“Jesus Christ!”I barked, and spit mine back onto the plate.I grabbed juice from the fridge and poured two glasses quickly.
Junior made a strangled noise, with his cheeks puffed as he huffed and puffed like a dragon trying to cool the fire in his mouth.
I shoved a glass toward him.“Drink it before you torch your tongue off.”
Junior gulped it down, still fanning his mouth with his cheeks puffed out.
I sat back and shook my head.“Ten minutes might’ve been a bit much.”
Junior shot me a watery-eyed glare.“Might’ve?!”
I laughed, the sound echoing through the empty kitchen, and chased the lava bite with my own glass of juice.
We gave the burritos another five minutes to cool down before daring to try again.This time, they were edible.Carnie’s cooking never missed; it was just us idiots with the air fryer settings.
Junior leaned against the counter, chewing, while I sat at the table with my plate.“Not bad,” he mumbled through a mouthful.
“Once they’re not trying to kill us, yeah,” I agreed, and smirked as I finished mine off.
Silence settled in, easy and familiar.The clubhouse was never truly quiet, but mornings like this came close.Just coffee, food, and the hum of a place that had seen more nights than mornings.
I rinsed my plate, set it in the sink, and topped off my coffee.My body was tired, but my mind was already working.League night meant the Social Club would be slammed again, and I’d rather be ahead than scrambling.
“Think I’ll head in early,” I said, more to myself than to Junior.
He grunted in agreement, and finished the last bite of his burrito.“Figures.You live for that place.”
I didn’t argue.He wasn’t wrong.The Social Club kept me busy, gave me purpose, and most days, that was enough.
Today, though… today felt like it might be different.
Chapter Five
Adley
My legs already hated me.
It was only my second night at the Social Club, and though the ache from yesterday still throbbed in my calves and feet, I didn’t have a second to even think about it.The place was packed.Tuesdays were league nights for the pool tables, which meant every table not covered in green felt was crammed with people eating, drinking, laughing, and hollering at shots being made or missed.The jukebox was playing something twangy and loud enough to buzz in my chest.The smell of fried food clung to my clothes, and my hair stuck to the back of my neck from running nonstop.
Penny had sworn she’d stick with me tonight, but that was before the rush hit.Too many people, too many tables.We split without even saying we were splitting; she went left, I went right.I had three tables waiting for food, another for drinks, and a fifth one that was still undecided about whether they wanted wings or nachos.
Chicago might’ve made me feel invisible most of the time, but Weston was making damn sure I was seen.
I swung by the kitchen window, picked up a basket of burgers and fries, and balanced them on my tray like my life depended on it.I got them to the right table, thank God, and dodged a guy who backed out from his stool without looking.This was a different kind of exhaustion than working in an office.Back there, my brain felt fried from staring at a screen.Here, it was my body that wanted to shut down.
But I couldn’t think about that.Not when every table wanted something.
“Hey, sweetheart!”
I turned and spotted a table of four guys near the far wall.They looked like they’d been camping there since late afternoon.Pool cues leaned against the wall, half-empty pitchers of beer sweating on the table.All in their thirties, maybe forties, loud and laughing, and already red-faced from booze.
I pasted on my best waitress smile and headed over as I pulled my pen and pad from my apron.“What can I get you guys?”
The one closest to me leaned back in his chair, with his eyes running over me in a way that made my skin prickle.“I can think of a few things,” he said, dragging the words out.
I ignored the comment, and scribbled down the order as the other three rattled off their requests.“Three old fashioneds and four shots of tequila?”I repeated back.
“That’s right, darlin’,” one of them said.“Bring ‘em fast, and we’ll make it worth your while.”
