Chapter Six
Charlotte
Charlotte let out a huge sigh of relief when Mr. Bzdyl flipped the sign from open to closed. This shift had been three years too long.
“You okay?” he asked. “I know this is a hard time. You can go home if you need to—we have temp servers we can ask to cover for you.”
“It’s not that,” she said, yawning.
“It’s the fact that she chased down a pack of rich boys who stiffed us on their bill,” Evangeline called from the counter, where she was methodically filling saltshakers. “They were being jerks, and she called them out, so they ditched.”
Mr. Bzdyl’s normally kind face morphed into a hard expression, revealing the man who’d spent his early adulthood in the Polish army. “Why not call me?”
“I…didn’t think to.” Charlotte shrugged. She’d been too angry to call for backup. “I ran after them. I wasn’t thinking, sorry.”
“She had help.” Evangeline’s smile was sly. “That hot snowboarder was back today, I see. And you brought him ice for his knuckles. I’m assuming he got our money?”
The back of Charlotte’s neck grew warm, and she let out a helpless laugh. “And punched the guy who brushed up against me like a creeper.”
“One of them touched you?” Mr. Bzdyl’s face was bright red, and his voice was a growl. “And that other young man punched him?”
Her stomach dropped. Oh, shit, he was mad. She’d caused trouble, hadn’t she? “Um, yeah.”
Mr. Bzdyl held up a finger. “That boy eats here free through New Year’s. His money is no good. Yes?”
“Yes,” said Evangeline, now full-on grinning. “Charlotte, you should be sure to tell him. So he’ll come back every day.”
Charlotte groaned and hid her face in her hands. She couldn’t stop the flutter in her belly, though. She really didn’t have time for guys, especially the pretty, flirty kind. But, when Luke had asked her out, she’d been this close to saying yes. The way he took on the asshole squad, not hesitating for a second… She could defend herself, sure, but having backup had been useful.
And she couldn’t help being just a little turned on by watching Luke punch the groper, like her honor was more important than nearly breaking his hand. The way he’d used his body—from a purely scientific standpoint—was amazing. His muscles had flexed and released in ways she couldn’t ignore. He had a lot of power…and she was sure he could use it for more than just a ski-resort brawl.
Anything with him would probably end with a broken heart and her crying into her pillow because he’d cheated on her. But those butterflies in her stomach gave her away—she was seriously thinking about giving him a chance.
“You okay over there?” Evangeline was laughing.
“Yes.” Charlotte dropped her hands and waited for Mr. Bzdyl to go back to the kitchen before asking, “Say Luke asked me out—would I be making a huge mistake saying yes?”
“Are you kidding? He’s gorgeous.” Evangeline waved a dish towel in front of Charlotte’s face. “Didn’t you notice?”
“Oh, yeah, I noticed. And he did ask me out.” She sighed and leaned against the counter, toying with the tie on her apron. “It’s just…I don’t have time for this. All my hours are reserved for working, sleeping, and studying for my MCAT. A relationship isn’t in the plan. Especially not with a guy like that.”
“A guy like what? The package might scream player, but the actions sound like Prince Charming.”
Evangeline had a point—what did Charlotte actually know about Luke, except that he’d been mostly respectful? “Mostly” in the “catching him eyeing her chest” sense. Then again, what guy hadn’t? One of her high school friends had teasingly said, after a world history lesson on Troy, “Char’s tits could launch a thousand ships.”
She’d whacked him in the back of the head with her Algebra II book for it.
Charlotte shook her head. Maybe she was being too hard on Luke. How shallow of her, to judge a guy by his cover.
But snowboarding? That sounded like the most embarrassing first date ever, especially since she had a feeling Luke was very good at it, given how the Cold Coffee Girl had fawned all over him. Maybe she should agree, but only if he would quiz her on MCAT facts in return.
“So? Are you going out with him or not?” Evangeline waggled her eyebrows. “Because you should totally hit that and damn the consequences.”
Charlotte scurried to wipe down the bar, trying to hide her blush. “I did say ‘maybe.’ So I imagine he’ll come back.”
“Oh, girl. He’ll be back tomorrow, unless my powers of deduction fail me.” Evangeline held up a hand and ticked off her fingers. “One, he punched a guy who messed with you. Two, he’s watched you every second he’s been here—both days. Three, he flexed for you once or twice.” When Charlotte laughed, Evangeline shot her a look. “I was watching—and that flex made the estrogen in this room spike into the red. My hand to God. Four, he touched your hand. He was practically doing a mating dance—you had to notice.”
“I did.” Charlotte hadn’t been able to keep from looking back at him after that. Luke had some kind of superpower. “Okay, I’ll go out with him, if he asks again tomorrow.”
“Oh, he will.” Evangeline threw a washcloth at her. “Now let’s get this place cleaned up. Word on the mountain is some very hot, very talented snowboardcross guys are at the resort to train, and I want to go shopping.”
“We’re going to go watch them work out?” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Watching a bunch of guys snowboard sounds like watching paint dry.”
“You’ve never watched SBX before, have you?” Evangeline’s expression turned dreamy. “A bunch of guys hauling ass down the mountain, trying to knock one another out of the way? It’s like the world’s best alpha-dog fight. So hot, it almost melts the snow. I’d have Kit Morgan’s babies if he showed interest.”
Charlotte looked up from the table she was wiping down. “Kit who?”
“Only the number two SBXer in the world. Thick brown hair, big brown eyes, and an ass that could start a war.” Evangeline heaved a dramatic sigh. “He’s a god among mortals, and I intend to make him mine. So, come with to keep it from being weird. Bring a book if you think you’ll be bored.”
“Fine, fine.” Standing out in the cold for hours after her shift sounded like pure torture, but she liked to make Evangeline happy after all her family had done for Charlotte. “You have a thick jacket I can borrow? I have long johns, but nothing else warm enough to wear.”
“I have everything you need.”
Trying to stifle another yawn, Charlotte went back to cleaning. Maybe they wouldn’t have to stay up there too long. She wanted to get at least three hours of studying in before collapsing into bed at eight thirty. Those few days off, spending time with her family, were really sounding good, even if she was worried about her mom. She’d get some sleep on the plane, for one thing. And she’d be able to sit for longer than fifteen minutes at a time for another. She was tired down to her bones, and she needed some time to recoup.
And maybe to rest up for her potential date with Luke.