His frown grows deeper. “How are you covering your bills?”
“Let’s just say, my savings are trashed. I probably should look for a new job.” I hate the idea of looking for a new job and am fairly sure I’ll have to be homeless before I go down that path. Change and me do not go well – often to my detriment.
He leans back in his seat and runs his fingers through his hair. “Shit, Callie.”
My heart does a little dance at the concern for me I can see on his face and hear in his voice. I’ve known Luke for a year and he’s always been somewhat of a mystery to me. What I do know is that he’s a few years older than me, and inherited Elixir from his father. His past is somewhat sketchy and he’s never shared much about it with us. Avery worked for his father for a year before Luke inherited the bar and Luke wasn’t on the scene until his father died. Locals gossip about him, but no solid information has come to light. All I know for sure is that Luke Hardy is honest and takes care of those closest to him, and that’s all that matters to me.
“Why don’t you take on some shifts at Elixir? God knows, I could do with the help after losing a staff member yesterday. And by the way, thanks for helping Avery out last night while I left for a while.”
Do I really want to work for the man I’ve been secretly crushing on for almost a year?
I hesitate. Avoiding his suggestion, I opt to talk about Avery instead. “No worries. Those guys behaved themselves so there were no problems. And we had Tyler watching out, too. Dude, you need to talk to your brother about Avery. He clearly wants her.”
“Why are you changing the subject?” His eyes don’t leave me and this unnerves me even more. He’s watching me so closely it almost feels intimate.
The dance my heart has been doing turns into a nervous, uncoordinated jig. “I’m not. I’m just pointing something out to you.”
“I don’t involve myself in my brother’s love life.” He continues to hold my gaze and I know he’s waiting for my response to his suggestion. I’m struggling to understand how nervous he’s making me feel – I never get this nervous with men.
“Thanks for the job offer, but I’m going to follow up on some waitressing gigs I’ve had mentioned to me first. If they don’t pan out, I’ll see if you still need someone.”
“You’ve already got some offers?”
“Yes,” I lie, willing him to either believe me or drop this. I’ve decided it wouldn’t be good for me to be in his presence more than I already am. We’ve got a good friendship and I don’t want to mess that up by trying to take it further.
“Okay, but let me know if anything changes. Like I said, I could do with the help.”
“I will.” My heart stops doing that jig and resumes normal beats. Thank goodness he’s letting me be, even though I’m sure he can read the truth of the situation.
Leaning forward, he asks, “Why do you keep looking online for love? Every guy you’ve met on there has turned out to be a loser or not your type.”
I know he means no harm, but his words sting. I already feel like a loser who can’t find a guy or even just get laid; I don’t need Luke to be verbalising the fact. Crossing my arms over my chest, I reply, “I’m not a quitter, Luke. I’ll eventually find someone.”
“I hardly think you’d be classified as a quitter if you stopped trolling dating sites. All I’m suggesting is that perhaps if you stopped trying to force something, it might happen when you’d least expect it.”
Standing, I grab my laptop and bag. My heart has started doing that goddamn jig again and I’m sure my face has turned a lovely shade of red. I don’t want to talk to him anymore today. I’m a twisted mix of embarrassed and pissed off now. The pissed off side wins when I snap, “I see nothing wrong with using a dating site to look for love and if I want to troll those sites, that’s my business, not yours.”
With one last glare at him, I turn and stalk out of the café.
Screw you, Luke Hardy.
I’m going to find me a man and show you it can be done.
Chapter 2
“Where the hell did you find this guy?” Avery demands, her eyes all over my date and her tongue practically hanging out of her mouth.
I don’t blame her for drooling. The dude’s hot in every way a girl wants her guy to be hot.
Tall.
Dark, wavy, looks-like-he’s-just-been-fucked hair.
Muscles that indicate he’d be able to carry me to bed with little exertion.
Tom Hardy lips that you could kiss for hours on end.
Ian Somerhalder eyes. Seductive as hell.
There’s only one catch with this dude. When he opens his mouth and speaks, the ugly shows through. I’ve just spent the last two hours having dinner with him and within the first twenty minutes, I wanted to leave. I’m convinced he could talk about himself for days without taking a break and that’s exactly what he did. However, when he suggested we go for a drink after dinner, I jumped at the opportunity to bring him to Luke’s bar and show him off.