Page 4 of Cold Foot Sentry (Wreck’s Mountains #6)

Tammy had checked the door a hundred times, it felt like.

Every time the bell rang signifying that someone was entering the bar, she looked up to see if it was Tawk.

She’d done an internet search on Sentry dragons, but there was tragically little research that had been done on them.

There was more information about the more famous, more common dragons, like Damon Daye, and Vyr, and Dark Kane.

There was even an article about Rowan that gave her some insight into dragons, but nowhere could she find much about Sentry dragons other than their dragons were smaller, and they didn’t feed on ashes like the others.

Maybe they fed on iced teas.

She snorted to herself, imagining him scowling as he sucked on an iced tea straw. Some badass he was.

The smile fell from her face as she remembered how he’d talked with such confidence with Wreck and the others though. He hadn’t been afraid of Wreck.

Ding.

A couple of good ol’ boys in cowboy hats came in and waved at her. They were regulars. She didn’t know their names, but in her head, it was Two-Shots-of-Jack, and Pendleton Straight.

She got to pouring their drinks.

Ding.

Katrina came through the door her gorilla shifter mate, King, was holding open for her.

She nodded her hello as Katrina waved to her and took a seat at their normal table in the corner.

King was already pulling a couple more tables together to combine with theirs.

Her boss used to have an issue with them doing that, and especially since she was a little prejudiced against shifters, due to some unfortunate experiences with them in the last bar she’d owned, but after a few weeks of peaceful chatter over there by the fireplace, and big tabs, and big tips, she’d quit fighting them taking up more of the seats there.

Ding.

Harley was here now with Cash making a beeline to King and Katrina. Cash was fuckin’ hilarious, but most of her laughs came from how much he annoyed his Crew. Harley, his mate, had turned out to be a fast friend to Tammy Ray.

“Hey girl hey,” Harley greeted her as she sidled up to the bar.

“Hey, gorgeous. What are you drinking?”

“Water.”

Tammy frowned. “Why water?” she said, a little trill of excitement moving through her.

Harley pursed her lips against a smile. “It’s a secret.”

“Are you serious?” she asked low, leaning over the counter to grab her hands. “You’re pregnant?”

“Cash wants like thirty-two kids so we figured we would go ahead and get started.” Her smile was so beautiful, and her eyes were full of emotion.

“Fuuuck, Harley. I have to hug you.”

Harley leaned over the counter and squeezed her so tight, just…melted against her. “Are you okay with being an auntie?”

“I’m already planning the onesies I’m going to spoil her with,” Tammy Ray said emotionally.

“Oh, you’re voting for a her ?” Harley said, releasing her to wipe her eyes.

“Have you met your mate? Your hands are full enough. You don’t need a miniature Cash.”

Harley threw her head back and laughed.

“God,” Tammy murmured, so happy for her friend. “Remember back in Bozeman in that bar, you were so broken up over your ex, and the aftermath, and now look at you. You won at life.”

“Yeah she did,” Cash said, grabbing Harley’s ass as he sat on the bar stool next to her. He pulled his mate between his legs and draped his arms around her waist. “Did she tell you how good I am at putting babies in her?”

“Oh my gosh,” Harley murmured.

“You did thirty seconds of work,” Tammy said sarcastically.

“Genetic jackpot. My rapping skills, jawline, six pack, pool-playing abilities, and then everything else from Harley. My mate is building a super-baby.”

“That’s literally what he wants to name it,” Harley deadpanned. “Super Baby.”

Tammy cracked up. She couldn’t help it.

“It has a ring to it, right?” Cash asked, his eyebrows arched high like he expected Tammy Ray to agree with him.

Tammy delivered the drinks to the regulars down the bar and opened a tab for them on the computer against the back wall of the bar, then returned to start on Harley’s water, and Cash’s Happy Hooker beer that he always ordered. King and Katrina would want the same.

Ding.

Ding.

She put in the food orders for the Cold Foot Crew.

It was starting to get busy in here, and she loved this part.

She liked being busy. She liked the challenge of managing a bunch of customers at once and making everyone happy.

She had been bartending since she was twenty-one.

Twelve years in this profession, and her time was coming to an end.

“Oh, I forgot to ask you,” Harley said. “When is your last final?”

She wasn’t surprised at all that Harley remembered. She was a solid friend like that.

“Yeah, when’s the party?” Cash asked.

“Umm, my last final was this morning. I think I still have stress hives.”

“Where?” Harley asked.

“Here,” she said, pointing to the raised lumps on her jawline. They were still itching.

“You humans have the weirdest coping mechanisms for stress,” Cash said, staring at her hives with a grossed-out expression.

“Well, we can’t all just turn into an owl and fly away from our problems.”

“Sucks to be you,” Cash murmured.

“Cash!” Harley admonished him.

“Oops, I mean, being a human sounds awesome. I wish I could get itchy bumps on my face when I have anxiety. Weee.”

“The sarcasm is top tier,” Tammy said, giving him a thumbs up.

“Gasp! Do you think Super Baby will get my sarcasm?” Cash asked.

“Oh my God, we are not naming it Super Baby,” Harley griped testily. “Tammy, what time should we be there Saturday?”

“I don’t know if I’m walking the stage. I’m good with just the diploma.”

“You have to walk. I need to take four million pictures.”

“Yeah, but no one but you is even aware, you know?”

“You didn’t tell your parents?”

“They’re traveling. I sent them the invitation a while ago, but they haven’t mentioned it at all. I think they’re in Bermuda. I’m old. All the other students walking the stage are in their early twenties. Besides, it’s just an associate’s degree.”

“In financial management. That’s badass. You’ve worked so hard to get it done a semester early.” Harley leaned over the counter and cupped Tammy’s hands between her own. “Can I tell the Cold Foot Crew? Let us cheer you on. You should walk the stage.”

Tammy pursed her lips against a smile. She had ordered the cap and gown and signed up for it just in case. “I’ll think about it and let you know by tomorrow.”

“Atta girl.” Harley swung her gaze to Cash, who was messing around on his phone. “What are you doing?”

“Ordering balloons for Tammy’s graduation party. Do you like veins on your penises, or no veins?”

Harley snatched his phone out of his hand and stared at the screen with a horrified look on her face. “You don’t order graduation balloons from adult sites.”

“Why not?” Cash asked, looking truly baffled.

Harley handed his phone back and sighed, closing her eyes for a three count. “I’m going to take him to the table now. I promise we won’t order penis balloons for you.”

Harley grabbed her water and a beer for Katrina and left, and Cash grabbed his and King’s beers, but turned a couple of yards into his trek back to the table. “But if you had to choose, veins or no veins—”

“Cash!” Harley snapped.

Tammy couldn’t stop her laugh over the vision of that atrocious delivery. Wreck would have a conniption.

She settled her giggling, and then made a drink for another customer, and then started laughing again, hung her head and closed her eyes at how mad Harley had been.

God, she loved the Cold Foot Crew. She had no doubt if she said she was going to walk the stage for the small associate’s degree graduation ceremony, the Cold Foot Crew would be there, and that was such a cool feeling.

She was glad she moved here.

“Financial Management, huh?” someone asked from down the bar, and she startled when she realized who it was.

A set of gold eyes was staring right into her soul. Tawk.

The smile fell from her face, and the laughter died in her throat. “H-hi,” she said lamely. A frown took her. Why was she being weird? She was a professional at bartending. She could talk to anyone about anything.

She cleared her throat and lifted her chin higher as she approached his seat across the bar top. “Iced tea?”

“Ummm,” he looked over his shoulder at the Cold Foot Crew. Wreck was glaring at him. “Maybe something a little stronger.”

“I thought you didn’t drink.”

“Are you judging?”

“No, but if I’m about to mess up your sobriety, I just wanted to point out it’s not really worth it.”

A smile took his lips as he lowered his gaze to the cardboard coaster in front of him. “No, it’s not a sobriety thing. My animal doesn’t do so well when I drink.”

“Oh.” Tammy turned the coaster in front of him so the label faced him, just buying some time to think. “So, your dragon is an angry drunk.”

“No.” He cleared his throat and sat up straighter. “I’ll have whatever they’re having.”

“Happy Hooker?” she asked.

“That’s what their beers are called?”

With a snort, she nodded. “Yep. It’s locally brewed too.”

“Okay. Sure, I’ll drink a beer called Happy Hooker.” He muttered a curse under his breath and cast another look over his shoulder. “Why the hell not?”

She was pretty sure Wreck hadn’t even blinked.

“He doesn’t like you much,” she observed.

“I don’t know why. I helped him out once.” Tawk cleared his throat again and turned the coaster toward her.

Annoying.

She popped the cap off the beer and turned the coaster back toward him before she set it on there.

She didn’t miss the faint smile that tugged at the corners of Tawk’s lips. His dark beard was thicker today, like he hadn’t trimmed his beard since she’d seen him last.

“Financial Management,” he said.

Was he…was he trying to make small talk?