Page 22 of Finding Carly
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” Carly replied, guilt threatening to overwhelm her. “Shawn came looking forme.”
“Well, I’m not,” Alani said firmly. “There’s no telling what that asshole would’ve done if he’d gotten his hands on you.”
Carly swallowed hard. This was even more difficult than she’d anticipated. But Alani didn’t seem to notice her discomfort. “Come on. If I don’t let a certain bartending duo see you before we talk, I’ll never hear the end of it.” Her former manager towed her into the restaurant toward the bar area.
There was another loud screech, then Paulo was racing toward her. Carly couldn’t help but laugh. Paulo was always a little dramatic and it felt good to see that nothing had changed in the time she’d been gone.
The bartender grabbed her up and twirled her around in circles before letting her feet touch the floor once more. “Girl! You’re back!”
“Well, I’m not sure I’mback-back, but I’m here to talk to Alani about the possibility.”
“Oh, you’re back,” Paulo said with certainty.
Then Kaleen was there, and Carly was smothered in another hug. The two bartenders did their best to talk over each other as they tried to catch her up on months of gossip.
Carly couldn’t help but laugh. “Enough, you two, jeez. Nothing changes around here, does it? You’re still like the three stooges, but there’s only two of you.”
They both laughed, and Alani joined in.
“I swear customers come just to listen to their banter,” the manager said. “I’d schedule them on different shifts if I didn’t think our patrons would complain.”
“Paulo’s a pain in the ass, but he’s a damn good bartender,” Kaleen said with a smile.
“I’m not a pain,you’rea pain,” he retorted.
“Yeah? Who was it who convinced that guy to ask you out on a date last week?” Kaleen asked. “You weren’t thinking I was a pain then.”
“True, and that man was f-i-n-e,” Paulo said, fanning his face with his hand dramatically.
“All right, you two, back to work,” Alani said. “I’ll bring Carly by after we talk.”
Paulo leaned forward and winked as he said, “Is that tall drink of water who hasn’t taken his eyes off you for a second withyou?”
Carly turned and saw Jag leaning against a wall not too far away. He definitely had his eyes on her, and for once, Carly was thrilled to be watched. She turned back to Paulo. “That’s Jag. You’ve met him a few times already.”
Paulo squinted then stood up straight. “Damn, it is. All the good ones are taken.” Then he leaned forward and hugged Carly once more before heading back to the bar. Luckily it was early enough that it wasn’t terribly busy and no one seemed to mind the short wait for their drinks.
“Come on,” Alani said. “I think we’d better have our talk before the rest of the staff sees you. Otherwise, we might never get a chance.” Carly followed her toward the kitchen, and the small office that was in the back of the space.
She looked at Jag once more, relieved to see his eyes still glued to her. It felt incredible to have him watching over her. That was one of the biggest reasons she’d let him convince her to leave his apartment at all this week, because she trusted him.
She mouthed, “You okay?” before she entered the kitchen area.
Jag nodded and made a swirling motion with his finger, then pointed to where he was standing. Carly interpreted that to mean he’d be waiting for her right where he was. She nodded, and he smiled.
That smile gave her courage a boost, something she definitely needed before talking to her former boss.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Jag stayed right where he was as he waited for Carly to finish her chat with her manager. He had a good view of the bar and the beach beyond the eating area. Everywhere he looked, he saw smiling tourists and employees who seemed to be in a good mood. He could understand why Kenna and Carly enjoyed working here.
The other employees seemed nice enough, and Jag wasn’t surprised with the welcome they’d given Carly. She wasn’t quite as outgoing as Kenna, but she could certainly give the other woman a run for her money.
Jag didn’t see anyone who looked out of place, which was a relief. He was still waiting for Baker to send pictures of the people the detective had investigated. The people who Carly had said were somewhat close to Shawn. Until he had those, he couldn’t let down his guard.
His gaze wandered to the ocean. Right now, the water was almost as smooth as glass. It was hard to believe it had been so dangerous a few months ago.
Jag had no problem waiting for as long as it took for Carly to talk to Alani, so he was surprised when the pair reappeared out of the kitchen area only twenty minutes later.
