“You’ve never been to the Moose at night?” Danielle asked, obviously surprised. “But you’re always going on about how much you hate bars. How do you know you hate it if you’ve never been there?”
“I’ve heard stories. It’s not my kind of place, but you know what? Maybe I need to get out more.”
“I see what’s happening here,” Blake said, his voice sly. “You got a taste of Blake, and now you’re ready to get back in the saddle, aren’t you?”
“Jesus, do you never stop trying?” Danielle asked him.
“Hey, it’s not my fault she threw herself at me,” he said. “But seriously, if you want to go out, let’s call my friend, Joe Collins. He can drive us, and he’s been asking me forever to set something up with you, Becca.”
Across the roof I caught the flare of a light. Crap. Puck had pushed open the drapes, and now I could see him all too clearly as he walked away from the window. Had he seen me spying on him? God, I hoped not. More important, what was he doing over there in the first place?
That apartment was supposed to be empty.
“We going out or not?” Danielle demanded.
“Yeah, let’s go out.”
“I’ll call Joe,” Blake said. “He’s into you, Becca.”
I shrugged, trying to picture Joe. I was pretty sure I remembered him—he’d come into the diner a few times.
“Doesn’t he live up in Kellogg?”
“Used to,” Blake replied. “But he’s crashing with me right now. Needed a place to stay. He started at the Laughing Tess last month and got tired of the drive.”
“Okay, we gotta find you something to wear,” Danielle said, moving toward the open window. “Something sexy. I’m so proud—my little girl is finally growing up!”
—
It was nearly eleven before we reached the bar.
Danielle and Blake had gotten busy in the bed of Joe Collins’ big Ford F-150 as we drove toward the Bitter Moose, which was illegal as hell. Fortunately the sheriff didn’t make it out here very often, so they were safe enough. Well, as safe as two people can be while having sex in the open back of a truck that’s driving sixty miles an hour down the highway at night.
“Glad you guys called me,” Joe said, reaching over to turn down the music. I stole a glance at him out of the corner of my eye, noting that he was a lot cuter than I remembered. Joe was a big guy—well over six feet—and built like a bull. He had short, dark hair, classically handsome features, and a quick smile full of teeth just crooked enough to give him a rough charm.
Very attractive.
Unfortunately, my nether regions could care less—what would it be like to kiss him? Maybe it was time to stop waiting for tinglies and just get it on. I’d only tried dating a few times since I’d come to Callup and none of them had ended particularly well.
“I’m glad we did, too,” I told him, which was true. Maybe he didn’t blow me away but he seemed like a nice guy. We could have fun together. “I guess I’m going to be working at the Moose soon—at least, that’s what Danielle says. I’ll have to talk to the manager tonight while we’re there . . .”
My voice trailed off as the implications hit me. Did I really want to meet my future boss for the first time while I was drunk? Wow, that was a super-stupid idea. But what else could I do? We were almost there and I didn’t have any magical sobriety pills tucked in the little pocket of my phone case.
Crap.
“I can’t believe I’m going to a job interview drunk.”
Joe grinned at me, then reached over to catch my hand in his, giving it a squeeze.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “This isn’t an interview, and if they weeded out everyone who’d ever come into their bar for a few drinks, there’d be nobody left in the valley. Teresa Thompson is as laid-back as they come—she’ll give you a chance to prove yourself before making any decisions.”
“Is it as rough there as everyone says?”
He shrugged.
“It can be, I guess,” he said. “But Teresa doesn’t take shit off anyone, and she doesn’t stand for people messing with the staff. It won’t be anything like working at the Breakfast Table. You’ll bust ass, but you can make a fortune in tips on a good night.”
“How do you know so much about it?” I asked, curious.
“Used to bartend there with Blake,” he replied. “Couple years ago.”
“Wait, Blake tended bar at the Bitter Moose? Why the hell was he working at the Breakfast Table?”
Joe started laughing, then shook his head.
“You haven’t figured that out by now? It’s because of Danielle. He’s been batshit over her since high school, but she’s always blown him off. He used to date her older sister and she fed Danielle all kinds of crap about him. He finally took that job so he could actually spend some time with her, start to wear her down.”
“Really?” I asked, fascinated. “But he seems so . . . casual toward her. I mean, he was flirting with me tonight like crazy. I know they’re fucking around but I never got the impression he was looking for a relationship.”
“Think about it—have you ever seen Danielle get with someone for longer than a week? She’s not into the whole relationship thing, never has been. He’s going under her radar. It’s a setup.”