Page 23 of Sunkissed Colorado

I moved on from the tequila bottles to the whiskey, checkingwhere we were low so I could submit an order later today. “That’s likely. The bigger issue is that she hates me. She’s hated me since high school.”

“Why?”

“Damned if I know.”

Russ suddenly glanced around in a mild panic, eyes wide. “When’s she getting here?”

“Manny’s text said nine.”

I wanted the general manager job. Wanted to run this place for real. But even if I didn’t get the position, I would still develop new skills through this process. Maybe I’d take those skills to another restaurant in Silver Ridge or a nearby town. There were new ones opening all the time, like up at the ski resort my sister’s man Dane owned.

It was time for me to take a step up in my career. Prove to Russ and Winnie and Zandra that I wasn’t an irresponsible kid anymore, and I hadn’t been for a very long time. This dick could and would stay in my pants, thanks very much.

Really, I didn’t have a single thing to lose. I just had to deal with little miss grouchy, Zandra Alvarez, for a couple months.

How hard could that be?

I swiped a towel over the bar while Russ checked his watch. “Wait, nine o’clock? That’s five minutes from now. I don’t want her to see me talking to you as her first impression. She’ll assume I’ve chosen your side.”

“My side?”

“There’s always sides in these grudge-match situations. Sorry, Callum. I have to be Team Zandra. When she’s the boss, I’d like to keep my job.”

I rolled my eyes. Nice to know I had such loyal work friends. “You could, you know, actually get some work done. That might also safeguard your job.”

“Good idea.” With a pat on my shoulder, Russ scurried back to the fermentation tanks in the other wing of the building.

Meanwhile, I dashed off to Manny’s office to finish my bar order before Zandra arrived.

Russ wasn’t the only one thinking about good impressions.

Let the competition begin.

It was only a minute or two past nine when I strolled into the bar again, a tablet tucked under my arm. Zandra was waiting there, facing away from me.

She looked just as gorgeous as yesterday. Same dark jeans, ankle boots. A different blazer, this one khaki, that accentuated the slim set of her shoulders and the flare of her hips.

And her trademark long braid was back. I imagined twirling it in my fingers. Or wrapping it in my fist while we…

Back up. No. I wasn’t supposed to be having any more dirty thoughts about her. Oranywomen while I was at work. Manny had already brought it up once, and that was enough.

Too bad it would take rewiring my brain to keep my dirty mind fully at bay.

“Morning,” I said. “Have you had coffee yet?”

“You’re late.”

I glanced at my watch. “It’s 9:03.”

“Yes. That’s late. I wasn’t sure if I should start without you.”

“So sorry I kept you waiting. I guess you forgot we’re slightly less uptight here in the mountains.”

“I’m not uptight. But I have some standards. Also, my grandpa keeps texting for updates. He’s?—”

“Impossible? Trust me, I know. He’ll get his update later. For now, coffee. I brought danishes too. Unless people with business degrees don’t need caffeine and sugar. Can you just read a few pages of a management book and it charges you up like a battery?”

She made a sound that was part scoff, part laugh. “I’ll take the first option. I’m mostly still human.”