Page 10
So why does the thought of that send a wave of disappointment through me?
“Cove, can you work late again tonight?” Boomer asks me, stepping out from the back.
My head whips to the side, disbelief flooding me. “You’re kidding, right?”
He blinks at me, no emotion on his face.
“What happened to the new girl you hired? Can’t she stay late?”
“No,” he says. The flash of guilt on his face makes me groan loudly as my shoulders slump.
“You fucked her, didn’t you?”
His brows furrow. “That’s none of your business.”
“It’s your wife's,” I hiss. “Do you have no fucking shame? Next time hire a man; that way you won’t fuck him and force him to quit to keep his mouth shut about it.”
His eyes narrow. “Watch how you talk to me, Cove. I’m your boss, remember that.”
“I also know I’m the only fucking person here who will take on any extra work. You can’t afford to lose me.”
The way his left eye twitches confirms just how right I am.
“Can you stay or not?” he grinds out through gritted teeth.
It’s a Friday night, but with the crazy amount of rain we’ve been getting lately, we haven’t had many people in.
Just the odd truck driver and the regulars.
“Why not just close up early? It’s dead.”
Boomer points to the only man in the bar sitting at the bar top.
I sigh, shaking my head. Is he kidding me?
“He’s drunk, passed out. I think he should be cut off anyway. This is a bar, not a hotel. He can’t sleep it off here.”
“I’ll make you a deal. You stay open until he wakes up, and if no one else comes in, you can close early.”
“Fine.” I throw my arms up in the air, knowing there’s no point in arguing with him. “But–”
“You want overtime, yeah yeah.” He waves me off. “I know the drill. I’m out of here, bye.”
“Bye, asshole,” I mutter, grabbing the dishtowel and the bottle of cleaning spray.
If the place is dead, may as well get a head start on cleaning up.
The low hum of the old jukebox fills the otherwise eerie silence of the bar as I work on flipping the chairs upside down and placing them on the table tops.
Sleeping Beauty did not wake up, and by two I was forced to wake him up before kicking him out of the bar.
He wasn’t happy about it, called me a dumb bitch, and said he would kick my ass when I told him he was banned from ever stepping foot into the bar again.
The gun I pressed to his junk shut him up real fast.
I know I don’t have the right to ban anyone—sadly—but the trick worked nonetheless.
Now, it’s after two in the fucking morning, and I’m tired. So. Damn. Tired.
