“Garrett,” I said through gritted teeth. Okay, Riley, you need to tone down the implied death threat. I took a deep breath as Garrett turned to me. His face was impassive and I couldn’t read anything from his expression. What else was new? His eyes were clear though, so that was a plus. In fact I could see that he was totally sober.
“Hey, Riley,” he said, already dismissing me. The girl, with her boobs still pressed into his chest, glared daggers at me. I barely gave her a look.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked, refusing to sound pleading or desperate, even if inside I was all of those things.
Garrett’s eyes flickered with something I didn’t recognize before he became blandly neutral again. “Well, I’m talking to…” he looked down at big boobs, clearly struggling to remember her name.
“Randa,” she chirped, looking annoyed.
“Right, Randa. So Randa and I were having a conversation. I’m a little busy. Maybe later,” Garrett said, clearly trying to get rid of me.
I grabbed his arm before he could walk away. “I promise I won’t keep you from Randa for more than a few minutes. I’m sure this scintillating interaction is too awesome to miss out on.” My smile could cut glass.
Garrett looked at me as if he wished I would disappear. It hurt, knowing he didn’t want me around. Particularly when there was a time I thought his attention was nothing more than an unwanted distraction. I hadn’t appreciated his heart when I had it. I was a stupid. I was cruel. And worse than all that, I had lost something I hadn’t realized I even wanted.
“Just a minute,” I said and then added, “please” for good measure. I even batted my eyelashes. I was laying it on pretty thick.
Garrett squinted at me as though I had sprouted a set of wings but then shrugged. Turning back to Randa he gave her a half smile. “Catch up with you later?” he asked and I wanted to snarl. Seriously, I wanted to go jungle cat on both of them. What was wrong with me?
Randa looked from Garrett to me, then back again. I knew her bleach-fried brain was trying to make sense out of Garrett ditching her for the likes of me.
“Okay,” she said in a voice that sounded as though she had spent a good deal of time huffing Helium gas.
“Lead the way,” Garrett said, seeming bored as he gestured for me to walk in front of him.
I wanted to snap at him. I wanted to hurl a thousand insults at his head. But I didn’t. Call it a growing maturity. Or maybe I was just losing my touch. Whatever it was, I held my tongue and moved toward the back of the restaurant.
Pushing through the swinging doors into the kitchen, I was hit with a face full of water. Looking down at my drenched white shirt I felt my fingers curve into claws and I was ready to do some serious damage.
“I told you I’d see those tits one day!” Paco hollered from his station at the dishwasher. This time I snarled. I didn’t hold back the feral feline ready to come out.
“You. Are. Dead!” I yelled, before trying to run over and stick my foot down his throat.
“Woah, just chill, Riley. I have to get back on stage in ten minutes. So save the murder and mayhem for later, please,” Garrett said, stopping me from wiping the floor with the pervy dishwasher.
I pointed at Paco, who wasn’t laughing anymore and had a satisfying look of fear on his fleshy face. “You, later. Don’t go anywhere,” I threatened, before stomping toward the back doors leading to the smoking area.
I was thankful it was dark out but instantly regretted not grabbing my jacket, particularly since it was freezing and I was now in a wet shirt. Stupid jerks. I shivered but refused to be waylaid by my impending hypothermia.
“Maybe we should head inside. Your lips are turning blue,” Garrett commented, eyeing me warily.
“No, just let me say something first,” I insisted. Garrett shrugged as if to say, “It’s your appendages.”
“I’ve been an ass,” I started and Garrett snorted. I tried really hard not to glare at him.
Garrett gave me a pointed look. “What? I’m not going to argue with you,” he said matter a factly.