Free VIP (Rock & Release, Act I) by Riley Edgewood Page B

need." She walks over to open her fridge, pulling out a bowl of something. "Salsa from last night—we ordered Mexican after you and Gage closed yourselves off." She pauses to smile. "Plus, if you crash with me…I have ulterior motives."
    "Ulterior motives?" I wait, wondering what her response will be. Rides to work? Extra rent money?  
    "You inspire me, taking a stand like you are." She winks, all co-conspirator. "If you stay here, you can keep me from letting Jared come back after work tonight. And all other nights. Well, most nights. Some. A few… Or—ugh. See? I need help. I have zero resolve. This is so annoying."
    "Oh now you want to talk about Jared?"
    "If we're going to be roommates, you'll figure things out about him pretty quickly anyway."
    Roommates. What a lovely word. So lovely, I stop myself from telling her I figured Jared out the moment I met him. There are gentler ways to get around to it. Instead, I open my mouth to ask what I can contribute toward rent, but she speaks again before I have the chance.  
    "He comes across as a total jerk. I'm not blind."
    "But you're into him?" I keep my face molded into the least judgmental expression I can manage.  
    "There is so much more to him than what you see on the surface." She pulls out a bag of chips. "Help yourself."
    I join her at the kitchen table, but am too full from the burger to eat. I wonder if I should keep asking her about Jared, or if it's too much too soon. She makes things easy and switches the conversation to BackBar and bartending and the essentials to making drinks. My gut tells me it won't be quite as easy as she makes it seem.
    An hour later she's following me out to my car to help carry my things in.  
    This time when she says, "Make yourself at home," she means it literally and I blink furiously when my eyes grow hot with tears.
    But I brush them away because this is not a summer meant for tears. This summer's Cassidy is breezy and happy and not attached to anything serious.  
    And I'm also—I can't help but think of Gage—ready for some serious heat.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    Bartending is not easy if you have absolutely zero experience and the person you're working with apparently hates you for no reason.
    Oh, and your boss is just freaking living it up over how much you're struggling.
    Screwing the pourer on a bottle of tequila and giving a few silent three counts, I pour four shots for two slightly drunk old dudes, who, thank God, only order simple things like these shots and beers.  
    But then an order for three margaritas comes in and even though I've already got the tequila out, it takes me forever to make them. I step around the huge damp spot on the ground where I've already—not once, but twice—spilled entire drinks.  
    So actually I guess Clark—my co-bartender—doesn't hate me for no reason.  
    The VIP patio is a million times more crowded before tonight's concert than it was for Demi Jade's. Or maybe it's just from my frenzied perspective behind the bar. And the bar. Oh, the bar. It's so much bigger than it looks from the other side. I swear I've walked five miles back and forth and back and forth in the past hour alone. Thank God Vera warned me about wearing comfortable shoes instead of the sandals I originally slipped on.
    I wipe my hand across my brow, finding it slick with sweat. I'm out of breath and I've already forgotten the next ingredient on the very short list of margarita ingredients. Oh wait. It's simple syrup. Where the hell is the simple syrup? I spin around looking everywhere, on top of the bar, below the bar—but everything just blurs together.  
    This is hard. This is so fucking hard.
    I can't stop grinning.  
    This is so much better than some stuffy internship.
    "Here." Clark manages to fit both a sigh and a sneer in one word and hands me a cocktail shaker. "Margaritas on the rocks already made. All you have to do is add ice to the cups and pour." He wraps his hand around my wrist to stop me as I'm about