Page 24 of Her Favorite Fumble
She thought about it for a moment. “Remembering drink orders. Carrying trays loaded with cocktails while dodging handsy men. Deescalating angry customers. Oh, and doing it all in high heels while smiling, of course.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t giving him a lot to work with. “Anything else?”
“Some random miscellaneous skills, I guess, but those are the relevant ones.”
“Did you have a long-term goal? Were you planning to do that job forever?”
“Of course not.” Her mouth twisted as anger flared, surprising him. “Even though I was one of the best on the floor, my boss was already making some noise about transitioning me to the management team because of my age.”
“Being promoted is usually a good thing. It means you’re good at your job, and wouldn’t that mean more money?”
“Not with the tips I made. I probably would have made less in the long run. And I don’t want to manage people. Ilikedwhat I was doing.”
He could believe that. “So if you didn’t plan to be a server forever, but you didn’t want to be a manager, what was the plan?”
Pink flooded her cheeks and neck. “I’ve been saving up to move to Miami.”
Nick was proud of himself for holding back a full-body shudder. “Miami?”
“Is there anything better than sunshine, beaches and a big city?”
When it came to cities, Nick could think of a lot of things that were better. Muscle cramps. Burgers with no cheese. The fridge and dryer dying in the same month.
“But Miami?”
“My friend Sydney—who I worked with for years—moved there when she got married. She’s an event planner, and she’s been after me to join her business as a mixologist to design signature cocktails for the events. I’m really good at it, actually.”
If he was lucky, maybe Lucy would head for Miami before the heat crackling between them sparked something they’d both regret. “Have you told Sydney you’re currently unemployed and on the road, so it’s the perfect time for a fresh start?”
Lucy looked down, suddenly obsessed with making sure the strings of her hoodie were hanging equally on each side.” No.”
“Are you not excited about it?”
“Sure. But I came all this way to see Gran, you know? It would be wrong to leave without seeing her, especially since Miami’s far away and I’ll be finding a place to live and jumping into business. Who knows how long it’ll be before I come back.”
That made sense, but he could tell by the way she wouldn’t meet his eyes there was more. “And?”
“And I want to let the whole Vegas thing die down a little first.”
“Confirming that job is still a viable option is the logical first step in a plan.”
She glared at him, blowing out a breath. “Thank you, Mister Action Steps, but I’ve had a lot of doors slammed in my face over the last almost two months and I can’t… If I reach out to Sydney and she wants nothing to do with my mess, I’ll have nothing. I just need a little time.”
“It’s notyourmess,” Nick said firmly, anger flaring as he thought of all the people who should have had her back but didn’t.
“Itismy mess because the one thing that guydidn’tdo was tell the world I didn’t know who he was and that I’m just an innocent bystander. He’d rather they assume poor Reese was seduced by some woman they should target all of their rage at, instead.”
Nick made a growling sound but said nothing as he got up and flipped the steak. Then he flipped over the potato packet and gave it a good shake before closing the lid of the grill again.
“What about you? If you didn’t have to live here and keep the family business going, what would you do?” she asked.
He shrugged, not liking to talk about his dead dreams, but he knew she wouldn’t give up that easily. “Idon’thave to live here. I choose to, and it’s a good life.”
“But did you always want to take over the construction company? I know you’re the oldest, but you do have brothers. Was there something else you wanted to be when you grew up?”
“Football.” The word slipped out before he could stop it.
“A football player? Like a professional one?” She scowled. “I’m not really a fan of football players.”
