Page 34 of Crash and Burn

But not knowing what he had been about to say was going to kill me.

11

Iwas still hiding in the kitchen when a new voice joined Mason and Grant's from outside the door. The new guy had shown up. I didn't even know anything about him.

I smoothed down my hair, straightened my back and strode back out. I studiously avoided looking at Grant, but I felt his eyes on me as I joined them around the bar counter.

The new guy was there. He had brown hair, closer to dark chocolate than a lighter chestnut, and beautiful green eyes. He was certainly cute enough, so I knew he'd have no trouble getting good tips from the female customers.

Maybe it was a cliché, but bartenders and servers knew that a good attitude on top of sex appeal was just one extra way to fatten our wallets.

"Hey there," I said brightly. "I'm Lizzy. I'm one of the servers. I help out with bartending sometimes, but mostly I take care of customers.”

"Evan," the guy said smoothly as he reached out to take my hand.

It was a firm grip, which I appreciated. Sometimes it seemed like men thought my hand would break if they squeezed too tight, as if I was a delicate flower.

"Thanks again for the opportunity," Evan continued, speaking to the three of us. "Sin and Tonic has a great reputation. I'm excited to be here."

"Happy to have you!" I just hoped this guy lasted longer than Mike.

"And will I get to work closely with you, lovely lady?" He flashed me a charming smile but there was a hint of teasing in his tone that told me he wasn't serious about the flirting.

"Give my drink orders priority and you'll find I'm a pleasure to work with," I replied with a grin.

"I'm sure it'll be a pleasure either way," he said.

Grant's lips turned down into a frown.

"You'll be working with all of us," he cut in, taking a few steps closer to me.

Evan's eyes flicked between me and Grant with a glimmer of understanding. He immediately lowered the wattage of his smile by about fifty percent. He stuck his hands in his jeans pocket and looked around.

"I've been here a few times myself as a customer," he said. "I love the vibe. You've got live music sometimes, yeah?"

"Usually on the weekend," Mason said. "We also sometimes hold cocktail-making classes or poetry readings on our slower nights to bring in more business.”

"That's why I love this place," Evan said. "You've got a great community thing going on.”

"Lizzy, why don't you show Evan the ropes before the customers start showing up?" Mason suggested.

"I'd love to," I chirped.

I hooked my arm with Evan's and led him over to the side of the bar. The furrowed line between Grant's brows grew larger.

"Let me show you how the register works," I told him. "Usually I'm the one who cashes people out, but it's important for you to know, too."

"Thanks, lovely." He glanced over at Grant, who was watching the two of us like a hawk. "Is there something between you two? I feel like I'm getting death glares over here."

I peeked at Grant out of the corner of my eyes. That frown on his face had deepened.

"We're not dating, if that's what you're asking," I said, keeping my eyes on the cash register. "We're friends."

"I see." Evan gave Grant the side-eye. "Justfriends?"

I let out a breath through my nose. First Mason, now Evan. Was everyone going to comment on me and Grant?

"I thought maybe…" I started, before trailing off. I didn't need to get into this with the new guy. I lowered my head and jabbed at the cash register with a pointed finger. "Never mind. It's nothing. Let me show you how this works."