It was unfair.
Valerie had passed Logan’s taste test with flying colors and earned her right to work at Bottoms Up, yet he still insisted that her brother have the final say. As if she couldn’t possibly make her own choices. Then Logan had taken her place behind the bar with a smirk on his face, knowing damn well what Brett’s answer would be.
And she knew too.
Well, she had news for both of them. She wasn’t going to take this lying down. Or standing still, for that matter. Sweeping her gaze back and forth in search of her brother, Valerie navigated the room until she finally found him near the pool tables, where he was leaning on a rail and keeping an eye on the crowd from his position.
She marched right up to him and tugged on his sleeve. “I need to talk to you.”
He grinned down at her. “Hey, sis, I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been?”
“I was tending bar…and kicking ass at it, I might add.”
His smile melted. “What? I thought Logan told you that he didn’t want your help?”
“Yeah, well, I changed his mind. In fact, he just hired me.”
Brett gritted his teeth. “Damn it. I thought I made it perfectly clear to him that I didn’t want you in his bar.”
Valerie’s eyes widened, and she felt like her head spun in a complete circle. “You did what?”
Not looking the least bit sheepish about it, Brett said, “Oh, calm down. I just told him that I didn’t want you hanging out in here every night. And I don’t know why you’re so surprised. You know I don’t like you going to bars.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But you were the one who asked me to come tonight!”
He shrugged. “Yeah, because you were with me. But it’s not like I can be here every night, and Logan doesn’t have time to babysit you. He’s got a bar to run.”
There’s that stupid word again. Babysit. “I’ve already told you a hundred times that I don’t need someone to watch over me. I’m not a child. And for your information, I don’t need your permission to work here either.” No matter what Logan says.
“Damn it, Val,” her brother growled. “Be reasonable.”
She crossed her arms and glared at him. “I am being reasonable. Logan is understaffed and needs me to help him out.”
“Well, he can find someone else.”
“Like who? He hasn’t lived here in years, and most of the friends he grew up with have already moved away. The only people he probably even knows in town are the two of us and his mother, and I seriously doubt her Bingo friends are going to be lining up to work here.”
Brett rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”
“Okay, fine. Then you get behind the bar and serve drinks to his customers.”
“If I knew how, I would. But you know damn well that I don’t.”
“Exactly. But I do have some bartending skills, so that makes me Logan’s last resort.” God, that sucks to hear out loud.
Brett’s suspicious eyes narrowed. “And just where did you get these so-called skills? Just because you’ve made drinks for us doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing at a bar. You’ve never worked in one before.”
“No, but Dave taught me some great bartending tricks.”
“Who the hell is Dave?”
Damn. Why did I have to open my big mouth?
“Dave was…someone I know that happened to be a bartender. He taught me some pretty cool moves before he moved away last year. He was just a friend.” Who also happened to be my ex.
Valerie had dated Dave for only a short period of time, and she’d never mentioned anything about him to Brett. She didn’t want her brother giving the poor guy the third degree. Dave was…sensitive and a bit scared of her brother. Besides, as far as she was concerned, the less Brett knew about her love life, the better.
Though Brett was still glaring at her, he must’ve decided to let the Dave information go. For now. “Well, that doesn’t mean you need to work here.”
Yeah, actually it did. She’d always wanted to work in a bar and thought she’d be great at it. But she also knew Brett would worry about her. Working for Logan was her best chance at being able to do what she wanted with Brett’s approval. But either way, she wasn’t going to let Brett ruin this for her. “You know, I thought Logan was your friend.”
“What are you talking about? You know he is.”
“Then why are you standing in the way of me trying to help someone who you claim is your friend? Don’t you want me to do what I can for him? Isn’t that what you do for friends?”
Hesitating, Brett lowered his head. “It’s not that, Val. It’s just…well, you’re my sister.”
“So?”
“So I can’t protect you if I’m not here.”
“Oh God. How many times do we have to go over this? I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”
From across the room, Logan hollered out last call.
Valerie glanced over at him and then back to Brett. “Don’t you trust Logan? Do you really think he would let anything happen to me? I’m probably safer in this bar than I am at the bakery.”
Brett’s brows dropped low over his eyes. “Did something happen at the bakery that I should know about?”
Oh, jeez. “No. You’re missing my point entirely.” Valerie tossed back her head and stared at the ceiling in frustration before leveling a hard gaze at her brother. “Okay, enough is enough. I’m not going to keep arguing with you about this. You’re just going to have to learn to deal with it. It’s only a temporary position, and whether you like it or not, I’m going to work here until Logan finds someone to replace me.”
Irritation flashed in Brett’s eyes. “I don’t like it.”
“Well, that’s just too damn bad.”
Stunned, Brett blinked at her but didn’t say anything. She had never spoken to him like that before and was pretty sure he didn’t know how to respond to her blatant defiance. She almost felt bad for him. Almost. But he needed to finally face the fact that she didn’t have to check in with him. He was her brother, not her damn parole officer. Sheesh.
Besides, this was her big chance. Not to get closer to Logan—although that was definitely a bonus—but to try the bar business on for size. Her full-time job at the bakery was a good one, but the truth was, Valerie was a night owl who hated getting up early. The only reason she’d even taken the job at the bakery was because her best friend, Leah, owned it so she knew Brett wouldn’t have a conniption about it.
But she’d always had an affinity for the bar industry and thought bartending would be the perfect job for her. There weren’t many places a girl could clock in broke and leave at the end of her shift with a wad of cash in her pocket from all the tips she’d earned. Well, unless that girl worked as a stripper.
Um, yeah. No thanks.
Valerie loved getting dolled up and hanging out in a nightclub environment, but she wasn’t keen on the idea of taking off her clothes for a bunch of strangers. There was only one guy who she wanted to remove her clothes for, yet he didn’t seem to have any interest in seeing her naked. The idiot.
Maybe she was narcissistic, but there was no way in hell she would admit that the only guy she’d ever wanted was the one guy she couldn’t have.
Brett’s grim mouth softened, and he released a long, slow breath. “Okay.”
She lifted a brow. “Okay what?”
“I won’t pitch a fit about you working here.”
Valerie stared at him in shock, waiting for the punchline. “Well, not that it would’ve mattered if you did, but…what’s the catch?”
“There’s not one. You’re right about one thing. Logan is not going to let anything happen to you. When I’m not here, I know he’ll look out for you like I would. I mean, he’s practically a second brother to you.”
Ew. Did he really have to go there? “Um, yeah. Sure.”
“But, Val, if you need me for anything…”
She smiled and lifted onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Don’t worry, brother dear. I know where to find you.”
“I’m serious. Anything at all, and I’ll be there for you.”
Valerie nodded. “You always have been.” She glanced around the room, which had started to clear out. “Well, I guess I’ll go give Logan the good news. You want to join me?”
“Nah, that’s okay. I’m going to make another pass around the dance floor to make sure everything is good out here. It’s not much, but it’s the least I can do to make sure opening night ends well for him. He’s had enough problems for one night.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a bit.” With that, Valerie moseyed over to the main bar wearing a smug grin. She couldn’t wait to see Logan’s face when she told him that Brett was okay with her working there. Well, maybe not okay with it, but he wasn’t arguing about it anymore. That was progress, wasn’t it?
Many of the customers had already vacated the premises, which made maneuvering toward the counter much easier. But as she approached Logan from behind, she heard him tell James, “I can’t hire someone who has never worked in a bar before. I need someone with experience.”
Valerie cringed. Crap. Was he talking about her?
She knew a thing or two about bars, but most of that experience came from dancing and drinking in them, not working behind them. A fact that Logan probably wasn’t aware of when he’d hired her.
“That’s okay,” James replied with a shrug. “It was just a suggestion. My cousin is looking for a job, but he doesn’t have any knowledge of the industry. If you get desperate enough, let me know and I’ll send him in to fill out an application.”
Logan nodded. “Will do.”
Whew! Okay, so they hadn’t been talking about her. Thank goodness. She couldn’t think of anything better than spending her nights here, making all kinds of new drinks and entertaining the crowd with her natural flair for mixology. Not only was it fun, but she loved being the center of attention.
James slung a white bar towel over his shoulder. “Anyway, I’m going to close out my remaining tickets, clean up my station, and head home. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Tomorrow,” Logan said, not sounding the least bit enthusiastic about a busy Saturday night crowd. He watched James walk away and then turned and almost immediately locked eyes with Valerie. “Back already, huh? I take it that it didn’t go well for you with Brett?” He grinned.
Valerie smirked. “Actually, he said he was fine with it.” Okay, maybe that’s not exactly what he said. At least in so many words.
His smile collapsed. “Really?” He sounded more confused than relieved.
She crossed her arms and huffed out a breath. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask him yourself.”
“I wasn’t saying I didn’t believe you. I’m just a little…surprised, that’s all. I thought for sure he would tell you no. But what do I know? Judging by all those expert moves of yours, you’ve clearly worked in a bar before.”
Valerie could’ve corrected him. And maybe she should have. But the thought of losing her one real chance to work in a bar, and with Logan no less, had her keeping her mouth shut and her eye on the prize.
She might be asking for trouble, since her brother knew that she’d never worked in a bar before and might unintentionally out her, but she didn’t see any other way around it. Besides, it wasn’t her fault that Logan falsely assumed she had bartending experience, was it?
She smiled and steered the conversation in a different direction. “So when do I start?”
“I guess that’s up to you. I know it’s short notice and that you have another full-time job. I don’t want to overload you.”
Valerie waved her hand through the air dismissively. “It’s fine. I’ve already spoken to Leah, and she said she would change the schedule at the bakery and take my morning shifts. I can be here any night you need me, for as long as you need me.”
“Well, in that case, be here tomorrow by six o’clock. It’s earlier than usual, but it would give us time to get you logged into the POS system, let you get acclimated, and set up your speed well before the crowd piles through the door.”
“Okay, sounds good.” Yes! Nothing is going to stand in my way now.
Logan started to walk away but stopped himself midstride. “Oh, and Valerie, be sure to bring in a copy of your TABC certification. I’ll need it for my files.”
Damn it.
* * *
The next day, Logan was awakened by a light tapping on his bedroom window. At first, he thought it might be a bird pecking at the glass so he ignored it. But when the tapping became louder, he groaned and rolled over to check his alarm clock on the nightstand. It was already past noon, but thankfully the blackout curtains covering the window blocked out the bright midday sun. Unfortunately, they couldn’t block out persistent people with their annoying tapping fingers.
“Logan?” a woman’s muffled voice rang out. “Are you awake?”
Oh. “I’m up, Mom. Go around to the front door. Give me just a second, and I’ll let you in.”
“Okay, dear.”
Logan sat up and ran a hand through his unruly hair before pulling on a pair of jeans and heading to the living room. He squinted in the bright room, allowing his eyes to adjust, as he unlocked the front door and swung it open.
His mother stood in the doorway, patting her light brown hair into place. She smiled and then moved past him, her flowery sundress swishing in her wake. “Sorry. I rang the doorbell, but you didn’t answer. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Says the woman who knocked on my bedroom window.” He gave her a teasing grin and shut the door. “What are you doing here so early anyway?”
“I wanted to hear how things went for you last night with the bar’s grand opening. You were really starting to pack them in when I left.”
Logan chuckled. “Mom, you left at eight o’clock. I think there were only thirty people in the bar at that point.”
“That’s not a lot? It seemed like a good amount to me.”
He grinned. His mother had never been one for bars, and he was pretty sure she’d never stepped foot in one before. At least not until last night. And she’d only done so as a show of support…for her son. But he could tell it had made her uncomfortable being there, and he didn’t blame her one bit for leaving early.
Logan hit the button on his coffeemaker and reached into the cabinet for two ceramic mugs. “We had a full house by ten. Standing room only. And the place stayed packed all the way up until closing time.”
She gave him a genuine smile. “That’s great, honey. I’m so proud of you. I have no doubt it’s going to be a huge success.”
He didn’t know about that, but last night’s figures were definitely promising. Even with the couple of small hiccups they’d had, the numbers were still looking better than he’d expected. “I lost my head bartender last night. He quit on me in the middle of the shift, but thankfully I found a last-minute replacement.” An annoyingly persistent, doesn’t-take-no-for-an-answer replacement at that.
His mother gazed at him in confusion. “Um, is that a good thing?”
“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?” He turned to pour them each a cup of piping hot coffee.
“You tell me. You’re the one scowling something fierce.”
Logan hadn’t realized he’d made a face, but knowing he was thinking about his newest bartender, he had no doubt his mother was telling the truth. Only Valerie Carmichael could get under his skin this much.
He passed his mom a steaming cup. “I was just thinking about the foreclosure notice on your house,” he lied.
His mother shook her head. “Logan, I already told you that it’s not your responsibility. I’ll figure something out.”
“And I already told you that I’m taking care of it. I don’t want you worrying about it. I’m going to come up with the money to reinstate your loan, and then I’m going to make the rest of the payments until it’s paid off. That way, you won’t have to worry about it ever again.”
Her eyes misted over, and she blinked rapidly, as if trying to force the tears back. “Son, I love you, and I appreciate that you want to help. But it’s a lot of money to come up with in a short amount of time. I don’t think anything is going to keep the bank from taking my house.”
“I will,” he said firmly. “You’re not going to lose your house, I promise. I won’t let it happen.”
His mom sighed. “You’re not going to do what I think, are you? Because if so, Logan, I can tell you right now that I would rather live in a ditch than to watch you go down that path again.”
He looked straight into her eyes, hoping his sincerity would reassure her. “Mom, have I ever lied to you?”
“No.”
“Well, I don’t plan to start now. I made you a promise, and I’m going to keep it.”
She smiled. “Good.” Then she took a quick sip of her coffee. “I just don’t think I could handle it. Not after what your father—”
Logan raised his hand to stop her. “You don’t have to say any more. I know. And you don’t need to worry about me either. Unlike Dad, I won’t do anything to disappoint you.”
He moved away from her and poured some coffee down his throat, letting the hot liquid sear it closed to keep the overwhelming guilt from spilling out. Because even though he had made her a promise and was doing everything he could at the bar to bring in enough money to help her out, there was no doubt in his mind that he would break the damn promise before he ever let his mom lose her home.