Page 94 of Hell on Wheels
“Oh, for sure, big guy,” Damon says, his face full of preening pride as well. “Wait until Javi hears about it.”
Aine, save me from overeager men.
“Look… we have way too much shit going on to add juggling a jealous work chick to the plates,” I explain as I tap my fingers on the table. “She obviously has a crush on him and I’m full up on stupid bullshit at the moment. I don’t even have the desire to play with my food. You know?”
The lion shifter snickers, looking at me wryly. “My skin would beg to differ.”
“Little D helped with that, and it’s different with sexy stuff,” I mutter as I pick up the menu. I don’t need it; I always have the same thing from here, but it helps me put a little distance between their puffed up pride and me. “Giving her a heads up was actually kind, and it made me less irritated, so two-for-one.”
The scent of cinders and spices gets my attention and I lower the menu to see Javier standing to my right. “Fancy seeing you guys here. Late lunch?”
I nod, smiling softly at him for a moment. “I was in the mood for my usual, and D wants the Sukhothai Pad Thai.”
Our friend pulls out a notepad, looking at us as he scribbles, then reads it back. “Okay, one honey-lavender salad with the savory rosemary meat pies and buttermilk biscuits, one Sukhothai Pad Thai, two porterhouses rare, two Maui Mules, onion strings, garlic potatoes, and two beers. Sound right?”
“Sounds good to me,” I say with a fond smile. “You’re good, Mr. King.”
“Eighty-six the potatoes, man, and add another streak. I’m bulking up for the season. More protein, fewer carbs,” Archie grumbles. “But I’ll miss those damn things.”
“One summer in our kitchen and you’re still like an old hand,” Javi says with a wink. “Alright, I’ll get this to the servers and work on your drinks. Did Mai tell you we had a bunch of no-shows? It’s a bitch every single month around this time, but old Grundy won’t quit hiring the damn weres.”
“I think it would be illegal to do that.”
Javier glares at Damon, looking annoyed as hell. “Semantics, dude. I’m just tired of having staffing issues every single month. Wouldn’t you be?”
My lips quirk. “Well, my ex-teammate is trying to kill me. His father’s minions have been doing the same forever, and Archie’s teammates are working to handicap him. Absenteeism seems tame in comparison, Javi.”
He throws up his hand, turns on his heel, and stomps away, making us all laugh.
At least we can still find the humor—that’s a good sign, right?
Rich Girl
My new family stayed until closing, which turned out to be a good thing. The crowd got rowdier, and with the call-outs, we wouldn’t have been able to handle it if Rogue and Archie hadn’t jumped in to help. Our girl has experience from the club, but spoiled, leonine Archer was a surprise. He learned quickly, though, and I’ll be damned if he didn’t move quick on his feet for a big dude. His momma would be proud as hell; I can’t wait to tell her about it.
“Dude, this shit ishard,” Archie says as he wipes his brow. “No wonder you stay all cut and stuff without working out.”
I roll my eyes as Rogue snickers. “Yes, Arch, working in service or retail is hard as hell. People don’t give us enough credit, even if supes are less douchey than their human counterparts about it.”
“I didn’t mind helping,” our girl admits, shrugging a little. “I miss the bar.”
Frowning, I exchange a look with the lion, and he walks over to kiss her temple. “You don’t have to worry about that place being unsafe again with us to help.”
“I don’t, you overprotective goon. However, I can’t work with Winnie if I’m sure she was part of the beat down. I’ll beat her ass and you’ll be bailing me out of jail.”
The smirk she gives us is delightful, and I walk over to give her a brief squeeze. “That’s our girl. No fear, only rage and spite fueling her spirit.”
Rogue wrinkles her nose, but lets me get my fix by touching her. “You guys are developing a fetish for praising me. That’s my job—don’t steal it.”
“I like when you and little D praise me just fine,” Archie says as he refills the shakers. I’m impressed that he’s doing side work, too, without a complaint. “But I’m not gonna give up telling you that you’re hot and shit. I’ve been waiting too long to be able to do it, Wheels.”
Damn, he’s accepting his new thing with Damon without skipping a beat.
“He’s probably right,” I add. “We all spent a lot of time pretending not to be attracted to each other, so being free to talk about it is a novelty.”
“Okay, okay. I get it, boys,” Rogue says with a tired smile. “I’ll let you bask a little bit. But keep it between us, yeah? I don’t need the soft shit getting out when I’m surrounded by fucking psychos.”
Looking at the server station, I sigh. “Thanks for doing that stuff, man. It’s a lifesaver for the staff tomorrow.”