Page 43 of Merry with a Brewmaster
23
WELLS
The bell over the door rings again as Vienna saunters in looking hot as fuck in a low-cut sweater dress and her cowboy boots.
Always those damn boots.
The bar is packed with it being the week before Christmas, and in addition to playing “Cheeseburger in Paradise” by Jimmy Buffett at the start of every day, I’ve now added his collection of holiday classics to the songs I can’t get out of my head after my shift is done.
It’s a small price to pay for being able to brew beer people rave about in Love Beach and beyond.
“I wasn’t expecting to see youyet.” I let the implication linger as she slides onto a newly vacated bar stool and smiles, because I absolutely plan on seeing every naked inch of her later.
“I got some really great news and want you to be the first to know that my offer was accepted! Closing is scheduled for the end of January!”
“Vienna, that’s incredible. Congratulations.” My expression matches hers and I can’t put into words how proud I am of the woman before me.
“And,”she says dramatically, “Case Thayer has agreed to design a greenhouse for me! Agreenhousefor The Greene House!”
I chuckle. “I have no idea who that is, but that’s great, right?”
Vienna nods. “He lives the next town over from where I grew up and created this self-sustaining greenhouse. He and his brother own a landscaping business, and they grow a lot of the flowers they use on jobs. It’s incredible, and having one here will be so beneficial for the shop.”
“I love hearing you so excited,” I say, letting her see the sincerity in my expression before nodding toward the packed bar, “but you’re gonna have to tell me the rest later.”
“How ’bout a drink then?” she purrs, leaning her forearms on the wood and pushing her tits together to give me a mouthwatering view of cleavage.
“Anything you want, Miss Greene.”
“That sounds promising.”
“You know it is.”
“How about a white wine for now and we’ll see where the night takes us?”
“I definitely like the sound of that,” I say with a wink as I fill the glass and slide it in front of her. But I can’t linger because it’s busy, and while I’d love to chat up my Siren, I need to do my actual job.
So for the rest of the night I keep one eye on Vienna and the other on the bar, explaining the seasonal lagers, IPAs, and stouts, noting everyone’s favorites and teasing the brews we have planned for the new year.
I’d never had so much interaction with the front of the house in any of the other bars I’d worked at, and while it’s been an adjustment, I’d grown to like this too. It was always a mix of people who genuinely knew what to look for in a beer and those throwing around buzz words to impress their date.
I like them both—keeps things interesting.
But not tonight.
Tonight, I just watch the clock tick by as I go through the motions of taking orders and making small talk with tourists and locals alike.
It isn’t till the last customer leaves, well after midnight, that I can take my first full breath as my eyes land on Vienna. Her cheeks are flushed, not as much from the alcohol as from the desire coursing through her, something that’s confirmed when she turns on her stool toward me and squeezes her legs together.
Flipping the sign on the door from open to closed, I turn the lock and kill the lights in the front section of the bar before stalking toward Vienna and pulling her off her stool.
Her eyes widen in surprise, but it’s the way her lips curve up into a devilish smile that tells me she knows exactly where this is going.
“Where are the blind spots in this place?” I murmur as I back her into the storage room, my lips trailing hot kisses down her neck.
“That way…” She moans and points a shaking hand behind a tall shelving rack in the corner.
“How do you know that?” I growl even as I steer her there.
