by Taylor Anne
The other woman sat in her chair, legs crossed, one foot swinging to the beat of the music.
“The bar is off limits to customers,” Colton said. He shook his head and, without another word, moved on to the swinging half door that led behind the bar. He expected to see dirty glasses in the sink. He was wrong. The woman had mixed the drinks and cleaned her mess in a matter of minutes. Impressive. And by the way the other woman was oohing and aahing over the drink, it must taste good.
The only evidence left behind was the remains of the mixed drink in the pitcher. His fingers itched to pour it down the drain. He refrained, as that would be throwing away money. Speaking of money, she owed him for those drinks. Only, he couldn’t put a price on it because he had no idea what ingredients she used. Sniffing the pitcher, he identified the wine, Moscato. But something else teased his senses. Something with a kick. Vodka maybe?
He left the pitcher on the corner by the sink so he could tend to customers at the other end of the bar. What the hell was taking Mags so long anyway? She insisted on going to Sam’s Club to purchase more chips since she forgot to pick them up earlier in the week. Chips and salsa were offered at no cost to the patrons, and now they were running low. He hoped Mags would be back soon. The bar filled up early on this clear early May evening. A busy night lay ahead of him.
During the day, the crowd poured in, the rush of lunch breaks putting them in a time crunch. Sandwiches and chips were served all day long, but at night, the crowd transformed. The walls rocked with loud music, and the bar got more of the business.
He wiped down a table, took drink orders, and turned around to find the pretty auburn-haired woman behind the bar. Again. This time he made it there before she escaped. He stood in the entryway, blocking her path. “Ma’am, employees only behind the bar.”
“Sorry. I’m just pouring the rest of our drink. Although, I would like to make another pitcher. Several people want to try it.”
He sighed. He had four tables waiting on drinks. He didn’t have time to argue with this woman. “Make the damn drinks then get out from behind here.” Walking around her in the small space, he brushed against her arm. She pulled away quickly. Something strange flickered in her eyes. She emptied the pitcher into glasses and began pulling out bottles to mix another batch. “And collect some money this time. This is a business.”
“Yes, boss,” she muttered, the sarcasm oozed from her sheepish smile.
An hour later, the woman--he found out her name was Kayla—made pitchers of her drink as fast as she could. He would have to find out her secret. At least she was charging for them now. She cleaned up a spill when a young, drunk man overturned his girlfriend’s glass. A table of four left the bar after enjoying themselves for the last hour. Colton watched as Kayla left her friends to wipe up the vacated table. The two couples left a stack of bills as a tip. A test, Colton thought. Would she keep it for herself? A grin spread across his face when she picked up the tip and deposited it in the bottle on the bar, not in her pocket.
His cell phone rang, interrupting his thoughts of this tourist woman who must work as a waitress somewhere. She was too efficient. “Hello… Maggie, what’s wrong? Slow down.” Colton made his way through the doors behind the bar so he could hear Maggie over the music.
“I’m sorry, Colt. When I was leaving Sam’s, someone plowed into my truck.”
“Are you okay? What happened?” Maggie was like the daughter he never had. His stomach twisted with the thought of her being hurt.
“I’m fine, just a little sore, but my truck is totaled. The idiot was playing with his phone and never saw me. I hate this, but I am going to be tied up for a while tending to this. I called Alec. He’s going to come get the supplies and bring them to you. Said he should be there in about thirty minutes. But, honestly, I don’t know how much longer I will be.”
“Don’t worry, Mags. I’ll manage. You take care of whatever you need to. Don’t even worry about coming in tonight.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
“Are you sure? I know how busy Wednesday nights can be.”
“No, take care of yourself. It really isn’t that busy tonight,” he lied. He didn’t want her working if there was a chance she could hurt herself. Instead, he wanted her to rest.
“Thanks, boss.”
He punched the End button on his phone and slid it back into his pocket. He sighed and turned to leave the office.
Kayla stood in the doorway, watching him. How much of his conversation had she heard? What was she doing there, anyway? She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it before any words came out. Her bathing suit cover-up was cinched around her waist, covering her suit, and flesh. She had pulled her auburn hair up into a loose ponytail. Stray tendrils hung around her face, framing her hazel eyes. He took a step toward her and reached his hand up to toy with a strand of hair. It was faint, but she definitely flinched when he placed her hair behind her ear. He wondered about her skittishness. Maybe it was because he was a stranger to her. That didn’t fit with the way she took charge of things and how friendly she had been with all the people she’d met over the last several hours. He put the questions out of his mind. He didn’t have time to tend to a woman and her fears.
“I’ve got to get back to work. My waitress has been in an accident and won’t be back until tomorrow. So if you’ll excuse me.”
“Is she alright?” Her brow wrinkled with worry.
“She’s okay, mostly shook up, and a few bruises. Look, I have a crowd of people to tend to out there.” Colton motioned to her to go out ahead of him.
“Well, looks like we have our hands full tonight, boss.”
“No, really. I don’t need your help. You’ve done enough already.”
She winked. “Don’t worry. I gotcha covered.”
“So you say Maggie is okay?” Earl tried sitting up in the bed, struggling with that small effort. His body leaned to one side. He had to be uncomfortable in the bed that was too small for his large frame.
Colton straightened the pillows behind the old man’s head. “Yeah, she’s fine. I talked to her this morning. But what a night we had last night. The bar was hopping, people already full into their summer vacations.”
“You did it all by yourself? You need to hire some more help over there. You know we can afford it.” His voice rattled.
“I know, I know. I’ll think about hiring extra help for the summer. I’ve got a few applications to review.” Colton sat in the brown chair next to Earl’s bed. “And no, I wasn’t by myself last night. This woman and some of her friends showed up yesterday afternoon. They stayed until well into the night. She was so bold as to sneak behind the counter and make her and her friends drinks.” He shook his head. Last night he wanted to strangle the woman for intruding, but she was a big help to him in the end. And it was hard to tell her no after looking into the deep depths of her hazel eyes.
Earl perked up a little, and his eyes sparkled. “She must have been something. Seems to have you rattled this morning.”
“She was infuriating. Took charge. Don’t get me wrong, I needed the help, but she railroaded her way the whole night. She served drinks, cleaned tables, and made friends with everyone. A little fireball.”
“Sounds like she has some experience. Maybe you should hire her.”
“She ran circles around me. She was just that good.”
The room vibrated with the old man’s laughter. “Son, that sounds like —“
A scuttle at the door interrupted the men’s conversation. Earl looked up, and Colton turned his head to see balloons enter the private nursing home room. A familiar female voice followed the balloons. “Grandpa, I’m here.”
“Grace.” Earl beamed.
“You!” Shock punched Colton in the gut.
The woman breezed into the room, deposited the bouquet on the windowsill, and went straight to kiss her grandfather without acknowledging Colton. She fussed over the old man until he waved her away, a sly smile on hi
s face.
“Colton, I see you’ve already met my granddaughter, Kayla Grace Boudreaux.”
Colton stared at Kayla. “Why didn’t you say anything last night?” Anger ate at him from the inside. When Earl had been admitted to the nursing home, his only granddaughter was bound to show up sooner or later. Colton had the feeling she thought she would waltz in and take over the bar he had been in charge of for the last three years. Well, she had another thought coming.
She shrugged, glanced downwards, and looked embarrassed. “I knew if I told you who I was, you wouldn’t want my help.” Her eyes drifted to his hand, clenched into a fist. “And you needed help last night.”
Colton turned to Earl. “See what I mean? Just takes charge.” With Earl being out of the picture for an undetermined time, Colton would definitely need some assistance. He could use someone like Kayla. She could even help manage the place. If she wasn’t there to take his ownership from him, he would consider a joint venture with her.
Earl’s brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by his nurse, Amy, entering the room. She was attractive, with blonde hair swept up in a tight ponytail, wearing pastel pink scrubs. She looked at Kayla. “You’re his granddaughter?” At Kayla’s nod, she said, “Good. I was going to call you to give you an update.” She cast a quick look at Earl and lowered her voice. “Your grandfather’s condition is very unstable after the stroke. We still don’t know if there is any permanent brain damage. Some days he seems a little confused, and the doctor doesn’t know if it will get better or not.”
Kayla grabbed her grandfather’s hand. “Does he need to stay here?” Her voice faltered, and tears brimmed in her eyes.
In spite of Colton’s irritation with her, his heart twisted. She seemed to love the old man.
The nurse nodded. “It is advisable to leave him here for now. We can monitor him daily. With the paralysis in his legs, it would be difficult for him to manage at home. Even with help.” She offered Earl a soft smile. “Let me take a look at you.” Gently and efficiently, she checked his vitals, then left the room.
“Grandpa, you look tired.”
“Not too much. Finish telling me what you’ve been up to. How’s my beautiful great granddaughter?”
Kayla’s face brightened. “Kaylee is fine. Settled in the dorms at LSU for the summer semester. She sends her love.”
Colton eyed the exchange between them, and a pang of loneliness hit hard. Her compassion with her grandfather touched him. He never had the opportunity to know his grandparents, both having died while he was too young to remember. The way Kayla so energetically talked about her daughter left an emptiness in Colton. One failed marriage and one failed engagement didn’t leave much opportunity to have a child. Abruptly, he clamped down that feeling.
The old man shifted in his bed, his breathing more labored the more he spoke. “What about that man, Craig?”
Kayla flushed. “He’s been out of the picture for quite some time. I told you that weeks ago.”
Earl shook his head. “Good. I never liked him anyway.”
“You never met him.”
“True. But I spoke to him on the phone. That was enough to know he was a slippery bastard. And I know he did something to hurt you.”
“Grandpa,” Kayla gasped before a peculiar half smile lined her face. “I’m fine.”
Colton recalled how she flinched the night before when he reached his hand to push her hair off her face. Did her skittish action then have anything to do with this man, Craig? He would have to ask Earl about that some time. He stood to leave. “I’ll see you later, Earl. Don’t give the nurses too hard of a time.”
Kayla followed him to the door. She placed a hand on his upper arm, halting him before he left. “I’d like to come by the bar later tonight and help.”
Was that her way of saying she wanted to be in charge? Was she here to take the bar from him? He worked hard with Earl over the last years, and he was not ready to give it up to an overbearing control freak. Even if she was Earl’s granddaughter.
“Don’t.”
“Why not? I actually had a good time last night. Working the bar is quite different from working the restaurant. I’ll be there before dark.”
“Don’t think you’re going to railroad me out of the bar. I’ve worked damn hard to keep things running smoothly.” He lifted her hand off his arm and released it, letting it fall to her side. The last thing he saw before he stalked down the hallway was the shocked expression on her face.
Kayla paused with her hand on the doorknob. She closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath, then blew it out softly. Her nerves were on edge, and she couldn’t identify why. If she had to guess, it would be because a certain man’s face kept popping into her head throughout the day. Ever since she left the hospital, Colton’s words of her running him out of the bar played hard on her conscience. She did not intend to do such a thing. Grandpa spoke highly of his partner. He said the man was a genius in the business world. He helped bring the bar out of a financial slump to being profitable. Kayla would never dream of stepping over her grandfather’s head and ousting Colton.
So why was Colton so insecure and untrusting towards her? She could brush off his attitude a lot easier if he wasn’t so damn irresistible. Kayla wanted to wipe away his quirky sideways scowl just to see him smile. She mentally prepared herself to do just that as she opened the door and breezed in. He didn’t want her there; he made that clear earlier, but she was not going to let that stop her.
The soft country tune playing enveloped Kayla, making her feel alive and warm. Better yet, the eyes of the man behind the bar watching her walk across the floor made her insides squirm. She couldn’t read his expression, only felt the intensity as she approached him.
“Kayla.”
“Good afternoon. Don’t look so surprised. I told you I would come by to help.” Surprise wasn’t exactly what she saw in his eyes. Her body burned from the heat in his gaze. That look stirred her in a way she hadn’t been touched in a very long time. The man did have emotions other than irritation.
“I see that.” Colton motioned her behind the bar. “If you’re going to work, you might as well come back here and get familiar with things.”
Kayla walked around and listened intently while he took her through the process of making sandwiches and serving them to the customers, preparing drinks, and cleaning up. Having owned her own restaurant, she figured most of these processes out for herself, but she didn’t interrupt him. His enthusiasm and pride in Gracie’s Place was obvious by his excited, yet thorough explanations.
The back door opened, and the waitress wheeled in a dolly full of boxes. She stopped next to Colton. “Hey.”
“Maggie, meet Kayla. She’s here to help.”
His emphasis on the word help caused Kayla to fidget. She wanted more than that. Kayla extended a hand to the girl. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. So you’re the new hire. Welcome.” Maggie unloaded the boxes, ripped them open, and stacked the shelves with paper products.
“Actually, I’m Earl’s granddaughter.”
Maggie stopped what she was doing. Her mouth fell open. She looked at Colton, then at Kayla. A soft smile touched the girl’s face. “Wow. It’s nice to meet you. And I’m sorry about Mr. Earl. I miss him already.” She edged Colton out of the way with her hand. “Call me Mags. Your grandpa gave me that nickname.”
“Nice. I like it.” Kayla adored this girl already. She couldn’t be more than twenty, if even that. She reminded her a lot of her own daughter.
Colton cleared his throat. “Come on, I’ll show you the storage building. Then, since you two are hitting it off so well, Mags can direct you for the rest of the day. And night.” He picked up the empty boxes and headed to the door. At least he agreed that she would be around into the night.
Maggie’s perplexed look made Kayla laugh. While the girl went back to straightening the shelves, Kayla grabbed the handle of the dolly and follo
wed Colton outside. He was halfway between the bar and a weathered wooden building, and he didn’t look back to see if she was following. At the building, he opened the door, stepped aside, and waited for her to enter first.
The small room was full of boxes and crates. To one side sat a desk cluttered with papers. Kayla rolled the dolly to the corner at the back of the room. Colton leaned against the desk, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I appreciate your help. It is needed while Earl is out of commission. But don’t think you are going to take over. Earl and I each own half of the business.” His gaze turned to steel.
Kayla shook her head. She walked up to him until she was close enough to smell his musky, earthy scent. Damn the man. “I don’t know why you think I want to run you off, but I don’t. I know how much Grandpa needs you here. I just—”
“Just don’t shake things up.” His jaw clenched.
She sighed. “I’m not trying to. I only want to consider adding some fresh ideas.”
He uncrossed his arms, reached a hand to her hair, and ruffled his fingers through the tangled strands. “Hold still, you must’ve run into a spider web.”
Kayla jumped. “Where?” The thought of a creepy crawler on her caused her to shiver. She was planted firmly in Colton’s arms, and didn’t care. Spiders would be the death of her one day. His laughter vibrated through his chest and against her head. His hands rubbed her back, up and down, easing her fear. Fear of a tiny creature. She moved farther into his embrace, tilted her head, and looked up at him. “Sorry. I don’t like spiders. At. All.”
“Now you’re really stirring things up.” His mouth was close to hers. His breath tingled the sensitive skin of her lips. He released his hold on her and turned away.
Kayla backed towards the door.
The crowd in the bar Saturday night was loud and thirsty. Very loud. By ten p.m., Kayla’s head was pounding so hard, it had her stomach nauseated. She stepped outside for a breath of fresh night air. She inhaled deeply. Her nose twitched with the scent of saltwater. Not the same as inhaling the stale cement air of New Orleans.
