I had to get ready for work. After lazing around at the beach half the day I’d taken a pre-dinner nap. I’d have probably slept all night if Maddy hadn’t texted to see if I could pick her up. I got dressed quickly and searched around for my brush so I could at least attempt to make something of my wind blown hair. I realized I’d left it in the bathroom.

I heard the water in the sink running, and I assumed someone was brushing their teeth. I knocked while pushing open the door. “I just need my—”

The rest of my words were lost as Macon turned toward me. There he was holding a toothbrush and wearing nothing. Absolutely nothing.

“Oh my god. I am so sorry.” I backed out without finding my brush.

“Can I help you?” His voice was amused. How was he amused?

“Why are you naked?”

“Because I just got out of the shower.”

I kept looking down. “But you were brushing your teeth.”

“I like to dry off before I get dressed. You should try it sometime.”

“That’s what a towel is for.” I heard the ping of the towel bar. I glanced up, half hoping he’d be covered and half hoping he wouldn’t be. He had a towel tied around his waist.

“I guess we’re even then.”

“Even?” I could barely think straight. I was still picturing Macon naked.

“Yeah, I walked in on you in a towel, now you’ve seen me baring it all. We’re good to go.”

“I wasn’t naked.”

He grinned. “So what you’re saying is now I’m the one with the extra points. Nice.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I am? You’re the one who opened the door without waiting for an answer, and what did you need anyway?”

“My brush,” I answered sheepishly. He was right, I did pretty much barge right in.

“Here you go,” he held out the brush.

I took it, and my hand brushed against his in the process. Even tiny touches from him got me. “Thanks, and sorry.”

“Not a problem, roomie.”

“Okay.”

“Is there anything else?”

“Oh, no. Nothing.” I backed out the rest of the way and closed the door. Could I get more embarrassing?

With my hair halfway decent, I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my purse. I made it to Maddy’s with no time to spare. I got us there minutes before our shifts started. Luckily I was getting used to the job and was able to jump right in. A week in and I might as well have been working at the Grille for years. The mix of customers was different, but otherwise nothing really changed. I knew I wasn’t being paid much, but it gave me something to do, and any money was better than nothing. I worked about five nights a week, and if it were up to me I’d have switched to seven. I liked staying busy; it helped keep my mind off other things.

“Carly?” Max strode over. He generally only did that when there was a crowd of guys around. He was protective that way.

“Hi, Max.”

“I was hoping to talk to you about something.”

“Oh?” My stomach sunk. Was he going to fire me?

“You’re doing a great job as a hostess, but would you be interested in doing something that would get you more in tips?”

“Absolutely!” Phew, he definitely wasn’t firing me.

“I’m looking to hire another bartender. I’m going to be reopening the upstairs bar.”

“There’s a bar up there?” I’d seen the stairs leading to the upstairs, but I hadn’t actually been up there.

He nodded. “It’s an antique the original owner put in. Solid mahogany and everything. Business has really picked up this summer, so it seems like the right time. The problem is my bartenders are already over worked.”

“That sounds great, but I have no idea how to bartend.”

Max laughed. “I know. Maddy said you’d say that. She’s going to work with you. I’ll cover the front for an hour a night so you can watch her. Does that work for you? We can start it slow up there too, even just make it beer and a few drinks at first.”

“So you’re really offering to hire me as a bartender?”

“Yes, contingent on you learning the ropes. Take your time. I have Dale and Alana pulling some extra shifts the next few weeks.”

“The next few weeks? So you’d want me to start that soon?”

“If you can.” He smiled. “I knew I could count on you.”

“Thanks.” I smiled back before he turned and walked away.

I barely had time to contemplate the possible new job before Maddy showed up. “Hey, did Max talk to you yet?”

“Yeah. It looks like I’m going to get to bartend after all.”

“Do you want to shadow me tonight or wait until tomorrow night?”

“If you don’t mind, I’m kind of jumping at the chance.”

She laughed. “Okay, tonight it is.”

Max showed up again twenty minutes later, and I took a slow walk out to the tikki bar where Maddy was working. The place was hopping, and I hoped I didn’t slow her down or anything.

“Hey. You can take a seat.” Maddy gestured to a stool.

I decided to stay standing. It was easier to see that way. It wasn’t like I hadn’t watched Maddy work before, but it was different watching from behind the bar. Maddy seemed to grow more confident behind it. I felt intimidated. It was like every patron was looking at me. They probably were wondering why I wasn’t helping her.

She mixed something in a blender and turned to me. “Could you grab three Coronas from the fridge?”

“Sure.” I searched around for a second until I found the beer fridge. I pulled out the three bottles and then awkwardly waited until she finished ringing up a customer to talk to her again. “Am I supposed to open them?”

A guy around my age laughed. “I’m hoping this is your first night.”

Maddy glared at him. “And I’m hoping you’re not expecting service if you bother her again.”

He held up his hands in defense. “I was just joking. I have no problem being patient for a pretty girl.” He ran his eyes up and down me. I was glad Max had ordered some more medium shirts. At least my breasts weren’t quite as vividly on display when I worked anymore.

She turned her back on him and rolled her eyes. I stifled a laugh.

“It’s easier if you use this.” She pointed out the built in bottle opener.

“Nice. Thanks.” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed that myself.

Maddy got swarmed, but she tried to give me a play by play of everything she was doing. “Remember to always set out a cocktail napkin for every drink.”

That seemed basic enough, but I wished I could get away with taking notes. As the crowd grew I felt bad just sitting there. “Isn’t there anything else I can do?”

“He just wants a gin and tonic. Want to make one?” She gestured to a man waiting with his arms crossed.

“Uh, how do you know how much gin and how much tonic to put in?”

She smiled. “I’ll show you.”

“First grab a glass. Oh, also remember at the beginning of each shift to check to see that you have enough clear barware.”

“Gotcha.”

“Fill this with ice.” She pointed to the glass.

“The ice is…” I could feel my cheeks heating. It was my first time back there, but shouldn’t I have been able to figure that out on my own?

She pointed out the ice, and I waited for the next instruction. “It’s just a single shot of gin, and then tonic. I’ll do it now to save time.” I stepped back to let her work. “Then it’s just adding the lime and stirring.”

I nodded. “Got it.” All right, I had a lot studying to do. I was going to have tons of drinks to memorize.

The night wore on, and I could tell I was more in Maddy’s way than I was helping. I slipped back out to the front.

“How’d it go?” Max asked. The only new customers coming in were heading to the bars, so he didn’t have to do much.

“Horribly. I have no idea what I’m doing.” I don’t know why I was so honest with Max. He was just the kind of person you wanted to be open with.

“You’ll learn. Here, come with me for a second.” He headed back toward his office, and I followed. He went over to his bookshelf and grabbed a weathered book that looked like it had been through a lot. “This is the book I learned from. Most of it’s still the same, and you’ll figure out the rest.”

“I can bring it home?”

“Of course. You’re living with Macon and Brody now, aren’t you?”

I nodded.

“I’m sure Macon wouldn’t mind helping you.” There was a twinkle in Max’s eye I decided not to read into. Whatever he was implying about Macon, I didn’t really care. I at least I had something to work off of.

“Thanks so much.” I held the book against my chest as I made my way back outside. Things had quieted down a little.

Maddy chewed her bottom lip nervously. “I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”

“It’s fine! You were so busy. I’m going to practice at home,” I held up the book.

“Practice at home?” She took the book from me. “Where did you get this?”

“Max said I could borrow it.”

She smiled. “He’s sure a softie.”

“Yeah, well I appreciate it. Maybe I can learn some on my own before I try it here.”

“That’s a really good idea. I took a class during college so I didn’t have to learn on the spot. Feel free to come by anytime if you want help.”

“Thanks, I’ll probably take you up on that.” I made my way back up to the front. I was going to learn. I’d made it through four years of college, hadn’t I? How much harder could bartending be?

---

“I need your help.” Those four words were hard to say to anyone, let alone Macon, but Brody didn’t really drink and was out of town, so I didn’t have any one else to ask. Besides, Max had suggested I ask Macon for help.

I’d spent a full thirty seconds debating the advisability of my next course of action before I knocked on his partially open door. He was laying on his bed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Even a casual outfit like that made him look good.

He glanced up from a book. “My help?”

“I need to learn to bartend.”

“Is there any particular reason for this desire to learn?” He set aside his book.

I walked fully into the room. “Max offered me a bartending job if I can learn. It’s better pay and tips, and Maddy always makes it look like fun.”

He sat up. “Why wouldn’t you ask Maddy for help?”

“She’s going to be helping me at work, but that’s hard because she’s so busy. I’d ask for her help outside of work, but she has too much going on. I don’t want to bother her.”

“Let’s ignore the fact that you think I have so little going on that you weren’t worried about asking me,” he teased. “The important question is what does she have going on?” He didn’t hide the suspicion in his voice. If I didn’t have his attention already, I had it now.

“It’s nothing.”

“Nuh uh. Out with it.”

“I can’t. I promised I wouldn’t tell.”

“You promised Maddy you’d keep a secret from me?” He was off his bed and halfway across the room.

“Well, I actually promised to keep it from Colin—well and then I told her to wait on telling him, so it actually isn’t such a promise anymore.”

“Just tell me. I won’t tell her, but I need to know what’s going on.”

“I don’t know. I don’t want her to feel like she can’t trust me.”

“If you don’t tell me I’ll ask her myself. Which is worse? I’m serious, I have to know.”

I sighed. It would be tons worse if he asked her himself. Plus he was her best friend, maybe he could help.”

“Maddy’s pregnant.” I kept eye contact, wanting to watch his reaction.

Shock crossed his face. “As in she’s having a baby?”

“What other kind of pregnant is there?”

“Wow.” He went back over to his bed. “This is insane. How could it happen?”

“You don’t really need me to go over those details, do you?”

He laughed, and his eyes racked over me. Once again with the mixed signals. “What does Colin think?”

“He doesn’t know yet.”

“Why not?”

“Well, first she was scared, and then I convinced her to wait. He needs to propose to her first.”

“What? Ok, you need to sit down and explain all of this.” He patted the spot next to him on his bed.

I walked in. Considering he’d spent time in my room it shouldn’t have felt so weird to be in his, but it did. I took a tentative seat on his king sized bed. He definitely had the master bedroom.

“Colin already has a ring, but he isn’t planning to propose until the perfect moment or something. Maddy is afraid if she tells him she’s pregnant, he’ll only propose because he has to.”

“So you want Colin to propose first to save them both the trouble.”

“Exactly.”

“So why not just tell Colin? Then he can propose right away and act surprised.”

“Because it’s not my news to share, and he’s a horrible actor.”

“How horrible?” His eyes twinkled.

“Horrible.”

“Okay… but if she waits too long he’ll be mad.”

“So we need to get him moving.”

“Do you have any idea on how to?” Sometimes it’s easier for a guy to figure out how another guy ticks.

“We can work on that, but what about that bartending stuff? Does Maddy want to quit or something?”

“No. Max is opening up an upstairs bar, but I’m guessing she’s going to have to quit eventually, or at least take time off.”

“I can help with Colin, but I have no idea how to bartend.”

“Maybe I should ask Brody when he gets back. He’d probably help. I know he doesn’t really drink, but—”

He sat up with a start. “Let’s learn together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Why not?”

“Ok, so Max gave me a book. We can start there. Do you want to start tonight?”

“Sure. We’ll do the bartending thing tonight and we’ll talk to Colin tomorrow.”

“Deal?” He held out his hand. It felt so nice and warm in mine.

“Deal.”