I snorted. “I bet Holden will love that.”
Elizabeth’s eyes glittered with amusement. “I bet he would.”
I rolled my eyes. “Respectfully, Elizabeth, your son is a dickhead.”
She laughed and blew the steam off her tea. “Especially when it comes to you, my dear.”
Something occurred to me and I straightened up. “Hey. If I wanted to find a job in town, where would I go?”
“The bar. Olivia’s working on her thesis this year and needs help.”
Right, I remembered Olivia. She was best friends with Holden’s brother, Finn.
A bar, huh? The tips would mean I’d be making money right away. I’d never worked in a bar or restaurant, but how hard could it be?
I grinned at Elizabeth. “Excellent.”
9
Sadie
“If you wantto work here, there are three rules.”
Olivia glanced over her shoulder at me while pouring a beer. Now in her late twenties, she wore a black t-shirt and jeans, and her hair was pink and tied up in a bun, dark brown roots peeking through. Her parents were spending the year traveling, so she was running the bar while they were away.
“Don’t lie to me, don’t steal from me.”
I leaned my chin on my palm on the bar counter. “Deal. What’s the third?”
She pinned me with her gaze. “Never,everlet Finn Rhodes inside the bar.” She leaned in, holding eye contact. “Don’t listen to a word he says. He’ll locate your weakness, Sadie, and he will exploit it.”
Her gaze crackled with fury and I shivered. “You guys used to be friends, right?”
Olivia stared at me. “I don’t want to talk about it. That’s my fourth rule.”
I put my hands up. “Say no more.”
The fury dropped from her gaze and she brightened up. “Great.” She gestured for me to join her behind the bar. “Get back here, girl, we’ve got work to do.”
“Oh. Now?”
She nodded with enthusiasm. “Mhm. Right now.”
I made my way around the bar and set my bag underneath. There were so many bottles and glasses back here, I didn’t know where to look first. “I’ve never been behind the bar before.”
She rolled her eyes with a smile. “Cute. So cute.”
Olivia showed me how to pour a beer with minimal head, how to key in drinks and food on the POS system, and how to communicate orders with the kitchen.
“When the keg is low, let me know and I’ll swap it out, okay?”
“You bet.” I shot her a grateful smile. “Thanks, Olivia. This is going to be fun.”
She let out a loudha!and turned back to pouring drinks while I strode over to the table.
Three hours later, the rush died down and I collapsed against the counter.
It wasnotfun.