“I thought Coop automated all of that for you.” I motion toward the paperwork.
Jake heaves a sigh. “He did. I’m just double-checking everything to make sure I didn’t screw anything up.”
The way Jake is at bookkeeping that’s probably a good idea. I’d hate for his lack of business skills to almost cost us the bar again.
“Since the twins will no longer be working here, I thought we might consider giving Gracie a job.”
Jake glances at Gracie then back at me and frowns. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
I cross my arms over my chest and give him my death stare. I haven’t met a person yet who wasn’t intimidated by that stare, including my brothers. “Why not?”
Jake gulps. He may manage the bar but I’m one of the owners like Jake and my two other brothers. I’ve never actually used my ownership in the bar as leverage for anything but I’ve never cared enough about anything to even bother. My brothers and I generally let Jake do what he wants with regards to the day-to-day operations of Haymakers.
But when it comes to Gracie, I plan to use every piece of leverage I’ve got, including the thirty extra pounds of muscle I’ve got on him. Jake’s definitely not a small guy. He’s well-built and muscular. But I’m nothing short of a monster in the gym. And most people think I’m a monster outside of the gym too after just one look at me.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to mix business with pleasure.”
Now I’m pissed. First because he assumes that I’m having sex with Gracie. And second because he screws around with not only Harley, our best employee, but every other blonde who has ever set foot in the bar.
When I glance over at Gracie I can see she’s turning red with embarrassment. And when she moves her hair from behind her ears so it covers her face I just want to punch my brother right in the nose.
“And what do you call what’s going on with you and Harley?” I fire back.
Jake waves a hand dismissively. “Harley’s different.”
“Oh, really? How so?”
“She’s not a typical employee.”
“You’re her boss, Jake. You’re the manager of the bar. She works for you. And you hook up with her. On a regular basis.”
“Harley does what she wants, when she wants, and no one is ever going to tell her any different. That’s who she is.”
I point a finger in my brother’s face. “Gracie is going to work here.” I can feel myself start to shake with anger.
“It’s okay,” I hear a small voice next to me say.
When Gracie places her small hand on my arm I can feel the anger begin to drain from my body.
“Please don’t fight because of me.”
I take in a deep breath and try to calm myself down. I don’t want to face Gracie with so much anger in my eyes. I don’t want to scare her.
But she doesn’t look scared. She looks sad. In a way that’s even worse. I don’t want her to think any less of me for losing my temper with Jake even if he does deserve it.
“I can just help out,” she says quickly. “You don’t have to pay me. You’re doing so much already letting me stay at your house. And feeding me. And you bought me all the clothes. It’s enough. Really.”
“The clothes were a gift,” I remind her. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to work to pay me back. You deserve to be paid if you work here.” I glare at Jake. “Just like everyone else.”
“Fine,” Jake spits. “I’ll need to see your Social Security Card and your Driver’s License.”
Gracie looks like she’s about to cry. She swallows and then says, “I don’t have my Social Security card. My mom lost it somewhere. And I never got a license. I don’t drive.”
Jake opens his mouth but no words come out. He looks over at me and I shake my head. He better not embarrass Gracie any more than he already has.
“I’ll take Gracie to the Social Security Office tomorrow morning and we’ll see about getting her another card.”
“Do you know your number?” Jake asks.
Gracie recites the number and Jake types it into the computer. “And what’s your last name?”
“Parker,” Gracie replies.
“I guess I’ll use our address for your current address.” From Jake’s tone, I can tell he’s not exactly thrilled about it but too bad. He has no business saying anything about Gracie. Especially when she’s the only girl I’ve ever had stay at the house.
“Good,” I confirm.
When I glance down at Gracie she gives me a small half smile.
“I hope you’re not already sick of doing things for me,” she says as we leave Jake’s office.
I stop and look down at her. “I never do anything that I don’t want to do. Always remember that.”
“Okay.” She gulps.
When her eyes meet mine, I continue. “And I would do anything for you. Remember that, too.”
I tuck her hair behind her ears again. So I can see her face. Then I place a soft kiss on her cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“There’s no need to thank me. And you may not be thanking me after a night of working here.”
She laughs. “I can handle it.”
Gracie has already stolen my best line. Alright, it’s my only line.
I can’t believe how much I like her already.
Haymakers is incredibly busy for a Thursday night. A group of snowboarders have come into town for some kind of competition at Tawnee Mountain. And we’ve also got a large group of girls on the other side of the place. I heard they’re here for some kind of bachelorette party. I told Gracie to work the bachelorettes. I don’t want her anywhere near the snowboarders. I’m dealing with those guys. Hunter and Jake are manning the bar.
I’m on high alert all night looking for any signs of Dex.
Gracie is bright and remembers everything that Jake and I tell her. I was a little worried about her being so quiet but she's great with the customers and people seem to be taking a liking to her.
"Am I doing okay?" She asks as she grabs the glasses of beer I've poured for her.
"You're doing great," I encourage.
She eyes me suspiciously. "You're not just saying that?"
"You really are doing great. I told you, I never say things I don't mean. And I'm not sure we could have handled this crowd without you. Not having Harley here or the twins would have really hurt without you to fill in."
She gives me a big smile. I have to admit that I can't wait to kiss her again. To feel her lips on mine. And to hold her in my arms. But it will have to wait. We still have several hours before close and lots of thirsty patrons who still want beer.
Gracie looks happy as she works. It's hard to believe she hasn't worked in a bar before because she's a real natural.
I know I don't look as happy as Gracie. Jake has already asked me if I'm okay several times and even Hunter has pointed it out, so it must be pretty bad. Hunter rarely says anything to me, or anyone else for that matter. He's a keeps-everything-inside kind of guy. It's a demeanor that will probably serve him well as a cop.
They're right. I'm on high alert. Every time someone walks into the bar, I'm ready for a fight just in case it's Dex.
To my surprise, we close out the night without any sign of him. But it almost makes it worse that he hasn't already come back for her. Because I can feel him out there somewhere just waiting to make his move.
***
By the time the last tables are wiped down and everything is put away, I'm exhausted. Worrying about Gracie on her first night of work and worrying about seeing Dex again took a toll on me. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. Gracie was a natural and Dex was a no-show. Everything seems fine. But I still can't shake the feeling that the asshole is out there somewhere waiting for his chance to pounce.
"You did great tonight, Gracie," Jake says as he walks by us.
That really puts a smile on Gracie's face because she knows he was hesitant to give he
r a job.
"You may regret being so good, though, because now I'm really going to put you to work."
"I don't mind," Gracie replies. "I enjoyed it."
"I hope those bachelorettes gave you some good tips."
She furrows her brow as if she's completely forgotten about the tips. She removes a wad of cash from her pocket.
Jake chuckles. "Looks like you did okay."
As Jake heads toward the back room, Gracie tries to hand me her tip money. "Here."
"It's your money, Gracie. You earned it."
"But you bought me all those clothes. And you're feeding me and letting me stay at your place."
"I told you the clothes were a gift. And I want you to stay at my house. And I like feeding you. You barely eat anything anyway."
She's staring down at the money as if she doesn't know what to do with it.
"You don't have a bank account, do you?"
She shakes her head.
"Would you like one? You could start saving some of your money."
She thinks about it for a moment and then nods.
"We'll look into it after we get your Social Security card."
To my surprise, Gracie grabs me and gives me a big hug. "You’re the best, Tucker Wilde."
I think the best is really a stretch but when her only basis of comparison is Dex I can see how she might come to that conclusion.
I pull her in close, so our bodies are touching. I've never wanted to be with someone as much as much as I want to be with Gracie. I'm overwhelmed by her presence. Everything about her seems to be completely consuming me. I've never really wanted anything before. I felt the duty to serve my country. I felt the responsibility to help my fellow soldiers. But with Gracie, my desires feel purely selfish in nature. It's true that I want to help her in every way I can. And it's true that I want her to be happy. But it's also true that I want her to be mine. Part of me worries that I'll end up like Dex obsessed with wanting to possess her. But an even bigger part of me is scared that she’ll reject me when she finally sees my leg. And if things keep progressing as quickly as they seem to be, it won't be very much longer that she'll want all of me.
As Gracie looks into my eyes she tilts her head slightly and frowns. "What's wrong?"
"There's something I've been wanting to do all night."
She gives me a sexy little grin that says she knows exactly what I want to do. "What's that?" She teases.
I lean down and place my lips on hers. The kiss is so charged, I feel like lightning bolts are shooting through my body. I'm almost embarrassed that her body is so close as I feel my erection grow and strain the fly of my jeans.
I deepen the kiss and before either of us are really aware of what we're doing, we're making out like high schoolers in the back of a movie theater only, we're standing in the middle of the bar.
"Get a room," I hear Jake call out from the back of the bar.
Gracie and I both freeze mid kiss and then we both laugh.
"Let's go home," I suggest, and Gracie nods.
Home. Does Gracie feel like she has a home with me? Is it too soon? I've known her such a short time, but it seems a lot longer. I've never felt like I belonged with anyone before. I've never felt like I belonged to someone but I feel like I belong to Gracie. I wonder if she realizes that's she's already stolen my heart?
***
"Why don't you get changed?" Gracie asks. "It can't be comfortable sleeping in your jeans."
I hesitate. How can I tell her that I don't want her to see my leg?
She’s already in one of my old T-Shirts snuggling under the covers in my bed. I'm still on top of the covers fully dressed. The only things I've taken off are my boots.
"At least put on some sweatpants," she urges.
"Fine," I sigh. I hop up from the bed and grab a pair of sweatpants from my dresser.
"I'll be right back." Before Gracie can say anything else, I hurry out of my room and into the bathroom.
I lock the door to make sure no one sneaks in on me. I don't want one of my brothers to accidentally walk in and see my pathetic excuse for a leg.
I quickly remove my pants and winch when I catch sight of my damaged limb. It truly is disgusting. I know the doctors did their best to repair it. And as the physical therapist used to tell me I should be glad that it's still functional. I sometimes wonder if it would have been better to lose the thing completely. At least a fake leg wouldn’t be a mangled looking mess. I wouldn't have to look at it every day of my life and be reminded how it got that way.
I pull up the sweat pants and unlock the bathroom door. When I exit Jake is standing outside of the bathroom.
He looks down at the pair of jeans I’m carrying.
"Did you get changed in the bathroom?" He's got a strange expression on his face, almost incredulous.
I just glare at him in response.
He shakes his head. "You've got a hot little blonde in your bed and you're getting changed in the bathroom. You don't see anything wrong with that picture?"
Before my brain has a chance to catch up to my hands, I grab Jake by the shirt collar. "Don't talk about Grace that way. Understand?"
"Dude, chill," he urges. I can see a twinge of fear in his eyes and that makes me feel a little better, so I let go of his shirt collar.
"I was just playing with you."
"I don't play," I remind my brother.
He rolls his eyes at me. "Yeah, I figured that out."
I give him a cold stare.
"So what's the deal with you two?"
I don't respond. I just continue to stare at Jake. I hope he'll get the hint and go to bed.
"You're obviously not getting any..."
I grab his collar again but this time I push Jake right against the wall. My oldest brother is strong and in good shape but we both know in a fight there'd be no contest. I'm bigger, meaner and tougher than he'll ever be.
"I told you not to talk about Gracie and I meant it."
"I got it," Jake squeaks out. "Let me down, okay?"
I let go of him. He coughs for a few second before he looks up at me again.
Then his eyes narrow and he says, "You're in love with her, aren't you? She has you wrapped so tight around her tiny little finger you don't even know which way is up anymore."
There are so many times I’ve really wanted to punch my brother's obnoxious face and this is definitely one of them. But I refrain.
"You can't fall that fast and hard, Man. If a girl knows you have feelings for her like that she'll chew you up and spit you out so fast your head will spin. And you’re not even getting any. I can't even image what you'll be like when she finally puts out."
I warned him twice and he still opened his stupid mouth. Now I'm going to shut it for him. I take a swing and hit him square in the jaw.
He grabs his chin as his head snaps back.
It takes a moment for him to react. "You punched me."
"I told you to stop talking about Gracie. You didn't listen."
"You didn't have to hit me." He rubs his jaw. "That hurt."
"I obviously did have to hit you because you wouldn't shut up. Now maybe you'll listen."
"What's going on?" I hear Gracie's small voice echo down the hallway.
I glare at Jake, willing him not to say a word to Gracie.
When she approaches I notice she's not wearing anything but the thin T-Shirt, not even any socks. I don't want her to freeze.
"Let's get you back into bed." I grab her elbow. "You look cold."
Her wide eyes move back and forth between me and Jake. “Were you fighting?"
"Just a little misunderstanding." I glance in Jake's direction. He's still rubbing his chin.
"I hope you're not fighting because of me." Gracie's eyes are now filled with concern.
"Naw," Jake says. He gives me a quick glance then turns back toward Gracie. "We were fighting because I've got a big mouth."
"Maybe you'd better get some ice for that big mo
uth of yours," I suggest.
Jake nods then heads down the hallway towards the stairs.
I pull Gracie close and steer her back towards my bedroom. Once I shut the door, Gracie pulls away from me.
"I want you to tell me the truth." She's looking up at me with such intensity, it makes my chest constrict.
As if I could ever tell her anything but the truth. "What's wrong?"
She crosses her small arms over her chest. "That's what I want to know. I could see Jake rubbing his jaw. Believe me, I know what it looks like when someone's been hit. Why did you hit your brother?"
I grab her hand and pull her toward the bed. As I sit down, I pull her down next to me. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper. I know it was wrong to hit him. I usually don't lose my temper like that. My brother just knows how to push my buttons. I know it's not an excuse. I hope I didn’t scare you."
"Tell me what he said."
I gulp. I don't want to tell her. I don't want her to hear the awful way he talks about women. And I don't want her to think I'm anything like that.
I can see a lone teardrop stream down her face.
"Please don't cry," I whisper.
"I don't want you to fight with your brothers because of me." She wipes at the teardrop. "Does Jake want me to leave?"
I shake my head then place my hand on her check. "No, nothing like that. And even if he did, he doesn't have a say in the matter. You're here with me and you're going to stay."
"I don't ever want to come between you and your brothers."
She looks so sad it stabs at my heart. "You don't need to worry about that," I assure her.
I place the softest of kisses on her lips. As my mouth lingers next to hers the air between us seems to become electrified.
When she places her small hand on my chest, I feel it constrict. She's so tiny but she wields so much power in her light touch. Even the slightest of her touches has the power to reduce me to complete mush.
As she kisses me, I can feel my heart start to race. But I'm completely frozen when she climbs on my lap and straddles me.
She looks into my eyes for a few long moments and the air feels like it’s completely sucked from my lungs. Then she places her small hand on my temple and slowly moves it down my cheek.
The Wilde One (Old Town Country Romance) Page 7
