Page 5 of Not Part of the Plan
“What’s up, Lila?” Emma asked, grateful for the server’s interruption.
“Rupert’s on line two trying to call off again,” Lila said with a dramatic eye roll. “He and Sunny broke up. Again.”
Emma bared her teeth. “You can tell Rupert that he can either get his skinny, heartbroken ass in here or I’m hiring Sunny’s new boyfriend to replace him.”
Lila’s big blue eyes got even bigger. “Seriously?”
“No! Gimmie.” Emma held out a hand for the phone, prayed for patience, and gave Rupert a sympathetic greeting.
She didn’t have a lot of time before opening, so she was going to have to make it quick. In four minutes, she got to the bottom of Rupert and Sunny’s fight, convinced him that not only would showing up for his shift give him a chance to apologize to Sunny but the tips he’d make could go toward a bouquet of apology flowers.
That had him sufficiently perked up enough to promise to be on time.
She hung up, giving it a fifty-fifty chance that the gangly perma-teen would actually show, and immediately launched into the next call that came from scorned girlfriend and dining room server, Sunshine.
Emma paced as she talked, helping Cheryl the bartender flip down barstools around the massive U-shaped bar made from reclaimed barn wood. She signed for a delivery and waved to Julio and Nan when they arrived to open the kitchen all while working on Sunny over the phone.
Girls were tougher to talk down than guys. But after eight minutes, Emma had Sunny convinced that the girl’s best revenge for Rupert ditching their two-month anniversary date so he could pull an all-nighter playing a medieval zombie video game with his cousins would be to show up at work looking gorgeous and happy and ignore his very existence.
Emma disconnected after procuring Sunny’s promise that she would indeed show up to “rub Rupert’s face in her awesomeness” and then dialed Every Bloomin’ Thing.
“Hi, Liz,” she said, when the floral shop owner answered. “Is there any way you could make up a pretty spring bouquet and have it sent over to the brewery tonight? I’d love you forever.”
“I just did up an arrangement of roses and lilies in yellow and pink. Will that do?” Liz asked.
“Does it look like a solid apology for skipping a date to slaughter zombies?”
“Oh, Rupert. When will you learn?” Liz sighed.
Blue Moon’s grapevine had clearly been working overtime. Emma did her best to avoid it, even refused to accept the invitation to join the town’s gossipy Facebook group.
“Yeah, these’ll work,” Liz decided. “I’ll throw in a purple ribbon since that’s Sunny’s fave.”
“You’re my hero,” Emma sighed. “Put them on my card, please.”
“With all the business you’ve thrown my way the past year, this one’s on me. I was coming in for dinner anyway,” Liz told her.
“Then the first round of drinks is on me,” Emma promised. She heard the tinkle of the front door bell on Liz’s end, and Liz called out a greeting.
“Gotta go. Jax Pierce just stormed through my front door looking like he’s in trouble with the wife.”
“Mmm, tell him he’s having dinner here tonight with the rest of the family so he’d better apologize fast,” Emma warned.
“Will do,” Liz said cheerfully. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Emma thanked her profusely and hung up. She glanced at her watch and muttered a string of curses under her breath. She was officially behind schedule.
She needed to talk specials with Julio and program them into the POS, double check that the keg room was in order, and count the bar drawer.
Inwardly cursing the lovesick antics of her team, Emma turned to drop the phone back in its cradle at the bar when she spotted Nikolai helping Cheryl flip the rest of the stools at the high-top tables.
She crossed her arms and watched, keeping a mask of disapproval in place. He moved with economical grace, hefting the stools as if they weighed no more than folding camp chairs. His shirt stretched tight over an expanse of chest and well-honed biceps, and the rolled-up sleeves allowed a peek at the ink on his arm.
From the looks of it, Cheryl was overjoyed with the helpandthe view. She fanned herself and winked at Emma behind Nikolai’s back.Not everyone could be immune to a gorgeous male as she was, Emma thought with a sigh. But not everyone had learned the lessons she had.
She straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. “I’m sure you have better things to do than help us open, Mr. Vulkov.”
Her voice carried across the expanse of space. Nikolai flipped the last stool and sauntered toward her.
