Page 10 of vKissed By the Bartender

I’m delighted when one of my old childhood girlfriends, Lana O’Mark, comes in. I hadn’t thought about her when I got to town, but now that I had her number I can maybe hang out with her.

Hell, I hadn’t thought about meeting up with anyone, but now that I’m around Joseph and thinking about hanging out with old friends, it feels like all the pieces of a long-lost puzzle were falling together.

As I pause to catch my breath from the busy night, I look over at Joseph. I think about what it would be like to work with him here in this town.

It feels so easy. So natural.

I can picture us owning and running a place like this. It’s a strange feeling.

The last thing I need is another choice, but I should at least consider this one.

Chapter 6

candice

We work our butts off the whole night. Even though it was busy, it was fun too. I never had the chance to do something like this, or even work a normal job.

I can't believe how much I missed out on growing up. I had to grow up fast, and LA is the kind of place that either chews you up and spits you out or sucks you into its magic and mayhem.

I think I am one of those who got sucked into it all and lost the chance to live at a normal pace.

“Congrats,” Joe smiles at me as he turns the closed sign on at the end of the night. “You just survived your first night as a short-order waitress at a dive bar in the middle of the boonies.” He laughs out loud, and I join in.

He reaches into his register and counts out over two hundred dollars. He hands me the money and I look at it, wondering what it was for.

“Why did you—”

“It’s your tip Candice,” he says. “Plus, whatever you got at the tables in cash and what you made for work. That’s your tip when people paid with a card.”

“Holy shit,” I say as I pulled another crumpled wad of cash out of my apron pocket. “Is it like this every night?” I ask.

“Mostly just the weekends. But we do get our fair share of traffic through here during the week too,” he says. “You know darlin’,” he pauses for a moment and my heart races fast at hearing him call me that.

“The patrons like you a lot. I don’t want to make things more complicated for you, but I just thought I would throw this out. You have a job working here with me for as long as you want.”

“Really?” I squeal in delight.

“Yes,” he says as he wipes down the bar and I move to clean the tables. “If you want to make some extra cash or work off some stress over the next few weeks, you can. You don’t have to, but you can. And…” he trails off. Suddenly, I want, no I need to know what he has to say.

“And, what?” I ask as I walk closer to the counter.

“And nothing.” He shrugs, turning his back to me.

“Come on Joe, you know me, you can tell me anything,” I urge him.

“I don’t want to make things any harder on you.” He sighs as he pulls the bag out of the trash. “I’ve got to take this out. I’ll be back real quick.”

I wait for him to come back, wondering what the hell he wasn’t saying to me. Eventually, he walks back in and puts a new bag in the trash without another word. I don’t say anything to him, only watch him.

“What?” he asks when he realizes that I’m staring at him.

He smiles at me and tosses his towel into the laundry behind the counter.

“Nothing you could tell me will make my decision any easier or harder,” I pause as I pull off the apron. “I just want to feel free Joe, and this is the most freedom I have had in over seven years. There is so much that I want to do and I’m afraid that I won’t get to do any of it.”

I frown and he closes the gap between us. I feel the heat of our bodies mix into the space between us. I want to fall into his arms, but he doesn’t move any closer to me.

I smile weakly at him, fighting the urge to close the gap.

---