She made her way over to the bar. The bartender said “What can I get you beautiful?”
“An application please.”
“Let me go find the boss to see if we’re still hiring. I’ll be right back.”
He flashed another killer smile and came out from behind the bar, making his way down a short hallway.
She hid a sigh and wondered if she should leave. Maybe I’ll just call my parents she thought, brushing her dark hair back over her shoulder, and beg them for money yet again. She had a feeling they’d had enough of her asking for loans though, especially since she hadn’t been able to pay them back everything that she’d borrowed the last time, when Fuller had lost his job yet again.
The bartender returned. With him was the most gorgeous man she thought she’d ever seen. He was tall with shoulder length blonde hair. His t-shirt was tight and with the way it molded to his chest, she could see that his muscles were perfectly defined. He had a black band tattooed around both of his biceps and the most beautiful pair of baby blue eyes she thought she’d ever seen.
He smiled at her. “I’m Gabe. You’re looking for a job?”
She almost decided to give up on her vow to stay away from men until she noticed the gold wedding band on his ring finger. Damn, Robyn thought, why do all the good ones have to be married?
She cleared her throat, suddenly wishing for a cigarette. She’d quit smoking as soon as she found out about the baby, but boy did a cigarette sound good right about now she thought. The way Gabe was looking at her told her that he didn’t care about the wedding ring on his finger. “Yes. I bartended for about six months where I used to live if that helps.”
“Wonderful. Why don’t you come back to the office with me and we’ll get the application process out of the way?”
He gestured for her to follow him down the hallway. She got up and followed him. There were bathrooms on either side of the hall and a door at the end of the hallway that had a sign on it that read ‘Boss Man.’
He saw her looking at the sign. “An ex-employee bought it for me. Everyone seems to think it’s funny, so I kept it up.”
She nodded and followed him into the office. She was nervous when he shut the door behind them, wondering if maybe Gabe had more in mind for her than hiring her. She glanced at the pictures on his desk. One was of a gorgeous woman with flaming red hair, bright green eyes and multiple tattoos. The other was of a little boy and girl. They both had dark hair, the boy appearing to be around nine or ten and the girl a few years younger, maybe five or six Robyn thought.
Gabe reached into his desk and pulled out a single paged application, sliding it and a pen across the desk to her. She filled it out quickly and handed it back to him. When he took it, she was sure that he let his fingers linger on hers extra-long on purpose.
He barely glanced at the application before sliding it back into his desk drawer. “It would be part-time at first. You would be working Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. We close at midnight on Monday through Thursday and one a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Are you willing to start tomorrow?”
“Yes. I really need the money.”
“I’ll start you out at $10 an hour with a raise possible every six months after. The raise will be substantial if I’m pleased with your work.”
Why did she suddenly wonder if he was talking about her bartending skills, Robyn thought?
“You’ll also have your tips of course. They should be quite good for a woman as beautiful as you Robyn. Wednesday you’ll be working with Eric, the guy who’s bartending right now. Friday you’ll work with Neal, and Saturday you’ll work with Kasia. All of the other bartenders are very friendly and I’m sure you’ll fit in quite well. Welcome to the team Robyn.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome to have a drink on the house if you’d like.”
“I can’t.” Then she blurted out “I’m pregnant.”
She wondered if he’d change his mind about hiring her. She hadn’t been planning on telling him about the baby right away.
“I see. Congratulations. Did you say something about needing money?”
She looked at him, wondering if that was his way of telling her that he’d pay her to sleep with him. She’d heard rumors about other girls that had worked there before. How Gabe bought them things as long as they were willing to do whatever he wanted in bed. She had never really believed it. Until now, because of the way he was looking at her.
“Well, um, my rent is due. I have to pay it in the next three days or I’m going to get kicked out. If you could give me an advance on my paycheck that would really help. I’ll get it back to you, I promise. I’ll work extra hours.”
Gabe shook his head. “I take very good care of my employees. Think of it as a hiring bonus. Is there anything else you need? Have you seen a doctor?”
“Once at the free clinic. I’m waiting to see if they approved me for Medicaid.”
“That covers so little. I’ll make sure that you have health insurance.”
“I can’t really afford to pay for it. My boyfriend just left me and I don’t have anything for the baby yet. I’m not due for another six months, but time goes so fast. I‘m sure my baby will be here before I know it.”
“Don’t worry about anything Robyn. I’ll take care of everything.” He reached across the desk and squeezed her hand. “Anything you need Robyn, and I mean anything, don’t hesitate to come to me for it.”
“Thanks.”
“How much is your rent?”
“Five fifty. It’s normally only five hundred, but they charged us, well, now just me I guess, a late fee last month that we couldn’t pay.”
“Your boyfriend left you while you’re pregnant with his child?”
“Yeah. He was outta there as soon as I told him.”
“Some men. If I was the father of your child, I’d never leave you.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Am I making you uncomfortable Robyn?”
“No. I mean yes, kind of. I’ve heard some things around town.”
Gabe laughed. “Small towns and their rumors. I don’t expect anything in return from my employees when I choose to help them out, other than reliability. I was lucky enough to marry into a very wealthy family. I’ve been able to take some of my wife’s wealth and put it into some very profitable ventures of my own. I have the means to help people out and I do. I happen to have a soft spot for vulnerable women. You seem very vulnerable right now Robyn.”
Gabe was starting to make her extremely uncomfortable. She had a feeling that he was picturing her without her clothes on. She’d been trying to forget his comment about being the father of her child, but he was making it very hard.
“I don’t like to think of myself as vulnerable Gabe. Yeah, my boyfriend left me, but I’m going to be a good mother to my baby, even if I have to do it all myself.”
“Of course you will.”
He turned to the safe that was in the corner of his office and spun the lock to open it. He pulled out a thick wad of cash and put it into an envelope that he took out of his desk drawer. “That should cover your rent and get you through until payday. Are you sure there’s not anything else you need Robyn?”
“I’m fine, really.”
“I didn’t see you get out of a car when you got here. Do you need one?”
Robyn wondered how he had seen her when he’d been in the windowless office, but then she figured that she had stood outside of the bar for so long that he could have been out front when she’d first arrived. “My car’s broken down. It’s at the shop, waiting for work to be done on it. I borrowed some money from my parents to cover the labor, but I didn’t have enough to pay for the parts.”
‘I’ll take you to pay for it right now. Then I’ll take you out to dinner. How does that sound?”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea Gabe. You’re married, what will people think if they see us out together at a restaurant?”
Gabe laughed. “I st
opped caring what people in this town thought about me about two days after we moved here. The only reason we live here is because my wife insisted that our son and now our daughter, go to specific schools that are in this area. I also very much like the fact that it’s hundreds of miles away from my in laws, but that’s not the point. You need transportation Robyn. The weather is going to get colder soon. I also don’t like the idea of you working at night and walking home. Intoxicated men sometimes try to take advantage of women, especially those as beautiful as you.”
Robyn suddenly wished that men didn’t find her so attractive. She was 5’7 and slim, with long dark hair that trailed to her waist and hazel eyes that were usually closer to green.
“I think I can handle myself around most men. I took a self-defense class. I don’t know about letting you do all of this for me Gabe. I feel bad enough that I borrowed so much money from my parents as it is. I don’t really want to take anything else, especially since I know I probably won’t be able to pay it back for a long time. I’m really excited about the baby, but there’s just so much to do. I want to be ready. And that includes getting a lot of expensive stuff. I don’t mind used stuff for myself. Most of my clothes and stuff come from the thrift store, but there are always so many recalls on older stuff for kids. I want my baby to be safe.”
“You sound like you’re going to be a wonderful mother Robyn. I’ll help you with anything that you need. I won’t ask for anything in return other than you coming to work when you’re scheduled to, I promise. I like to help people. It makes me feel good.”
“Okay, I guess. Thank you.”
“You’re more than welcome Robyn. Come on. I’ll take you to meet Eric and then we’ll go and get your car taken care of.”
“Okay.”
She was still a little leery as she followed him out of the office and down the hallway. With all the rumors that went around about him, she couldn’t imagine him honestly not expecting anything from her. Then again she thought, in small towns’ rumors always ran rampant. Gabe was gorgeous and she was sure that there were probably plenty of women that wanted to sleep with him. It didn’t mean that they really had, she thought, wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt.
When they reached the bar, Gabe motioned for Eric to come over. “Eric, this is your new coworker Robyn. She’ll be working with you tomorrow night. Behave yourself.”
Eric grinned. “You know I always behave myself boss. Neal’s the one you’re going to have to worry about. I don’t think that guy’s been laid in years.”
“I would assume that that’s his choice Eric. I do believe that he’s got more female admirers than even you do.”
“Nah. I’ll be good boss, I promise.” But he winked at Robyn and she had a feeling that he didn’t mean it.
Gabe sighed as he opened the door of the bar for her. “If he gives you any trouble, tell me right away. Normally, he saves his advances for the customers because it means he gets better tips, but he has been known to hit on a coworker now and then. Kasia refuses to work with him.”
Great Robyn thought, if she didn’t have to worry about her boss trying to get down her pants, she was going to have to worry about a fellow bartender trying to get down them. “I will. About this Neal guy. . .” She didn’t know how to ask what she wanted to ask.
“Oh, about what Eric said about thinking Neal hasn’t had sex in a very long time. Neal is one of my most valued employees. He’s just not your typical bartender. When he engages customers in conversations, they are normally very serious. That doesn’t happen often, though. Usually, he just listens. If the bar is dead, lonely or troubled customers will talk to Neal for hours. Women love him, my own wife has even commented on how attractive he is in fact, but no one has ever seen him with a woman. Some think it’s because he’s gay, others think it’s because he’s waiting for the right woman and doesn’t believe he’ll meet her working at a bar. Don’t worry about it. Neal is very easy to work with and you won’t have to worry about him sticking you to clean up by yourself if he’s got a hot date. Eric has been known to do that, too. Please let me know if he does that to you, Robyn. I am tempted to fire him every other day for his antics it seems, but since I hired him business has only gotten better.”
“I see.”
“You and Kasia should get along well. She’s a no nonsense girl. Beautiful, very smart, and a very dedicated mother of three children.”
“Okay.”
“Your car is at Richardson’s?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, we’ll make that our first stop then.”
“Okay.”
She followed him to a maroon SUV with license plates that read ‘It’s Mine’. She almost laughed, because it seemed so out of character for Gabe, who seemed very serious to her, but she kept it to herself.
He saw her looking at the plates. “My wife bought them. I sent her for standard plates and she came home with these and manages to get the same ones every time I get a new truck.”
“Oh.”
He pushed the button to unlock the doors and opened the passenger side door for her.
Once he was behind the wheel, he put the key in the ignition but didn’t start the truck. He turned to her and said “Would you allow me to take you shopping after dinner Robyn?”
“I’d really rather you didn’t do that Gabe. I should be able to save plenty of money for baby stuff now that I’m working again.”
“Just this once, please Robyn. We’ll pay for the repairs on your car and then we’ll go out to dinner wherever you want. Then I would greatly appreciate it if you would allow me to take you shopping for anything that you might need for the baby and yourself. I promise I will leave you alone after that unless you request my assistance.”
Robyn hid a sigh. She knew that kids were expensive. Her older sister had six and even though her husband made very good money, Elza still complained sometimes that they never seemed to have enough money. Jericho refused to let her work. Robyn thought that it would probably be easier if he did, but she understood his reservations because they had a son with type 1 diabetes and a daughter that had epilepsy. She wasn’t sure if she could trust anyone completely with a healthy child, let alone one that had a health condition.
But, she thought to herself, she was going to have to since Fuller had taken off on her. Her baby was going to be stuck in daycare like so many other kids. She knew that if she was still working at the bar when the baby was born, she’d have to switch to the day shift too. The town’s only daycare only stayed open until nine o’clock at night.
There was so much to worry about she thought, and it would be so much easier if she had a good man beside her. She cursed herself for what seemed like the millionth time for letting herself get drawn in by Fuller’s charm. It hadn’t hurt that he was built, drove a really nice car and was incredible in bed either, she added to herself.
Would it hurt to let Gabe help her out she wondered? If he really didn’t expect her to sleep with him, she suddenly didn’t think so. If she didn’t have to buy so much for the baby, she might be able to pay her parents back.
Realizing that she’d been lost in her own thoughts for too long and that Gabe was still waiting for her to answer, she said “Thank you. I really appreciate you helping me out so much Gabe.”
“Wonderful. Let’s go.”
He started the truck and drove out of the parking lot. The drive to the auto shop was short. Gabe took her hand and helped her out of the car. She felt a little tingle at the touch of his skin and felt herself blushing. But he seemed oblivious and let go of her hand. He held the door open for her and then followed her into the crowded and dirty interior of the shop.
The mechanic that had blatantly hit on her when she had told him that she didn’t have the rest of the money to pay for her car approached them. He gave her a look that made her remember the things he’d said she could do to him to ‘work off’ the money and then turned to Gabe.
“Hey Atkins. How can I
help you?”
“Robyn has a car here. I want to pay whatever it is that she owes so that you can start work on it right away.”
“That damned thing’s been finished halfway to forever. She didn’t have the money to cover the labor. Hang on, let me look it up and see exactly what it is that she owes.”
He gestured for them to go ahead of him back to the counter. Robyn had a feeling it was so that he could check out her ass, but she was too happy to be getting her car back to care.
He rifled through some papers on the desk and then came up with a receipt. “She covered most of the cost of the parts. The total due is $375.”
“Wait,” Robyn said. “When I came here last time you said that it was $325.”
The mechanic shrugged. “Mighta added wrong. Who knows? My wife is always sayin’ I ain’t the sharpest pencil in the box.”
Gabe put his hand on her arm. “It’s fine Robyn. You’ll just know better than to bring your car back here if you have any problems in the future.”
Gabe pulled out his wallet and counted out the money. The mechanic gave him his change and then turned and pulled Robyn’s car keys off of a peg board behind him on the wall. “There ya go beautiful. Hey, I heard that asshole Fuller dumped you. What an idiot.”
Robyn sighed. “Yeah. Thank you.”
“No problem honey. Never a problem to help out a girl that looks like you.” He winked at her. “Your car’s out back.”
“Okay.” Robyn turned and followed Gabe outside.
Gabe shook his head. “What a pig.”
Robyn hid a smile. “Yes. He made some rather inappropriate comments when I told him I didn’t have the rest of the money to pay for the car too.”
“I can imagine that you’ve heard inappropriate comments from lowly men since you were a teenager Robyn. Where would you like to dine?”
Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set Page 58
