As I reach my car, I glance over to find Mila and Jake watching me by the door, their hands now clasped together. They wave in unison, and the sight of them somehow makes my chest warm.Why do I suddenly feel the urge to run back inside?
Shaking the thought from my mind, I quickly slide into the driver’s seat and start the ignition, the engine roaring to life with a powerful hum. Minutes later, I’m reversing out of the driveway and onto the road. As I drive the short distance to work, my mind floats to the image of Mila in her short denim shorts, looking absolutely stunning—only to snap back to reality when I remember she’s Skylar’s baby sister.
Nope! Not even going to go there!I haven’t been with a woman in such a long time, and this dry spell is starting to make me think stupid. I need to get a grip, fast, before I do something completely out of character—like, I don’t know, hitting on my son’s new babysitter.
The door to my office swings open and in strides my bar manager, Chris, with his hands on his hips. “It’s fucking mayhem out there!” he exclaims, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“What do you expect? It’s Saturday night, and we’ve got an eighteenth birthday party booked.”
He drops into the seat across from my desk with a thud. “Ah, fuck! I totally forgot about that. Thought that was next weekend.”
“Nope. It’s tonight my friend.”
“Do you think there’ll be any hotties at that party tonight?” he asks, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“Bro, they’re eighteen!”
“They’re legal. What’s your point?”
“My point is, you’re old, balding, and smell like blue cheese.” He’s none of those things actually. In fact, Chris rocks that rugged, tattooed Viking look. And that motorcycle of his—a total hit with the ladies. “Now, what can I do for you?”
He leans forward, resting his forearms on my desk. “I need more staff, or at least another bartender for Friday and Saturday nights. It’s getting too busy for the bar staff to handle on their own,” he informs me, the playful tone from earlier now replaced by a more serious expression.
Over the past year and a half, the restaurant has experienced an increased growth in customers, largely thanks to our excellent Google reviews and the exposure we’ve gained through social media.
While this has been incredibly beneficial for business, my biggest challenge now is finding good, reliable staff to work. Despite putting in the effort to be an effective and supportive manager, turnover has always been an issue, with people continuously coming and going.
“I’ll put up an advertisement tonight. If any of the staff know someone who might be interested, have them send them our way too.”
“We’ll need to find someone ASAP. Kayla is about to have my head on the chopping board if I ask her to do another double shift.”
I nod slowly, pausing for a moment as I weigh my options, trying to figure out the fastest way to find staff without relying on a recruitment agency. Their fees are such a strain on my budget that I’d rather handle the job myself. “My new babysitteris a uni student. I’ll ask if she can spread the word on campus. I’m sure there are plenty of students looking for part-time or casual work.”
Chris leans back, his arm casually draping over the back of the chair. “Oh, that’s right. You hired Skylar’s little sister as your new sitter, didn’t you?”
I nod, knowing exactly what he’s about to say next.
A wicked grin spreads across his face. “She’s a little pocket rocket, that one. A total tease. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I’d be able to control myself around her if she were strutting around my house,” he confesses, with a hint of mischief in his tone.
“Well, it’s a good thing she doesn’t work for you then. And just soyouknow, I have a lot more self-control than you do,” I reply. “I’ve known her since she was in her early teens. There’s no way I’d ever cross that line.”
“Bullshit! You’re telling me you’re not even a little tempted? From what I remember of the last time she walked into our bar, she looked a lot like that hot actress—what’s her name again?” He snaps his fingers as he searches his memory. “Phoebe Tonkin! That’s the one. She’s fucking sexy as hell!” “Come on, man! That’s enough! I don’t want to be thinking of her in that way.”
“How old is she?” he asks curiously.
I lift a shoulder. “Not sure. I’ve never asked. Probably in her early to mid-twenties.”
“So she’s still ripe and in her prime. Even better!” he says, a little too enthusiastically. “You know, there’s no harm in having a bit of fun on the side. You’re both adults. I bet my left nut that she’d be open to it. Those young ones always are.”
“No.”
“Aww… not even for me?” He pouts.
“Especially not for you, dickhead!” I quip, snatching the pen in front of me and hurling it at his head. It bounces off his forehead and onto the hardwood floor with a clunk. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“Yes, I do,” he answers as he rises from his seat. “But this conversation isn’t over.”
I shake my head, dismissing him, and turn my focus back to the computer screen.
