Free Right Side Up ((MMG Novella)) by R.B. Hilliard Page A

tears of joy.
    My Gage was finally back.

Chapter Six
    Kurt
    ‡
    M arsha Malloy appeared at Dragonfly the week before Dillon and I decided to hire some new help. From the minute she planted her ass on the bar stool in front of me, to the moment she walked out the door, she did not shut up. If she wasn’t talking, she was singing. If she wasn’t singing, she was flirting. It made no difference to her that I was wearing a wedding ring. If anything, it made her more persistent. She had short blonde hair, big blue eyes and a round baby face. I pegged her at not a day over eighteen, so I carded her straight off the bat. She was barely twenty one and acted immature and entitled, two things that disgust me to no end. I’d learned through the years to stay far away from girls like her. They lead to only one thing: Trouble.
    We had barely put the help wanted sign outside Dragonfly’s front door before Marsha was there applying for the job. There was absolutely no way in hell I would hire her. Even so, I made sure to look over her application and even call a few of her referrals. This way, when I turned her down, she couldn’t claim discrimination or lack of follow through.
    The week Dillon and I called Marsha in to tell her we’d hired someone else was a shit week for me. Finally, after months of horrible morning sickness, Joss and I had mind blowing sex. After, I had to helplessly stand by and watch her almost lose our unborn child. At least, that’s what we thought was happening. As it turns out, our baby was okay, but, in order to keep it that way, we were told no sex for the next month and for Josselyn to be off her feet as much as possible. When Marsha knocked on my office door, I almost excused myself and let Dillon handle her. Instead, I pasted a fake smile on my face as I ushered her in. Then I promptly told her we would not be hiring her at Dragonfly.
    “Did you check my references?” she haughtily asked.
    “We did. Look, this has nothing to do with you personally, Marsha. There are several other applicants who have the experience we are looking for,” I politely explained.
    “Well, I find that hard to believe,” she clipped. “I have worked at bars all over the South.”
    Dillon coughed out a laugh and said, “We’re sorry it didn’t work out this time, but thanks for applying.” We both stood up. I walked over and opened the door to let her out.
    With a mumbled “Thanks,” she slipped by me and out the door.
    As I closed it behind her, I sighed in relief. “That went better than I thought it would.”
    “That girl is a disaster waiting to happen,” Dillon said.
    I gave him a knowing smile. “Talking from experience, huh?” Dillon’s ex-booty call, Dana Harkins, was one nasty nut job. She put Marsha’s antics to shame.
    He responded with a smile and a middle finger.
    I saw Marsha in Dragonfly maybe a handful of times after that. She always made a point of selecting a stool directly in front of me. In regular psycho fashion, she never spoke a word. She just drank her fruity drinks and glared at me. Occasionally, she would bring a friend. They would both stare at me and giggle like school girls. I would find an excuse to get someone else to cover the bar whenever this happened. Whether it was paperwork in the back office or inventory, I tried to be anywhere but the bar.
    About a week and a half after the doctor put Joss on what she called, ‘house arrest,’ she woke in a good mood. This was a rare thing these days. She was actually smiling. When Josselyn smiled, my whole world lit up.
    “Hey baby, what’s up?” I asked.
    “Well, Ellie just texted and said she and Max are having a MMG cookout tonight. Can you get someone to cover your shift and take me, please?”
    I tried not to frown. Joss did not need to overdo it. Losing our baby would destroy her. Resisting the urge to immediately say no, I asked, “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
    “I will sit the whole time, except when I have to