Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

I smoothed my wavy hair and stepped back to check myself in the mirror. Dressed in a white button-up with a snug black skirt, I looked decent. My face was “pretty enough” even with a slightly small nose. Personally, I thought my eyes were my best asset. Vena claimed it was my chest. Sure, I was curvy, but nothing to bring a guy to his knees.

So why, then, were Cross and Shepard so persistent about me?

Shaking my head, I turned away from the mirror and picked up my phone to reread Cross’ text messages. He’d been outright flirting this time. Plainly stating his interest in me. Sure, he’d hinted before and kissed me…and enjoyed sneaking into my bed. But he’d never been so straightforward.

Neither had Shepard. Until now.

Vena’s advice to keep it fair had been replaying in my head. Screw being fair to them . What about being fair to me? I was slowly slipping into a situation I worried wouldn’t end well for anyone. If I were smart, I’d walk away from both of them.

With a sigh, I pocketed my phone and opened my notebook to work on the list of potential desserts I could make for Shepard to serve at Blur until Vena was ready.

On the way out, I grabbed the fairy trash I’d made. She radiated anticipation with each step.

“Please don’t do anything I’m going to regret,” I said.

She paused opening her car door and really looked at me.

“You okay? You sound…tired.”

I got in behind the wheel and waved to Gunner, who was on guard duty again. Vena waited until we were on our way to turn and look at me.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“You say play the field, but what happens when one of them eventually wants me to choose? Bridges will be burned, and I’ll need to say goodbye to a secure job or having my dream handed to me. Or both.

“I don’t mind working for my dream, Vena. If I earn it myself, no one else will be able to take it away from me.”

“Hey. Whoa. Where’s all this negativity coming from?”

“What if I’m just a game to them? As soon as I said yes to a date with Shepard, suddenly Cross started playing his cards too.”

Vena fidgeted before bursting out, “I’m sorry. That kiss was too hot not to share.”

Stunned, I shot a panicked look at Vena. Cross and Shepard weren’t the ones playing a game. My best friend was.

“You didn’t,” I said in disbelief.

“I just wanted to motivate Cross. He likes you, but he’s playing it too safe.”

“Dammit, Vena, not everyone needs to be a wrecking ball like you!”

The car went silent. Neither of us said anything until we were almost at Blur.

“I crossed the line, and I’m sorry, Ev. Really.”

We’d been friends since forever. Like all friends, we’d had our share of spats, but when push came to shove, Vena always had my back. Always. And whenever I hurt, she hurt with me.

“I love you, Vena, but I need some time to stop being mad about this,” I said honestly.

She nodded as I pulled into the employee parking lot.

Boulder was watching the back door and didn’t seem to notice that Vena and I were unusually silent when we went inside and stowed our things in our lockers.

“Vena,” Anchor said from behind us.

“Just the guy I need to talk to,” she said, looking at him in the doorway. “This isn’t working, Anchor. I need some time to think about whatever this is that we have.”

We both stared at her, waiting for the punchline. Instead, she walked past him without even looking at him.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

“No. We kind of had a disagreement before work. I think this is the fallout. She should be better by the end of her shift.”

He nodded but looked worried. I wasn’t sure how to reassure him. She was crazy about Anchor. Why would she want to keep her distance now? Was it what I’d said before? About it being forever? I didn’t think so since she’d known that all along. Was she playing hard to get to draw him in, then? Or was it the stress of waiting for news from her parents?

I patted his arm and, on my way to find Shepard, dropped the fairy trash off at the bar. He was in his office, looking down at a clipboard on his desk. But as soon as I crossed the threshold, he glanced up at me with a smile that put me at ease.

“Do you have a few minutes?” I asked him.

“Always for you.”

I let that comment slide. “You mentioned offering a curated dessert menu, right?”

He nodded. “Do you have ideas?”

“Some. But I’d like to know your thoughts before I get ahead of myself.”

He sat back in his chair and gestured for me to sit as well. I took the guest chair across from him.

“I need to know your vision. Are we talking about a full range of options from pastries to cakes to pies to chocolates, or are you looking for a signature dessert? Or a dessert of the day, even?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment, his gaze resting on a printed menu on his desk. He pulled it free and looked at it.

“I didn’t have a vision when I asked you about it, but you sparked an idea.” He handed me the menu. “What if you come up with a dessert pairing for each item on the menu?”

“Each item on the menu?” While it wasn’t a huge menu, that would be a lot of desserts.

“Let’s see what you can come up with,” he said as if reading my thoughts. “I’ll ask Buzz and Detroit to create cocktails that pair with them. The top pairings will go on a featured menu that can be rotated so we don’t have to have a lot of desserts on hand.”

“I like that idea. It will take me some time to do the pairings, though. Can I take home some of the menu items to taste test while I experiment?”

He nodded. “Just tell Griz or Gator what you want before the end of the night. I’ll let them know it’s approved.”

Standing, I was about to go to the employee room when Shepard stopped me.

“Have you decided where you would like to go on our date?” he asked.

I thought for a moment. Since I was on the fence about the date, I could turn this into a working date. “What if we try a place with a wide selection of desserts? We could see if any would work with our menu.”

“Okay. I know a place. What time will you be free?”

“Is noon tomorrow okay?”

“It’s a date.”

My heart fluttered, and my stomach dipped. If I had to keep dealing with these men, I’d be admitted to the hospital soon. Why did they both have to be so nice, responsible, and gorgeous? Those qualities were a love trifecta for me.

I fled the office so I could breathe again and found Vena in the employee room. She was focused on her phone, and a second later, I got an incoming message.

“What are you up to?” I asked, allowing my annoyance with her to fizzle out like it always did.

“Just asking for an update from Miles. I included you in the message. We should have heard from him by now, right?”

“Maybe. But if you were there, you’d be too busy looking at everything to pay attention to your phone, right? You saw the pictures. I bet you could explore the inside of the mountain for a year and not see everything. Your family is probably having the time of their lives.”

“I just can’t imagine the dwarves giving them too much freedom until they figure out what happened to the prince. Have you heard anything on the news?”

“We’ve been together the entire time. When have I watched the news?”

Before she could respond, Shepard and Anchor walked into the room. Anchor stood on the opposite side of the room from Vena and cast occasional glances her way.

“Assignments for tonight are as follows. Everly is on VIP, Pam upper left, Adrian lower left, Thomas lower right, and Vena upper right.”

I winced. She’d be in the same section as Anchor. If she was trying to avoid him…

“Can Pam and I switch, please?” Vena asked. “I’m having some issues and want to be closer to the bathroom.”

“Sure,” Shepard said slowly. “Do you mind, Pam?”

“Not at all,” she said.

Anchor’s shoulders dropped as he walked out of the room, and Vena avoided my gaze as she stood to leave. I watched her walk out and felt a thread of worry.

“Will she be all right for her shift?” Shepard asked quietly.

“She’ll be fine.”

Leaving the employee room, I prepped my station and got ready for a busy Saturday night. Though we were missing our dwarven regulars on the main floor, the fae maintained their presence in the VIP lounge in spades. Their natural appeal tugged at my senses, wearing me down as the hours ticked away.

“You look tired, my beauty,” one of them commented as I delivered another round of drinks.

“Are you hinting I need to touch up my makeup?” I asked with a teasing smile.

He grinned at me. “I’m hinting that you should sit with us for a moment.”

“Better not. I’d bore you in seconds.”

“Now, that’s impossible.” His gaze drifted over me in an appreciative way that didn’t feel creepy but more adoring. And that was the danger with fae; they could draw you in with a glance.

“Entirely possible. Do you know what I really want to ask you?” I asked, leaning toward him.

Interest and desire lit his gaze. “Ask me anything, pet?”

“What kinds of desserts do fae like to eat? Beignets? Dacquoise? Something simpler like an English biscuit? Or maybe like a Japanese cloud cake?”

He laughed, and the sexy sound wrapped around me.

“You truly are curious, aren’t you?”

“I am. I’ve been wanting to eat at Enticed but keep forgetting to make the reservation. They have fae desserts, right? Not just desserts that cater to humans?”

“You are a delight,” the fae said. “Give me your number, and the next evening you’re available, I’ll take you to Enticed myself.”

“Tempting, but did you see that trim brunette with a pout downstairs? She owes me a dinner there, and if I go with you first, she’s not going to pay up, so I’ll have to decline.”

“For now, then.”

I smiled and left their table. When I approached the bar, Detroit looked at me questioningly. I nodded to indicate that everything was fine and waited for him to fill my next order.

By the time the end of the shift finally arrived, my feet hurt, and my pocket held a neatly folded hundred-dollar bill in my collection of twenties.

“I can see why you don’t want to count that downstairs,” Detroit said, watching me.

I wrinkled my nose and handed him the bartenders’ cut. “After Sierra’s jealousy over how much more I make in VIP, I’d not rub it in with the others.”

He nodded and continued to clean up behind the bar while I wiped tables. Vena wasn’t anywhere in the main bar when I finally descended. Anchor was, though. He stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting for me.

“She didn’t talk to you?” I asked.

“No talking. No teasing me by dropping things. Not even a glance. What happened, Everly?”

“I think sexual frustration combined with not hearing from her family and a best friend who was maybe a little firmer than she should have been got to her. I’ll talk to her, okay? And nicely this time. I promise.”

He nodded. “The fairy trash was good, by the way.”

Everyone behind the bar seconded his sentiment, and I waved goodbye to them as I headed to the kitchen.

Vena wasn’t at the time clock or waiting by the back door. When I couldn’t find my keys, I had a teeny bit of concern she’d left without me. But when I opened the door and saw Shepard standing outside, he nodded toward my car.

“She’s waiting for you. I am too.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

“Yeah. My second-best server wasn’t on her game tonight, and I’m worried about her.”

“I’ll let her know. Thanks for caring, Shepard.”

“Always. Pick you up tomorrow at noon?”

“I’ll be waiting.”

A hint of gold flashed in his eyes. Pretending I saw nothing, I walked to my car and got in next to my silent best friend.

I waited until we pulled out onto the road to apologize.

“I snapped too hard at you, Vena, and I’m sorry. Anchor’s worried about you.”

She sighed heavily and looked out her window.

“Do you know why I’ve been pushing you to play with Shepard and Cross more lately?”

“Because you’re horny and want me to get some if you can’t?” I joked.

She gave a small laugh. It wasn’t what I’d hoped for, but it was something.

“Sure, there’s always that,” she said. “But it’s more, too. I’m crazy serious about Anchor, Ev. He’s the one, and we’re so close to giving in to what we both know is right.”

“Uh…wow. Didn’t see that coming. Then why did you tell him you needed some time apart?”

“So I don’t jump him, obviously.”

“Why aren’t you jumping him if he’s Mr. Right?”

She finally faced me, her expression sad.

“Because I can’t leave you alone, Ev. I won’t.”

Understanding hit me hard. Werewolves mated for life. She knew what saying yes to Anchor would mean. They’d marry and start their family–at light speed if their make-out sessions so far were any indication. One of us would move out to give the other one privacy.

Knowing that I was holding her back from what she really wanted was a punch to the gut.

“Vena, please don’t rob me of the chance to be the best maid of honor this world has ever seen just because my love life is moving at a snail's pace. Sisters cheer each other on; they don’t hold each other back.”

She sighed heavily.

“I’ll think about it.”