“He does, but not for feet. I don’t think, at least.” Her cheeks instantly flamed as red as her hair. “And we will ignore that I said that and remember that you’re a friend, and that’s why I’m chatty, so you can definitely still trust me.”
I wasn’t sure which part I was most caught on.
That Rhysdidhave a kink, or that Harlow called me a friend.
Calm down, Quasimodo, it’s not like this is the first friend you’ve ever had.
I let both go. “Don’t worry, I still trust you’re not taking notes for a featured segment. Be chatty with me all you want. It’s only fair. Your girl likes to yap.”
Her brows rose. “That’s surprising. You seem so… you know.”
“Serious? Angry? So uptight, you could stick coal up my butt, and it would be a diamond by dinnertime?”
“I was gonna say badass,” she said through laughter.
“I’m that, too. Professional-me and personal-me are very different.”
That was the truth. What I didn’t share was that only my family saw personal-me. Some peopleheardit, but that was different.
Like breaking out my mostly unworn wardrobe, having a reason to break out my equally unused personality was a lot of fun.
“I’m gathering that,” she said. “Let me show you my pre-shift routine.”
Unfortunately, we’d spent too much time chatting because we barely made it to the bar when Rhys filled the entryway to the hall. “Shift meeting in the kitchen.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll have time after,” Harlow reassured.
We hightailed it into the kitchen. The first half of that walk was rushed so I wasn’t the last to arrive and have all eyes shoot to me.
A nightmare in the making for so many reasons.
The last half was somehow speedier still as I rushed to find out what smelled so amazing. If I could’ve floated through the air to follow the scent cloud, I would have.
Harlow and I entered along with a small cluster of employees. It was the primo outcome because it allowed me to stay toward the back without looking like an antisocial bitch.
The rest of the kitchen staff left their stations to join the huddle. And joy of joys, Kodie didn’t come empty-handed.
“This everyone?” Rhys asked as he scanned his employees. His gaze hesitated on me before he eventually finished the visualsweep. “Since I know no one will pay a lick of attention to what comes outta my mouth till you get free food, I’ll let Kodie and Amara start us off.”
Kodie stepped forward with his metal tray and a set of tongs. He spoke as he walked around to hand out samples. “Cool. So the burger special today is a cheesy double-smashed with caramelized onions, garlic aioli, and this bacon that’s been candied with Dr. Pepper. If you don’t wanna try it, cool. More for the rest of us. But your customers are gonna ask what it tastes like. Smoky. Sweet. Salty. And to balance the sweetness, Amara baked hot sauce-infused buns.”
One of the women in the same tee and comfy pants the cooks wore broke off from the group. She returned a second later, holding two reddish pastries that she handed to each side of the semi-circle. “Rip a piece and pass it down. These were a pain in the ass to bake, so we have a limited amount. There’s a countdown on your order screen that’ll let you know when they’re gone. Do me a favor,askthe customer which bread they want. If we get a bunch of send-backs because their palate thinks bell pepper is spicy, I’m going to be annoyed.”
I waited until I had both to eat them and nearly moaned from the taste.
Maybe Iwillhave Kodie hook me up with snacks.
At the extended silence, I looked to the front to see Rhys’s focus on me. It was likely time for him to introduce me, and I was glad that he’d waited until I wasn’t stuffing my face.
When he started talking, though, it wasn’t about me. “Look. I know last week freaked everyone out. It freaked me the fuck out, too. We know this city. We talk shit about this city but wouldthrow down if some tourist talked shit about it. There’s good and there’s bad. What’s inside this building is better than good. And I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let some prick ruin that. So I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re here, too.”
“You paid us for the week,” someone said, earning quiet chuckles.
“True, but that doesn’t mean I’m not grateful you didn’t take that money and run. We’ve made a lot of upgrades to security. I’ve always said pair up when you’re walking to your car after shift, but that’s nonnegotiable now. Everyone gets a bouncer escort, got it?”
There was a murmur of acknowledgement from the group who all looked touched by the words he backed up with action.
I wasn’t even a real employee, and I wanted to get all misty-eyed.