs.
Ivy turned from him, but he grasped her hand and stopped her. “Where are you going?”
“Kitchen.”
“I’ll join you as soon as I lock up.”
She nodded and he let go of her hand, watching as she wove through the tables and walked through the kitchen door. He held open the door for the customers as they left, then turned off the Open sign and slid the deadbolt to lock the door.
“How do we clean up?” he asked Vaughn as he leaned on the counter.
“Collect the dishes, wipe down the tables, and then turn the chairs over onto the tabletops to vacuum.” Vaughn handed Jack an empty dish tub and a wet rag.
Jack looked at the rag and smiled. “I never thought I’d be happy to be cleaning.”
“Yeah, me either.”
“Where did Holly go?”
“Ivy sent her to work on a business plan for the first quarter. Wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“I want to help Ivy with her music, but I have no idea how to make that happen.”
“What’s she want?”
“To have a studio where she can record music and teach.”
Vaughn’s eyes went wide. “Man, I know exactly the place she could do that.”
So did Jack. In NPC. “For Holly, too. There’s a bar just waiting for someone who really wants to run it to take over instead of just being assigned to the task.”
“It’s funny, isn’t it? It always seems like opportunities for fated mates in NPC are just waiting for them at the right moment.”
“If we can convince them to leave. First we have to share our truths with them.”
“Yeah, and how the hell will we do that?”
“I don’t know, but I firmly believe that everything will happen in the right time. We just have to be patient.”
“Says the guy who’s already kissed his female.”
“Jealous much?”
“Yes!” Vaughn threw up his hands with a laugh. “But I’m happy for you, too.”
Jack turned from the bar and got to work clearing the tables. He was happy for himself, too. The question was how to go from kissing and teasing to claiming her as his fated mate and sharing the truth of his shifting nature with her. It would be so much easier if he could just shift and show her what he was, instead of keeping such a very big part of himself from her. But for the safety of their entire city, he had to do just that, and trust that he’d know when the time was right to share his shifts with her.
He hoped she was an animal lover.
* * *
Jack carried the tub of dirty dishes to the kitchen and found Ivy loading another tub into the dishwasher. “Thanks,” she said.
“Vaughn’s running the vacuum. Is there anything to do to the stage before close?”
“Nope.” She looked up from the dishes. “Did you clean the bar?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because
it needed to be done.”
“And you just felt like cleaning?” Her brow arched.
“Well, no,” he said with a laugh. “Does anyone ever just feel like cleaning? What I wanted to do was help you and Holly. That’s why Vaughn and I are here.”
“To help?”
He rocked on his heels. “Well, I’m also hoping that cleaning up the bar will ensure you’re not too tired for a chat once you’re finished in the kitchen.”
Her eyes darkened to deep navy. “Did you?”
He hummed but said nothing.
“I’ll be ten minutes. But I need to check on Holly before we can talk.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
He kissed her cheek and walked out, finding Vaughn had finished vacuuming and was putting the machine away.
“I’m going to talk to Holly,” Vaughn said. “You can take the truck and I’ll transport later.”
“I’ve got plans to talk to Ivy when she’s done in the kitchen.”
“Sounds like we’re both of the same mind.” Vaughn grinned.
“Sure does.”
“See you back at the apartment.” Vaughn headed to the office.
Jack waited in the bar, and true to her word, Ivy joined him ten minutes later, saying, “Holly and Vaughn are talking in the office, so I just sent her a text to say you were going to walk me home.”
“I heard you told Holly to make a business plan. What prompted that?” They grabbed their coats, and he unlocked the deadbolt and opened the front door for her.
“You.”
His beasts sat up in curiosity. “Oh?”
She walked out of the bar in front of him and he pulled the door shut, watching as she locked the deadbolt and then turned to face him. “You said you’d help me with my dream of owning my own studio. I realized I couldn’t rightly work on my own stuff until Holly was back on her feet financially. It’s not like I can just pack up tomorrow and leave her hanging. You know what her problem is?”
“No, what?”
She offered him her hand and he took it, walking with her as she led him around the side of the building to a set of stairs that went up to a landing and another door. The steps creaked as they walked up them, the snow and icicles falling to the ground as they moved.
