beneath the bar. "On the rocks?" I asked, wondering if he wanted his whiskey poured over ice.
"Straight up," he said, telling me that he wanted it without any.
"Sure thing," I said, upending the bottle and counting out two measures of the booze as I poured it into the glass. I set it in front of him. "$14.00."
"Expensive place," he muttered. He frowned in disapproval as he reached for his wallet. He pulled it out of his back pocket and put a $20 on the bar.
"Sorry, but you said you wanted a double, and a shot of top shelf is $7.00," I said off-handedly. I shrugged and took the twenty to the register. I rang up the sale and took $6.00 change out of the cash drawer.
"Keep the change," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand as I neared him again.
I raised my eyebrows. Big tip for such a little tab. I was lucky if I got any tip at all most orders. People tipped waitresses in this town, not bartenders. Usually when people said "keep the change" to me, it was like 12 cents or something they just didn't want to put in their pocket or purse. I shook my head. Clearly he wasn't a local. I'd never seen him before, and I'd remember a guy that hot. Also clearly, he'd never been in here before, since he'd commented on the price of the liquor.
I hesitated, holding the bills in my hand for a minute. "You sure I can't get you anything else? How about a menu? The kitchen's still open, if you wanted a burger or something."
He shook his head and brought his glass to his lips. His gorgeous full lips. They seemed to almost caress the rim of the glass. I couldn't help but stare at him for a second as he took a long, slow swallow. I blinked and shook my head to clear it. I shrugged and put the cash in my hand in the tip jar under the bar. I reached for a rag and pretended to tidy up. I slid the remote control to the bar TV toward him as I wiped down the polished wood. He ignored it and kept his gorgeous brown eyes on his beautiful manly hands.
I shook my head again and made myself stop looking at him. Rain smacked against the windows again. The door blew open and banged against the wall before it closed again. I rolled my eyes and groaned through gritted teeth. I looked at my watch and almost sighed in relief. Less than an hour to go.
The lights flickered for a moment before I heard the loud boom of thunder. I looked up at the ceiling nervously.
"Gettin' nasty out there," he murmured against the rim of his glass as he took another long swallow of his drink.
I swallowed hard and nodded. I didn't like thunderstorms. I didn't mind storms so much if there wasn't any lightning or thunder. Lightning and I go way back. I didn't like it at all. Suddenly I was regretting telling Jenny she could go early. Oh, well. Pedro was still here.
"It's not always like this," I said, finding my voice as I went back to wiping down the bar. "Summertime we get bad storms on occasion, but they're rare. This is a freaky one."
The man nodded and sipped his drink. He was almost halfway done with it now.
"If you're OK here, I'm going to start tidying up," I said, nodding toward the empty dining area.
"Be my guest," he said, keeping his eyes on his drink. "I'll be out of your hair shortly."
My mouth dropped open in horror. "I didn't mean! Omigod, I didn't mean you to think that you're any trouble!"
His laughter cut me off. "I know you're about to close soon. It's late, it's nasty outside, you probably want to get home to your boyfriend."
"I don't have a boyfriend," I said quickly, then kicked myself. Why had I said that? Who said that to a total stranger?
He raised his eyes to me. A wry grin spread across his face. I shivered.
"Come now," he said, holding my eyes. "Surely a pretty thing like you has someone waiting on her at home. Girlfriend maybe?"
I couldn't help but shake my head. "No. No one."
He laughed again. The sound of it warmed me through and through, a delicious tingle crawling up my spine at the sound of it.
Lightning turned the windows
"Straight up," he said, telling me that he wanted it without any.
"Sure thing," I said, upending the bottle and counting out two measures of the booze as I poured it into the glass. I set it in front of him. "$14.00."
"Expensive place," he muttered. He frowned in disapproval as he reached for his wallet. He pulled it out of his back pocket and put a $20 on the bar.
"Sorry, but you said you wanted a double, and a shot of top shelf is $7.00," I said off-handedly. I shrugged and took the twenty to the register. I rang up the sale and took $6.00 change out of the cash drawer.
"Keep the change," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand as I neared him again.
I raised my eyebrows. Big tip for such a little tab. I was lucky if I got any tip at all most orders. People tipped waitresses in this town, not bartenders. Usually when people said "keep the change" to me, it was like 12 cents or something they just didn't want to put in their pocket or purse. I shook my head. Clearly he wasn't a local. I'd never seen him before, and I'd remember a guy that hot. Also clearly, he'd never been in here before, since he'd commented on the price of the liquor.
I hesitated, holding the bills in my hand for a minute. "You sure I can't get you anything else? How about a menu? The kitchen's still open, if you wanted a burger or something."
He shook his head and brought his glass to his lips. His gorgeous full lips. They seemed to almost caress the rim of the glass. I couldn't help but stare at him for a second as he took a long, slow swallow. I blinked and shook my head to clear it. I shrugged and put the cash in my hand in the tip jar under the bar. I reached for a rag and pretended to tidy up. I slid the remote control to the bar TV toward him as I wiped down the polished wood. He ignored it and kept his gorgeous brown eyes on his beautiful manly hands.
I shook my head again and made myself stop looking at him. Rain smacked against the windows again. The door blew open and banged against the wall before it closed again. I rolled my eyes and groaned through gritted teeth. I looked at my watch and almost sighed in relief. Less than an hour to go.
The lights flickered for a moment before I heard the loud boom of thunder. I looked up at the ceiling nervously.
"Gettin' nasty out there," he murmured against the rim of his glass as he took another long swallow of his drink.
I swallowed hard and nodded. I didn't like thunderstorms. I didn't mind storms so much if there wasn't any lightning or thunder. Lightning and I go way back. I didn't like it at all. Suddenly I was regretting telling Jenny she could go early. Oh, well. Pedro was still here.
"It's not always like this," I said, finding my voice as I went back to wiping down the bar. "Summertime we get bad storms on occasion, but they're rare. This is a freaky one."
The man nodded and sipped his drink. He was almost halfway done with it now.
"If you're OK here, I'm going to start tidying up," I said, nodding toward the empty dining area.
"Be my guest," he said, keeping his eyes on his drink. "I'll be out of your hair shortly."
My mouth dropped open in horror. "I didn't mean! Omigod, I didn't mean you to think that you're any trouble!"
His laughter cut me off. "I know you're about to close soon. It's late, it's nasty outside, you probably want to get home to your boyfriend."
"I don't have a boyfriend," I said quickly, then kicked myself. Why had I said that? Who said that to a total stranger?
He raised his eyes to me. A wry grin spread across his face. I shivered.
"Come now," he said, holding my eyes. "Surely a pretty thing like you has someone waiting on her at home. Girlfriend maybe?"
I couldn't help but shake my head. "No. No one."
He laughed again. The sound of it warmed me through and through, a delicious tingle crawling up my spine at the sound of it.
Lightning turned the windows
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