Free How to Date a Dragon by Ashlyn Chase Page B

customers have to meet a one-drink or two-soft-drink minimum. In other words, she’s very good for business.” Claudia spoke behind her hand: “Don’t charge her or cut her off. Anthony lets her drink for free, and she’s more psychic when she’s had a few.”
    Bliss thought she saw one side of Sadie’s mouth curl up in a sly smile. “If she’s psychic, why are you whispering? Won’t she know what you’re talking about anyway?”
    Claudia snorted. “Leave it to you to think of that.”
    At that moment, Wendy reappeared with a drink for Sadie. She set the cocktail in front of her and said, “There you go,” in her sprightly voice. Then she whirled to face Claudia. “Is Bliss ready to be my shadow?”
    “Ask her.”
    Bliss thought she saw Claudia smirk. What’s that about?
    “Okay,” Wendy said, unfazed. “Are you ready, Bliss?”
    Bliss pulled the order pad from her apron pocket. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
    ***
    A couple hours later, out of the corner of her eye, Bliss caught Claudia exiting her office with someone else. She led him right over to where Bliss was wiping down a table.
    “Bliss, this is Anthony,” Claudia said.
    The tall, dark, and impossibly handsome man scrutinized her with such an intense stare, Bliss trembled inside.
    Reverting to her old, flippant coping mechanism, she said, “Yo, Tony. How you doin’?”
    His eyebrows shot up. Claudia gaped at her friend, and the activity near them ceased while people listened to the uncomfortable exchange.
    “Um… Bliss,” Claudia whispered, “no one calls him Tony.”
    “Oh.” She wanted to slink off into a safe corner and give herself a time-out.
    At last one side of Anthony’s mouth turned up. “I’m ‘doin’’ well, thank you. And how you doin’?”
    She didn’t miss the mimicry and probably deserved it. Still, the fact that he went along with her Italian-American slang made her feel better somehow. If he was comfortable teasing his employees a little bit, maybe he wasn’t the stick-in-the-mud Claudia had made him out to be.
    After a deep breath, she said, “I’m quite well, thank you. And I want you to know how much I appreciate the job and apartment.”
    He nodded but made no comment. Focusing on Claudia, he said, “Can I see you in the office, please?”
    Oh, shit. Claudia’s probably in trouble with the owner for hiring me.
    “Of course.” Claudia followed Anthony to the small office where Bliss had changed into her uniform. She glanced over her shoulder and sent Bliss a wink.
    Whew. She doesn’t seem worried, so maybe she’s right and he just appears intimidating. Bliss let out a deep breath. She couldn’t afford to be shit-canned. At least not until she got her Hall-Snark cards back on line—but not online. There had to be a better way to protect her grand finale.
    Wendy bounded over to her. “Did you just call him Tony?”
    No sense denying it with half a dozen witnesses. “Yeah. And I’m afraid I said, ‘Yo’ too.”
    Wendy giggled. “That’s funny.”
    “Why?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know. It just is.”
    With that, she skipped off to the bar to give Angie her orders.
    Bliss noticed Sadie smiling at her. Maybe she’d tell her if the owner was really the pussycat Claudia indicated he was, or if she’d completely blown her chance to make a good first impression.
    Bliss made her way around the tables to Sadie’s booth. The woman continued shuffling her tarot cards even as she smiled up at her.
    “Um, Sadie. Did I do something terribly wrong by calling your nephew Tony? Does he hate that nickname or something?”
    She chuckled. “No, dear. You’re fine. I think you just surprised him. He isn’t used to employees being comfortable around him. At least not right away. I think you made a good first impression.”
    “Seriously? I was already looking for another job in my head.”
    Sadie laughed melodiously. “Don’t you go anywhere. You’re a breath of fresh air around here.” Then she