Page 21 of When You're Home
Rhett scanned the restaurant for her then, his gaze landing smack on her ass as she reached across a booth to set out a jelly caddy. At that exact moment, she straightened up and turned around, locking eyes with him. If it was anyone else in the whole world, Rhett would have felt embarrassed or, at least, felt compelled to feel embarrassed. But not with Tori. He winked at her, but she just shook her head and rolled her eyes in return.
“Okay, so the first weekend’s out?” Jake pulled his attention back to their conversation.
“Yeah, we’ll head to the concert that afternoon or earlier if we can, then I plan to crash at the cabin instead of making the drive home on Friday night,” Rhett explained. “My parents, Maddie, and a few of her friends are spending the whole week at the cabin, but they don’t arrive until Sunday.”
“So you’ll be home by Sunday?”
“Yeah, the latest I’ll be home is Sunday night. Do you want to hang in Hampton for a few days first? We’ve got tickets to the Sabres game for Wednesday, then the hotel in Niagara Falls is booked Thursday through Sunday.”
“Abso-fucking-lutely. I’m thinking we go hard with back-to-back Jake and Rhett Parties just like the good old days. We’ll host at your place on Sunday night, go for round two on Monday, and then we can sober up enough to drive to Buffalo on Tuesday.”
“That works for me,” Rhett nodded in agreement. “You handle the guest list, and I’ll check the liquor supply at home before I go back to Easton.”
He was relieved Jake didn’t give him any pushback about not heading to Buffalo right away. Spending the first weekend of spring break with Tori then sticking around Hampton for a few extra days ensured they would get to spend a good amount of time together that week.
“Look alive, kids!” Mike hollered as he pushed through the kitchen doors into the main dining area. “Locks are turning,” he warned, walking to the front of the restaurant to open for the day.
“You made the spicy, right, Wheeler?” he asked as he hustled past the bar area.
“Told ya,” Rhett muttered under his breath as he sucker-punched his best friend in the chest.
“Yes, sir!” Rhett barked out for Mike.
Chapter 13
Tori
TheSundayshiftatClinton’sflewbylikeitusuallydid,startingoffsteadyassoonasMikeunlockedthedoors,thenreallypickingupafterallthechurchesletoutacrosstown.Torihadbeenslammedwithtableaftertable,mostlyfamiliesandlargegroups.Shewasfightingofffatigueassheshiftedherweightfromhiptohip,waitingforanoldercoupletodecidewhethertoorderthesausagegravyorthegrits.
She took the opportunity to steal a glance across the dining room at Rhett, who had maintained his position behind the bar with Jake as promised. Every bar stool was filled, even at twelve thirty on a Sunday in their moderately conservative town. Tori had watched several regulars come in, notice that Rhett was working, and make a beeline for a seat at the bar. The boy had a magnetism to him that was undeniable. This town—and everyone in it—loved him.
He was currently entertaining the entire bar with some loud and boisterous story. He threw his hands up in the air, then wrapped one arm around Jake’s shoulder as he concluded. Tori could hear a steady roll of laughter from the audience around him. She watched him as he worked, efficiently refilling everyone’s water glasses and throwing in a few extra smiles and winks for good measure. He was so good at making people feel seen. It was more than just good manners. He had a gift for connecting and taking care of people.
As soon as Mr. and Mrs. Wishy-Washy decided to order both the sausage gravy and the grits, she mentally pulled herself together and took off for the point-of-sale station in the kitchen.
“Hey, V,” she heard Rhett call out as she tried to discreetly press through the bar area unnoticed. Tori looked up to see him holding out a Bloody Mary, grinning at her.
“Clean rim, just the mix, extra spicy, and salty enough there’s no way it’ll make you have to pee,” he responded to every single one of her protests before she could even open her mouth. His insistence on taking care of her was sweet at best, but suffocating at worst, especially when they had an audience. She silently cursed herself for letting her guard down last night. The man obviously thought he had a free pass to keep up the concerned boyfriend act today.
“Pass that to her, please,” he instructed, handing the glass to a middle-aged woman still wearing her Sunday best. The woman eagerly took the glass from his hands.
“Here you go, dear,” she muttered, following Rhett’s direction without question while not taking her eyes off him.
“Thank you,” she responded kindly to the customer.
“And thank you, overbearing bartender.” Tori smirked as she continued on toward the kitchen. “Cheers!” she called back over her shoulder before she passed through the swinging double doors. She shouldn’t have been surprised when a hardy round of “Cheers!” erupted behind her, followed by the swell of his laughter.
By the time three p.m. rolled around, she was a walking zombie. The restaurant was quiet now, save for a few stragglers at the bar. She knew most of the patrons were still there because of the surprise guest bartender hanging out with Jake. She made her way idly around the bar, using the back of her hand to hide a big yawn.
“Let’s go home,” Rhett whispered behind her, making her jump at his proximity. He deftly pulled on the strings of her apron and grazed her hip, just as he had done when they first arrived.
“You clocking out, too, Wheeler?” Mike asked sarcastically from the corner seat of the bar. He had finally emerged from the kitchen to eat a late lunch now that the afternoon crowd had dispersed.
“Yes, sir,” Rhett replied earnestly. “I’ve gotta get my girl home to get some rest.”
She stiffened at his words. He knew better than to say things like that at work. Everyone who knew them knew they were together-ish, but it wasn’t something she liked to put on display. He must have picked up on her displeasure because he tried to amend the story on the spot.
“I convinced Tori to let me tag along today so we drove together. You know how chicks love the Prelude…” He trailed off with a casual shrug.
