Dewey appeared with two steaming bowls which he deposited in front of them. “Irish stew.” He stood back, hands on hips.
The aroma wafting up from the savory beef chunks swimming in potatoes, onions, and carrots made Hailey’s stomach rumble with appreciation. “This smells amazing.” She nibbled at a piece of meat and moaned. “Oh. My. God. It tastes evenmoreamazing than it smells.”
“Yeah!” Dewey executed a dance move that could’ve possibly broken his hips.
Charlie laughed. “I hope you made enough, Dewey, because this is what everyone’s ordering tonight, I guarantee.”
Dixie came up behind Dewey. “Problem’s not going to be whether he has enough to feed hungry folks. It’s whether we have enough hands to serve them all. I’ve had four calls from waitstaff who are stranded on the wrong side of the mountain. Land, I hate to tell the boss when he gets here.”
“Look at it this way,” Charlie offered. “If they’re stuck, so are the customers.”
“We’ve got plenty of folks in town looking to blow off a little steam who will gladly walk here.” She waddled away, her voice trailing behind. “I just hope they don’t all freeze to death when they walk home.”
A chair scraped beside Hailey. “Hey.” Noah plunked down in the seat and pushed truck keys toward Charlie. “Thanks for letting me use your truck.” He wore a gray long-sleeved waffle-weave T-shirt under a black-and-gray flannel shirt that brought out the deep green of his eyes.
Charlie greeted his brother with a grunt as he attacked his stew.
“Where’s Lex Luthor?” Hailey asked Noah.
“I put him upstairs. I have an apartment up there. Figured he might as well get used to the place, though I’m not sure having him here tonight is such a great idea.”
“Why not?”
“I have a feeling the place will be rocking.”
Dixie rushed over with a bowl of steaming stew for Noah.“Ifpeople can get here. Here you go, boss.”
Noah gave her a sidelong glance. “Do you heareverythingI say?”
“Mostly. Now when can I meet your dog?”
Noah shook his head. “Maybe next time I go upstairs. He’s adjusting to lots of change. I’m not sure how he’ll react to it all.”
She pursed her lips. “Do you think him being here is a health violation?”
Unable to contain her eagerness to help, Hailey piped up. “If the access to your apartment doesn’t go through food prep areas and you keep him separated from your employees, you should be fine …” She trailed off, suddenly self-conscious as the weight of six eyes settled on her. “I mean, that sounds reasonable, don’t you think?”
“It would if we weren’t dealing with one of those bloodsucking inspectors,” Noah scoffed.
“B-bloodsucking?” Hailey stammered.
“Yeah. They suck the life right out of bar owners because they’ve got a little bit of power that they love to smash you over the head with. They’re always looking forsomething, and they have no qualms about inventing shit that isn’t there. They despise bar owners as much as we hate them. My biggest concern tonight, though, is people cutting loose and getting raucous. Not a great environment for a dog who’s afraid of his own shadow.”
Hailey fought to quell the ball of emotions in her stomach as the conversation continued around her.
“Your apartment is soundproof,” Dixie said, “and we can all take turns checking on him. If we accidentally touch him, we’ll take extra care washing after.”
Noah glanced up at her. “There’s no ‘we’ in this scenario. He doesn’t like men.”
Hailey recovered her wits and elbowed him. “Except for you.” He seemed to fight a smile, as though the comment made him proud, and her stomach relaxed a few of it kinks.
Dixie pointed between herself and Hailey. “I’m not a man, and neither is Hailey Bailey.”
“I’m well aware of that, but what are you getting at?”
“She and I will be the only ones, besides you, who check on him until you say otherwise, boss.” She gave Hailey a cheeky smile. “You don’t mind, do you, Hailey?”
“Um …” Hailey whipped her head between Noah and Dixie. Did Noahwanther around through the evening’s festivities? And did he want her in his private space? If he knew what she did for a living, probably not. In fact, he probably wouldn’t want her in his sight. But who said he had to find out? “I don’t mind, but I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.”
