The beauty flagged her over, and Hailey sucked in a breath and headed her way. She had no idea who the woman was, but the hairs along her neck and arms stood on end like red warning flags staked in the sand at a stormy beach.
Hailey slid the box from her tray and held it out to the woman. “Care to name the boss’s dog? If he picks your entry, you could win a gift certificate to eat free at the Miners Tavern.”
Narrowed eyes swept Hailey from top to bottom, and a cool smirk curved the woman’s full mouth. “I’m sure I don’t need a gift certificate to eat here for free. But seriously? Theboss’sdog? Are we talking about the same ‘boss’?” Her voice had a smoky quality to it that was both sexy and intimidating as hell.
Hailey jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. “Noah, the bartender.”
Tilting her chin up, the woman let out a humorless laugh. She was several inches taller than Hailey, aided by those killer boots that probably didn’t pinch like Hailey’s heels. The move seemed to add to her height. “Iknowwho Noah is. Better than most. We have … history. Lots of it.”
Ha! Doesn’t everyone?
The brunette’s superior air curdled Hailey’s inquisitiveness, and she found herself wanting to escape. “What can I get you?”
“You’re the new one, aren’t you?”
New one what?“If you mean server, then no. I’m only helping out tonight.” Instinctively, Hailey stuck out her hand while her other hand clutched the empty tray. “I’m Hailey.”
The queen didn’t acknowledge Hailey’s clumsy attempt at a shake. “Server? I guess that’s one way of putting it,” she scoffed instead. “I meant his latest shiny object. Noah’s like a squirrel, moving from one to the next as soon as a new toy catches his eye. And believe me,manytoys catch that man’s eye.”
Hailey retracted her hand. “What would you like to drink? Thatiswhy you called me over, isn’t it? If not, I have customers I need to get to.” She waited another beat for the woman’s order, willing away the prickles cascading inside her body.
“Thebossknows what I like. Just tell him Ursula’s usual and that I’ll see him after.” One imperious eyebrow arched. “Interesting watch. I’ve only ever seen one other like it, and it was on our maid’s wrist. It was the cheapest one at the dime store and all she could afford.”
In the background, a couple crooned off-key to one another on the karaoke machine, setting Hailey’s teeth on edge. The decibel level had climbed to booming, and she questioned if she’d heard the woman correctly.
Her expression must have broadcast confusion because Ursula expounded in drawn-out speech, as if she were enunciating to a toddler. “The boss. Noah Hunnicutt, the delectable hunk of man meat with the fancy green eyes standing beside his brother with the fancygrayeyes. He wasn’t expecting me tonight, but I was helpless to stay away when he texted how much he missed me.” She puckered her lips in a pout, then slowly repeated, “Ursula. The usual. He’ll know.”
Ursula.Now the name evoked a different character: the villainous sea witch fromThe Little Mermaid.Yeah, that fit. And what the hell were fancy green or gray eyes? Ha! She’d messed up that detail: Charlie’s eyes were greenish-brown—hazel—not gray. The oversight was of small consolation.
Witch Ursula wiggled a pinkie at someone over Hailey’s shoulder. Hailey’s head swiveled of its own volition so hard her neck crunched. A tunnel seemed to open between the partiers, and at the other end of it a gaping Charlie stared back at them. He elbowed Noah, who glanced up with a furrowed brow. The moment seemed sticky, like a suspended breath, and Noah swung his gaze to her, shook his head, and crooked his finger—or so she thought. Emerging from slow motion for a beat, Hailey poked her finger against her chest and mouthed, “Me?”
“Yeah, you!” Noah near-yelled back, nodding like a bobblehead.
Ursula hip-bumped her out of the way. “Never mind about that drink. Looks like he wants to get it for me himself.”
Apparently, hehadn’tbeen signaling Hailey. Emotions crashed inside her like a wave exploding on a rocky coastline. The ones she recognized immediately were doubt and embarrassment, but a plethora of others swirled in the mix.
Ursula paused to shoot Hailey a look over her shoulder. “You’re not even his type.”
“Not sure what you’re assuming here or why, but I never pretended to beanyone’stype,” Hailey tossed back. Whowasthis sea witch?
Her Highness turned and strolled back to Hailey, kicking out one long leg. “Trust me, you’ll thank me later. And don’t feel too bad. He can be devastating when he puts his mind to it, and he gets hit on all the time. The redhead who’s hanging over the bar, for instance? She’s had a thing for him forever.” Ursula executed a dramatic eye-roll. “She’s just one of a dozen here tonight, so take a number.”
“Not sure you heard me. I’m just here to serve drinks and get folks to name a dog.”
As if Ursula hadn’t heard Hailey’s stellar comeback, she kept going. “It’s pathetic, don’t you think? His super fans, I mean. They’re drooling like bitches in heat, hoping for a chance at Fall River’s finest. That is, if they haven’t already scored.” A sly smile curved her nasty mouth.
Wow!What was this woman’s problem, besides being unnecessarily beautiful? Dumbstruck, Hailey watched Ursula glide toward the bar before yanking her eyes away.
Like a rubbernecker unable to avert her gaze from a crash, she sneaked a covert glance while checking on a different table. Noah’s silly derby now sat on Ursula’s head, looking like a carefully planned fashion accessory. Not only had the sea witch commandeered the hat, but she had all the barkeep’s attention. He wasn’t smiling—he wasn’t showinganyemotion Hailey could interpret—but her lungs deflated anyway.
Solace arrived in the death glare Germaine leveled at Ursula before the redhead left her perch. With a mirthless chuckle, Hailey stood a little taller and told herself to stay above the drama. This wasn’t her town; these weren’t her people; she didn’t belong.
With all the composure in her arsenal, Hailey shoved aside Ursula’s nettled words and swung toward a table hailing her while she mentally mapped a path between bodies and tables that would keep her away from the delectable hunk of man meat’s side of the bar. Let Amy work with him. Hailey would have no trouble avoiding him. Easy-peasy.
How soon was quitting time?
Chapter 14
