Free The Last Second Chance: A Small Town Love Story (Blue Moon Book 3) by Lucy Score

didn’t provide one. “Does he want something?”
    Deke shrugged. “Dunno.”
    Jax fixed him with a steely gaze that seemed to have no effect. “How about you ask him who he is and what he wants and then we’ll go from there?”
    Deke shrugged again. “Cool,” he said before shuffling off.
    “Does he even know how to take an order?” Carter asked.
    Jax rubbed his hands over his face and tried to remind himself he’d once been Deke’s age. But he’d retained more brain cells.
    “Let’s get through these numbers before the kitchen burns down and all the kegs burst,” he said swiveling the screen around to face his brothers.
    “Hey, Jax?” Cheryl was back with the cordless from the host stand. “This guy says he’s been on hold for ten minutes waiting to talk to you?”
    Jax swore ripely and snagged the phone from her. Two more phone calls, an emergency restart of the POS, and a tripped breaker in the kitchen later, he was back at the table.
    By the time he walked his brothers through the preliminary numbers, the tables were starting to fill up for the dinner crowd.
    “So what you’re saying is we could actually start seeing a profit eventually,” Beckett said, pushing his empty glass around the table.
    “I went over everything with Franklin and he seems to think we’re right where we need to be, if not a little ahead,” Jax explained. “Which is all well and good, but I’ve got a suggestion that would push that profit back a ways.”
    “We’re not burning the place down, Jax,” Carter sighed.
    “I’m talking about hiring a general manager, not arson.”
    That shut them up.
    “It’s something we were going to have to do eventually and I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t deal with a hundred emergencies every shift. It’s driving me insane. And I think it might make sense to hire someone experienced now before we fuck all this up.”
    His brothers shared a glance.
    “We’re already getting calls about events and catering,” Carter admitted, running his hand through his hair.
    Bottom Line Beckett was frowning. “I don’t think there’s anyone on staff who we could tap for that.”
    Jax shook his head in agreement. “We’re gonna have to look outside.”
    “You sound like you have someone in mind,” Carter said warily.
    “I’ve got a long shot. A perfect long shot, but I need to do a little recon first.”
    “So we’ll table the discussion for now,” Beckett suggested.
    “Fair enough,” Carter agreed. “Now let me get us another round before the next item of business.”
    Jax watched his brother make his way to the bar, pausing to wave or chat here and there. “You know what he wants to talk about?” he asked Beckett.
    Beckett shrugged. “Got me. Maybe he wants to get another Clementine.”
    “Who knew lawyers were so funny?” Jax said, layering on the sarcasm.
    “You sound like Gianna,” Beckett said.
    “How is the blushing bride?”
    The grin that split his brother’s face told Jax everything he needed to know.
    “When are you gonna get yourself a blushing bride?” Beckett asked, poking him in the chest.
    “When I figure out how to make Joey blush.”
    “Good luck with that,” Beckett snorted.
    Deke wandered up again, a tray of food in his hand. “Uh, hey, Jax. Do you know where table fourteen is?”
    Jax took a measured breath and regretted it. Deke’s last smoke break smelled more like pot than tobacco. He stood and clapped a hand on the boy’s bony shoulder. “Listen, Deke. I don’t think this is working out. I feel like this job just isn’t playing to your strengths.”
    Deke’s cellphone rang from the depths of his cargo shorts. “Can you hold this?” he asked, thrusting the tray into Jax’s hands.
    Beckett covered his laugh with a cough.
    While Deke answered a call from someone who answered to “Hey, man,” Jax hustled off to table fourteen to deliver the rapidly cooling food.
    “Ladies,” he said, pulling the first plate off the tray.