Page 15 of Just A Little Joy

“I don’t think that’s fair. You worked just as hard.”

“See, that’s where we disagree. All I did was follow orders. You were the one who had to figure out a menu on the fly with five minutes’ notice. Brainpower makes you hungry.”

When I still hadn’t started eating, Travis added, “It would make me happy if you ate, so I can stop worrying about it.”

“Can we share it?”

“Yeah, we can.”

The quiet sincerity in his voice made me pause. Rather than argue, I nodded, grabbed the fork he offered with the plate, and dug in. After the first bite—delicious—I devoured the food. It was gone in less than five minutes, and I could’ve eaten three more plates. Most likely, I took more than my fair share, but once I’d started, there was no slowing me down.

“Now I’m a happy man,” Travis said with a grin.

Once again, my inconveniently hard cock tried to make an appearance. I shifted on the couch, trying to hide the bulge pushing against my jeans. Travis glanced at his watch and pushed himself out of his chair.

“You’ve still got your dinner break, so why don’t you just relax in here, okay?”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to kick you out of your office. And I’ve only got a few minutes left on it anyway.”

“You’ve got the full thirty, and yeah, I’m sure. It’s fine. I need to go out front anyway. After all that commotion in the kitchen, it might be nice for you to have a quiet place to sit instead of the breakroom.”

I nodded and settled back against the couch. Travis didn’t say anything more as he let himself out, the latch on the door clicking softly behind him.

With an exhausted sigh, I rolled my head back. I knew it was risky to close my eyes, but I couldn’t keep them open any longer. If I could just have a five-minute catnap, I’d wake up ready to finish my shift. I’d sleep well tonight. I just had to get through a couple more hours. I didn’t go in until the lunch shift at Stone and Vine tomorrow, so I could sleep late in the morning too.

I let my head rest against the sofa, and the first picture that formed was Travis leaning over me. In my fantasy, instead of leaving, he kissed me—a kiss that felt like a promise of what could happen once the bar was closed and it was just the two of us.

I wasn’t dumb enough to fool around with my boss, but there was no harm in imagining it.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

My five-minute catnap had turned into an actual nap, and now I was late getting back from lunch. I scrambled off the couch and tore open the doors, trying to get back on shift as quickly as possible. A quick glance at the clock told me I’d been out for close to an hour, which meant I’d taken a double lunch. Dammit.

I tore out of the back hallway into the front of the bar, grabbing an apron on my way so I could get behind the counter. Things seemed to be winding down. There were still plenty of tables, but instead of the loud, raucous laughter that usually filled the place at night, it was quieter. People sat relaxing, nursing their beers. Occasionally, someone got up to change the music on the jukebox, but for the most part, folks stayed put. Even the pool table in the back was quiet.

At the far end of the bar, Travis was talking to a couple of guys. From behind, they looked a little familiar, but I couldn’t place them. Maybe regulars I’d seen before. Travis glanced up and spotted me, and his face broke into an immediate grin. If he realized how late I was, he probably wouldn’t have been smiling like that.

“Here’s the hero for tonight, gentlemen. I don’t think we would’ve had a single drop of food—actually, I know we wouldn’t have—if it hadn’t been for Casey saving the day.”

I blushed at Travis’s words but appreciated them anyway.

“Now you’re just being ridiculous. All I did was make some poutine.”

“I don’t understand why you keep discounting the poutine. It’s the best thing that ever came out of Canada after hockey.”

“I love poutine!” came an excited voice from the far end of the group.

That explained why some of them seemed familiar. I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Rory, what are you doing here?” I asked with a quick grin for him.

“We were over at my parents’ for dinner, and on the way home, we decided to stop in.” A look of concern crossed Rory’s face, and he added, “Are you not at Stone and Vine anymore? Because you’re my favorite.”

“No, I’m still there. I just picked up a couple of shifts here for the holidays.”

“Daddy, Casey helped us figure out how to set up the party for the littles. Wasn’t that nice of him?”

Moments like this always twisted something in me, that old uncertainty about where I fit or if I fit anywhere at all.