Lincoln sets his coffee cup down and tips his head in a nod. “Hey there, Cora bear.”
“Good morning, ladybug,” Everett says in turn.
It still sometimes shocks me that the three of them have nicknames for Cora, ones that are full of fondness that I know Cora can hear.
She smiles back, signing her gestures that she developed for each of them, and another of those small, happy noises spills outof her. They used to be so rare, but they come faster now, proof that this place has been good for her.
Even with Cora here, accepting juice and fruit and breakfast from the men, there’s still tension crackling in the air. Thank fuck Cora is too young to pick up on it. It’s not even intentional, I’m sure, but every time one of the men glances at me, something hot slides down my spine.
At this rate, I’m going to be a mess before lunch.
“I need to get to the bar,” I say, pushing back from the table and getting to my feet. It’s a little early for my shift, but anything to escape this heated tension.
“We’ll come with you,” Everett says. “It’s inventory day.”
Fuck. Of course it is. So much for my plan to put some distance between us.
“I guess we’re all waiting for Lainey then,” I murmur. “She’s picking up Cora.”
Thankfully, she comes quickly, breezing in with a smile and a side hug for her brother. “Cora!” she says, laughing when Cora runs up to hug her. “Are you excited for today’s adventure?”
Cora nods eagerly, brushing toast crumbs off her shirt.
“Where are you guys heading?” I ask.
“Cora’s been invited to come spend some time with Bessie,” Lainey explains.
Cora’s excitement is easy to see from the way she bounces on her feet, tugging at Lainey’s hand.
“Replaced by a cow,” I tease, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Cora’s head. “I see how it is. Have fun, baby. Be good.” Cora hugs me tightly, and then dashes off with Lainey.
When I turn back from the door to see all three of the Alphas standing there watching me, I kind of wish I could go with Lainey and Cora to see the cow instead.
But I’m not a coward, and I have a job to do, so I square my shoulders and lead the way out the door to head down to the bar with the men.
At first, I think that the soothing rhythm of the work is going to be enough to distract me from everything else going on. After this long, I can do most of it with my eyes closed, and I move through my tasks with ease, trying to keep my head down and my mind focused on stacking glasses and running plates of food.
Cash, Everett, and Lincoln spend the first couple of hours in their office, and I can just barely hear the low murmur of their voices as they go over inventory and deal with everything else they have to do today.
But that can’t last, of course. And the morning shift isn’t busy enough to distract me fully. There’s no crush of customers or drink orders flying, so when Cash comes out of the back office and walks toward the bar, I’m hyperaware of it.
I can smell him, and the scent wraps around me, soothing and electrifying all at once. He comes behind the bar and reaches around me to grab something, his chest pressing against my back as he does.
My heart thuds hard in my chest, and I have to swallow down the little involuntary noise that wanted to spill out of me just from this.
“Get it together,” I mutter under my breath once he’s gone again with another smile.
Just when I think I’m going to find my footing again, Lincoln comes out, stretching lazily as he comes behind the bar.
“How are things going?” he asks.
“Fine,” I say. “Slow, as usual.”
“As usual,” he replies.
But when a customer comes up to the bar to order a soda, Lincoln reaches for the glass at the same time I do. Our fingers brush, and electricity shoots through me. I snatch my hand back,letting him fill the drink from the fountain so I can move farther down the bar and try to get my shit together.
Halfway through my shift, Everett comes over to the register and starts going through it, checking to make sure it doesn’t need to be topped up with coins and smaller bills for change. He doesn’t touch me, doesn’t do more than tip me a small look before he starts counting, but he’s standing close enough that I can smell his cologne. His own scent is there under it, and the combination is enough to have my breathing going shallow.