Page 37 of For the Promise (The Raider Brothers #2)

Harper – a woman who has no time or patience for a man-child

Harper

I rub my back as I stretch forward to touch my toes. Saturday nights, when there isn’t a festival in Smuggler’s Hideaway, are usually quiet. Not quiet, as in dead. But quiet as in I normally don’t have to kick anyone out.

But I’m sorely tempted to kick Jaxon Raider out. I don’t know what he did but any man who gets a bottle of moonshine poured over his head by a woman probably deserves it.

And once news spread of the fight between Jaxon and his wife, Blossom, the nosy Nancies of Smuggler’s Hideaway began appearing. At least they’re ordering beer and food while they watch the show unfold.

Dakota and Paisley emerge from the rear hallway without Blossom. But Jaxon doesn’t appear. I make my way to them.

“Please tell me Blossom and Jaxon used the secret exit and aren’t making out in my storage room. I don’t have time to get the ladder out to save a bra from the ceiling fan again. ”

Dakota giggles. “I want to hear that story.”

“Trust me. The whole bar heard.”

She grimaces. “Ew.”

“Exactly.”

“There’s no need to worry,” Paisley says. “They left through the secret exit.”

Phew. “I never thought I’d be glad people know about the secret exit before.”

She snorts. “As I recall, you knew about the secret exit before you started working here.”

“Yeah, well, now I own the place and wish people would leave my storage room alone.”

Kai sidles up to me, and I sigh. Here we go again.

“I’ll help you clean up the storage room.” He wags his eyebrows in case I didn’t understand the blatant sexual innuendo.

I walk away without responding. Responding makes Kai think he has a chance. He doesn’t.

“Burn!” Miles shouts.

“That’s two rejections for tonight,” Zane adds.

“I’m not certain the first one was a rejection.”

“You think that because you want to win the bet.”

A bet? The Raider Brothers are betting on how many times I’ll reject Kai tonight? Typical. Those brothers have been a thorn in my side since Miles turned twenty-one. He thought he could sneak in his younger brothers. As if I didn’t know the ages of everyone on the island.

The door opens and I sigh. We’re nearing capacity tonight. And here I thought it was going to be a quiet Saturday. Nothing I can do about it now. Except warn my bouncer, Trent, about the capacity issue.

As I make my way across the bar, I nearly run into Blossom and Jaxon. They’re holding hands and she’s smiling from ear to ear. I guess they patched things up.

“I didn’t expect to see you back here.”

She rolls her eyes. “The Raider brothers were blowing up my phone.”

Jaxon scowls. “I’ll speak to them. They shouldn’t take advantage of your inability to ignore your phone.”

These two are adorable together. They were obviously meant for each other.

“I’m glad you worked things out.”

Jaxon wraps an arm around Blossom and pulls her near. “I messed up but she forgave me.”

“Lucky man.”

“Yeah.” He gazes at Blossom. “I am.”

“Jaxon! Jaxon! Jaxon!” his brothers chant.

“You better get over there. The band will be pissed and not come back if the chanting gets louder than the music.”

I’m lying. The band doesn’t give a shit. But I love a family reunion.

I push my way through the crowd until I reach the bar. I maneuver behind it to the ‘fancy’ refrigerator. It’s where I keep the stuff the regulars rarely order. I bend over and rummage through it until I find the bottle I’m searching for .

When I stand and whirl around, Kai is standing on the opposite side of the bar staring at me with heat in his blue eyes. I nearly shiver at the promise in those eyes.

I wait. I expect him to make some childish comment or over the top sexual innuendo. He doesn’t. He smiles and waves before returning to the Raider table.

I don’t have time to contemplate what that was all about. I grab nine champagne glasses before making my way through the crowd to Blossom and Jaxon.

“Congratulations,” I say as I set the bottle on the table. “On the house.”

Blossom jumps up from her chair to give me a hug. “Thank you. You’re a sweetheart.”

I chuckle. No one’s called me a sweetheart before. Usually, it’s ballbuster or bitch. Spoiler alert. I’m not a bitch because I dock your pay for showing up an hour late.

“I’m happy for you.” I pull away and set the champagne glasses on the table.

“You’re a secret romantic,” Kai says and I scowl at him.

“What I am is none of your business.”

“That’s three!” Zane shouts.

“That is not three,” Miles argues.

I glare at them. “You two are as immature as he is.”

Miles smiles. “You say immature, I say youthful.”

“I should have ratted you out to the police the first time you snuck your brothers in here.”

Kai waggles his eyebrows. “You enjoy using handcuffs. Good to know. ”

Eli growls at him. “Enough. Harper has made it perfectly clear she wants nothing to do with you. Leave her alone. I taught you better than this. Respect the woman’s choice.”

I smile at him. “I always did like you.”

Paisley sighs. “He is a pretty good guy.” Eli swipes her glass of champagne and she growls at him. “Except when he’s being the pregnancy police.”

“You shouldn’t have alcohol.”

She snatches her glass back. “I’ll have half a glass. Besides, there’s no way we’re toasting to me having another sister without champagne.”

“You’re stubborn.”

“I’m right.”

Jaxon pops the champagne bottle and everyone cheers. I start to back away.

“Stay,” Kai says. “Join us for the toast.”

“Sorry. There aren’t enough glasses.”

He dumps his beer into another glass. “I’ll use this. You can have my glass.”

I hold up a hand. “No, thank you.”

“Come on. What’s the big deal?”

“I don’t want you to think you have a chance with me.”

He bats his eyelashes. “I don’t have a chance with you? Maybe a teeny tiny chance.”

“Nope. Not even a teeny tiny, minuscule chance.”

“Why not?” He scowls. “I’m a nice guy. I’m fun. I’m pretty good looking.” He winks.

“You’re a goofball who takes nothing seriously. ”

His nose wrinkles. “Where’s the fun in being serious?”

And just like that. Any light-heartedness evaporates and anger ignites. “Life isn’t fun. Life is hard work. Not all of us have billionaire brothers.”

Eli raises his hands. “Leave me out of this.”

“Sorry, Eli. But I can’t. Not when you gave this man-child a job he can’t handle.”

“Hey!” Kai puffs out his chest. “I can handle my job just fine.”

“Which is why my whiskey order from Buccaneer’s was late this week and I had to stock the bar on a Saturday night when it’s already busy.”

“It was an oversight.”

An oversight? He makes it sound as if he has no responsibility for the situation.

“This is why I will never give you a chance. You don’t take anything seriously. I lost business this afternoon because I ran out of whiskey. And I sure as shit didn’t run out because I made a mistake.”

“I’m sorry.”

I hold up my hand. “Don’t apologize when you have no intention of rectifying the situation. It’s a waste of my time.”

I spin on my heel and stomp away. I can’t believe I was ever tempted by Kai Raider. He’s a child and a goofball. I don’t have time for children or goofing around. I have this bar to manage. I don’t have a family I can fall back on if I don’t earn money.