The Bartender (Seductive Sands Book 5)

by Sammi Franks

  “Isla? He said fine. Didn’t you say fine means not good?” The little girl frowned.

  As I started to walk away, I caught sight of my sister, clearly torn. When I saw Hawk hovering nearby, I guessed why. I smirked, expecting their need for alone time would trump concern over my mood. Then she sighed deeply and my shoulders sagged.

  “I’m fine, Isla.” Staring at Penelope, I grumbled, “Let’s go.”

  “Hold up, Bodhi.” Hawk motioned for me to enter the condo.

  “What, dude? I’m good. Really.” I forced a smile, hoping it might get me off the hook.

  Isla appeared at his side. “Two fines and a good…really. Not cool, Bodhi. Get in here. Might as well decide to talk it out because you’re not going anywhere until you do.” She crossed her arms over her body, her chin jutted out and one brow arched.

  I stuffed my hands in my pockets and stared at the stoop for a moment. Before I could make my decision, however, Penelope tugged on my sleeve while Hawk reached out, grabbed me by the back of the neck, and hauled me into the condo. Once I was inside, Isla shut the door behind me.

  “Cool. Let’s talk.” Isla pointed to the dining room.

  With a groan, I made my way to a seat at the circular table. Once I sat, I mumbled, “There’s nothing to say.”

  “Are you sad about Norah?” Penelope asked quietly. “Don’t be sad, Bodhi. I think she likes you too.”

  I sank in my seat. “Thanks, tater tot.”

  Isla exchanged looks with Hawk. “Who’s Norah?”

  I opened my mouth, but Penelope beat me to it. “She runs the café next to the bar. She’s really pretty and so nice.”

  “And she makes a mean hot chocolate,” I mumbled.

  “Yeah! The best hot chocolate. We should go there next, Bodhi.” Penelope bounced up and down in the chair beside mine.

  I shook my head. “It won’t be the same.”

  “Why not?” she asked with a frown.

  “Well, Norah doesn’t work there anymore.” I rubbed my face with both hands and reluctantly met my sister’s eyes.

  “Did you know about this?” Isla asked as she narrowed her eyes at Hawk.

  He cleared his throat. “I knew he liked her. I knew she was pretty. I had no idea about the hot chocolate.”

  Isla swatted him. “Really?”

  Hawk pulled her close and kissed her. When he pulled back, he grinned. “You know no one can hold a candle to you, princess.”

  Blowing out a breath, I frowned. This was a reminder of everything I was missing. I wanted someone to pet name. I wanted someone to play with.

  “You’re good.” Isla smirked at Hawk. Then her phone started ringing on the table. She glanced at the screen and beamed at Penelope. “Looks like you get to talk to your mother!”

  Penelope danced and squealed. “Speaker!”

  Isla hit the button. “Hey, we’re all here. How are you?”

  “Wait. Who’s all?” Max asked, growing immediately serious.

  “All of Westport, of course. The entire town fits in your condo, bro,” I teased, hoping this might change the direction of our conversation.

  “Bodhi? Why are you there?” Max asked.

  “Aw, he’s moping around over some girl,” Isla responded.

  “So, how’s the honeymoon?” I asked as I glared at my twin.

  “Well, we’re having a blast, but we wanted to hear how everything is going there.” He cleared his throat trying to cover a laugh. “Let’s talk about you, Bodhi. After all, your life and happiness most directly impacts my business.”

  “Damn, Max. I’m fine.” I pushed back my chair.

  “Sit down, Bodhi. Tell me about the girl.” There was an edge to his voice that made me shrink, same as always. He had definitely inherited that from our father.

  “There’s nothing to tell.” I shrugged as I sank back into my chair.

  “Try again.”

  All eyes were on me. Isla hit mute really quickly and glared at me. “Listen, there’s a little girl who’d like to speak with her mother and we all know that’s not going to happen until you spill your guts. So, get on with it.”

  Nodding sadly, I grumbled, “Norah has been running her parents’ café, which is right next door to the bar. They sold it out from under her.”

  “Fine. Hire her.” Max sighed.

  “I tried!” I slapped my hands on the table.

  “Without speaking with me?” Again, I noted the edge to his voice.

  “Max, I get to run the day-to-day. That was the agreement, right? This…falls under that umbrella,” I reminded him. “It doesn’t matter anyway, because she refused my offer.”

  “She refused? You must’ve done it wrong. It’s not like there are a ton of employment options in Westport. Better tell me everything. How did this all go down?” I could hear him drumming his hands on a hard surface.

  “Her parents moved back to India. For some reason, they suddenly sold the café to her ex-boyfriend, without even speaking to her or offering to sell to her. Oh, and the best part is that Norah conveyed with the purchase. She called it a pity job. So, she quit. I told her she could work at the bar, and she paddled away.” I huffed.

  “She paddled away?” Max chuckled. “Walked, you mean, right?”

  I inhaled deeply. “No. We were surfing. I was teaching her to surf, and to relax.”

  “You offered her a job on the beach. I don’t even know what to say,” Max mumbled.

  “Well, while you’re thinking, I want to talk to Penelope. Pass me the phone,” Victoria demanded in the background. “Baby girl, how are you?”

  Beside me, Penelope squealed happily.

  14

  Norah

  Untitled

  I got back to the small condo my parents owned after surfing and wondered if they had sold that without telling me as well. When I was safely tucked inside, I stripped off my wetsuit and let it fall to the bathroom floor before stepping into a hot shower. The water burned my skin, but I liked it. The steam floated up, surrounding me, protecting me. I washed my hair with both shampoo and conditioner, and once it dried, I would have to brush out the tangles. I wished everything was as easy as my hair.

  Deciding to quit the café had been a big step, a step I hadn’t realized I was going to take because that café had been part of my family for so long. It just boggled my mind. Did my parents not respect me enough to trust me with their business? Why had they allowed me to be in charge, then, while they were gone? I knew they liked Mark when I dated him because of his business savvy and because he came from an affluent, successful family in Seattle. Personally, I didn’t care where he was from or what he knew. He didn’t take me seriously and I was not okay with being arm candy without a voice.

  I stepped out of the shower once the water began to turn lukewarm. The steam kept the bathroom warm. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my body before allowing myself a moment of peace. The knots in my shoulders had temporarily vanished and for the first time in a long time, I was relaxed. I didn’t have to be anywhere at a certain time, my Friday nights were free, and I didn’t have to worry about numbers, order forms, and bending over or squatting. Mark would have to figure all of that out on his own and it was not my job to train him.

  I felt myself smile.

  The only problem was, I did not know how I felt about having no income. My parents had money set aside for their bills and they had finished paying their mortgage off last year. I, on the other hand, had a small amount of credit card debt, my cell phone, and gas. I still needed an income. Granted, I had some savings that could get me through the next couple of months, but unless I went back to school - with my parents’ support - there was no way I was going to be able to pay for my master’s degree and pursue my dream of being a lit professor.

  I shook my head and dried myself off. This was getting too complicated, and I wasn’t sure I could deal with it just yet. It was still too new.

  At that moment, my cell phone chirped. I furrowed
my brow, not expecting anyone to call. My parents didn’t call until the evening and I highly doubted Mark would call so quickly after I rejected his pity job. I walked into my bedroom and glanced at the number. I didn’t recognize it.

  “Hello?”

  “Norah? Hi, my name is Charlie. I run the winery in Westport.”

  Okay.

  “Hi,” I said slowly. “I’m sorry, but how did you get my number? And what is your reason for the call?”

  I heard Charlie chuckle. I recognized the name, but not being a drinker myself, I hadn’t ever officially met her before.

  “I heard the café you owned was sold,” she said. “I wanted to offer you a job as floor manager. I plan to be traveling back and forth to Seattle more frequently, and I need someone who can run the business in my absence, someone I can trust.”

  I froze.

  “How can you possibly trust me if we’ve never met before?” I asked. I was trying to keep myself patient, neutral, but it was difficult because I knew what this was. “I appreciate the gesture - Charlie, was it? - but I’m not in the place to take a job right now. Thank you. Please don’t call again.”

  I hung up the phone and allowed myself to bristle at the nerve of some people. I was just about to change out of the damp towel currently wrapped around my body and into my pajamas when my phone rang again. Once more, I looked at the screen and found I did not recognize the number but it was different than Charlie’s number.

  “Hello?”

  “Norah? My name is Alex, and I was the wedding photographer for Bodhi’s brother Max and Victoria. I actually need some help with…”

  “Please do not tell me you were offering me a job,” I said. My patience was wearing thin and this was only the second phone call I’d received about the subject.

  This could not be a coincidence. The only people who know about the café being sold was Mark, and Bodhi. Obviously, though I’d rather blame Mark, this could be traced back to Bodhi.

  Pajamas would, unfortunately, have to wait. I needed to talk to Bodhi about this now.

  After I got dressed, I drove to the bar. The bouncer, an attractive, muscled man, smiled when he saw me, like he knew me. I gave him an odd look, but he opened the door for me without saying a word, as though he had an idea I would show up today.

  Bodhi was behind the bar holding a clipboard and it appeared as though he was counting his stock. Not the best time to do it if his bar was going to be opening soon.

  “Norah,” Bodhi said when he saw me. “How can I…”

  “Stop getting your friends to offer me jobs,” I said, not caring that I interrupted him.

  “What are you…”

  “And don’t pretend you had nothing to do with it,” I continued. I walked over to where Bodhi stood and glared. “Don’t pretend, Bodhi. Please.”

  “Fine.” Bodhi placed the clipboard on the bar and crossed his arms over his chest. “But give me a chance. Come here tonight and help me work the floor. You’re amazing at it. Somehow, you had no idea how to run a café and you managed to increase your profit. I looked into it. Yeah, I needed Isla to help me figure out numbers and what everything meant, but I realized how incredibly talented you are. I know you have a dream to be a lit professor. Work for me part-time while you’re in school so you can follow your dream. Don’t think of my job as a pity job. Think of it as you training me how to run a bar. It’s mutually beneficial for both of us. Just give me one night.”

  I open my mouth to argue but no words came out. I let his words sink in.

  One night. One night couldn’t be that bad. It would solidify my decision to say no in the first place. And hopefully, it would get him and everybody else off my back.

  “Okay,” I agreed. “One night.”

  15

  Bodhi

  * * *

  “Well…good. How about tonight?” I spluttered and barely managed to get out the words because in my mind, I’d imagined this huge argument and, like I’d done so often with my father, I had plotted out my talking points. “Are you sure?”

  Norah smirked. “What? Now you’ve changed your mind?” She laughed and shook her head. “Bodhi, lesson one. In business, you must be decisive.”

  “Decisive. Right. Got it.” I nodded while staring into her smiling eyes. I wondered if she knew I was incredibly attracted to her. I mean, by now she must at least suspect. I took a deep breath.

  “I can see it in your face. No you don’t.” She laughed. “Okay, we’ll go slower then. And I’m going to need some caffeine for this. I’d pretty much planned to call it an early night.”

  “Coffee or soda?” I asked, a newfound spring in my step.

  She eyed me silently. “I’m going to guess it’s a basic pot of coffee, so I’m going to go with Coke.”

  “Regular or diet?” I asked, my brow furrowed.

  “Are you calling me fat, Bodhi?” Her eyes widened.

  “No…” I gave myself a mental head slap. “I just know some people have a preference.”

  “Lesson Two. Never insult the customer, even unintentionally.” Norah sighed and wandered around to join me behind the bar. She helped herself to a glass, scooped up ice from the bin and then lifted the soda gun from its holster and made her own drink.

  “Coke. Good choice.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets in an effort to not do anything else that would irritate her.

  “Hand out of your pockets,” Norah gestured. “It makes you look lazy and it definitely slows you down while you’re working.”

  Too late. Clearly, I could do nothing right, which was strange since I’d been running this bar for days with no major fuck ups. Sure, there was the woman who received the wrong microbrew. And there was a couple whose mozzarella sticks were a tad overdone, but really this seemed minor.

  Slowly, I pulled my hands from my pockets. “Anything else?” I had no idea what to do with myself. I was about to rest my elbow on the counter when she stopped me with a shake of her head.

  “No leaning.” Norah grinned. “The saying goes, if you have time to lean, you have time to clean.”

  “I think I hate that saying.” I tugged on my chin. “Surely, that doesn’t apply to management.”

  Norah laughed. “You’re cute. It applies to everyone.” Then she blew out a breath. “In order for a place to run successfully, you need to accept that there’s always something to do. Activity breeds interest. And if nothing is happening around here, then there’s no reason for people to come in droves, now is there?”

  I shook my head. “What do you suggest?” As I stared around the half empty bar, I sighed. “I would like to think it’s because we’re new.”

  “I’m sure that’s part of it, but if you want to one day be old…” She rolled her eyes when I started to object. “If you want the bar to be old, I meant to say. Although I’m guessing you’ll get old too. After all, the alternative is less than appealing.”

  “Death really is,” I agreed.

  “So, who works here and what do they do?” Norah looked around the room. “Do you have an employee handbook, an opening and closing checklist, inventory…” She frowned. “Why did all the color drain from your face?”

  “Did I say one night? The way you’re talking, I may need one week.” I laughed weakly while rubbing the back of my neck. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure if this whole ‘Norah teaching me the ropes’ was such a good idea. I didn’t need another person in my life to make me feel stupid and inferior. I had my father and brother for that.

  “So…your brother set you up and dumped you on your ass?” She blinked a few times and I sensed she was struggling to process what she’d discovered.

  “Well, in Max’s defense, he was busy planning a wedding,” I reminded her nervously.

  “Okay. So, what if you do whatever it is you think you do around here? I’ll get the lay of the land if you’ll show me to the office.” She licked her lips and asked calmly, “You do have an office, right?”

  I nodded numbly. “Of course I
do.” Then I brought her down the hall to the door labeled for employees only. At the end of the hall was my office. I had barely sat in the chair. Instead, it had become the drop zone for all the paperwork I didn’t know what to do with. I avoided it as much as possible.

  Once inside the room, she scanned the space and sighed. “Bodhi, we’re gonna need to talk. You know this, right?”

  I nodded sadly. Already, I had disappointed her. I usually managed to get in a couple of dates before this happened. “So, I’ll leave you to it,” I murmured as I wandered back out to the bar area.

  When I returned, Hawk came over to join me. “What’s up, Bodhi?”

  I shrugged. “Just fucking up every good thing in my life,” I muttered. “Basically, the usual.”

  “What’s ruined?” He frowned.

  “The bar. Norah. Everything.” I threw my hands up and let them fall at my sides.

  He shook his head. “If Norah and the bar were ruined, she’d have come running back out here and bolted through the door without saying a word. Have hope, Bodhi.”

  A minute later, Norah wandered out and my heart sank. Only she didn’t run for the exit. Instead, she wandered over to me. “I forgot my soda.” She grinned and started to walk away, but I stopped her.

  Grabbing her free arm, I slowly turned her around to face me. “Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.” Then I impulsively leaned down and kissed her cheek.

  Her eyes widened. “I think I have some idea.”

  16

  Norah

  Untitled

  The night was more fun than I thought possible. I felt exhilarated. I felt happy. So what if my parents gave away the café I put time and effort into? I was running a bar. Judging from the amount of people who patron the bar, it looked like it was going to break tradition and make enough profit to actually stay here for quite some time. My heart warmed at the thought. More than that, I wanted to be part of that.