I skirted around the table, swept up an empty wine glass on the edge, and set it down at the bar as I made a pass through. It had been a bitch of a night at Bellamy’s. Three of my waitresses had come down with mysterious ailments. Personally, I was pretty sure they were attending the free Kings of Leon show down at the Chapel Amphitheater.

And with that thought, Max was back in my brain.

No word, no visits, no sightings.

He’d completely vanished for the last three weeks.

He’d left me there in that parking lot with the impression that he wanted to continue seeing me in some sort of fashion and then he’d just disappeared.

“Georgia?”

I turned around at Angel’s voice. “If you tell me one more person took off on me tonight, I’m going to commit murder.”

Angel grinned. “No. Just letting you know I told Dean and the staff that we’re doing an early last call. No one is here anyway. Hell, I’d be at the concert too if I could.”

“I could kiss you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just wrap up the drawers for me, all right?”

“Got it.” I rushed over to the podium and gathered up the credit card receipts from the mini cash register we used and transferred the money to the night drop bag for Angel.

End of the night chores ate up any time to overthink my situation with Max. This was my life and I liked it this way, dammit. For the last few weeks, I’d managed to control the crazy thoughts that plagued me—and my dreams.

Most of the time.

Okay, so maybe a few nights a week, I went to bed with an ache that had never been there before Max, but I’d survive.

It was what I did.

As the last customer got their to-go box and left, an insistent pulse buzzed at my hip. I’d tucked my phone inside the belt of my skirt. I locked the front door and leaned against the cool glass.

I was still learning the ins and outs of my phone, but I didn’t remember setting anything on vibrate. I pressed my thumb over the fingerprint scanner and a single envelope filled my screen.

His name along the bottom. That thrill seeker email account.

Closing my eyes, I tucked the phone back along my hip and shook my head. No. I wasn’t going to open it. I was getting over the entire mess labeled Max.

He told you no warnings.

I shook my head. Three weeks was far too long to wait. If he actually thought I was going to be at his beck and call at any time, he was sorely mistaken.

The phone pulsed three more times. I tried to ignore it, but it was too late. I knew it was there.

I pulled out my cell. I was not going to open it.

Nope.

I was just going to turn off that stupid vibrate feature.

“Georgia?”

“Huh?” I looked up.

Dean stood in front of me with a white towel draped over his shoulder. “Something important on that screen?”

“Nothing that can’t wait for us to close up.”

“You sure? From a secret boyfriend?” He waggled his eyebrows. “There has to be some reason that you’ll never go out with me.”

I laughed. “I could never measure up to your legion of women.”

“You’d be surprised, beautiful.”

I rolled my eyes. Dean breathed and a flirty remark came out of his mouth. “Is the bar cashed out?”

He shook the night drop bag in front of me. “Of course.”

I tucked my phone away and took the bag from him. “You can get out of here if you’re all cleaned up.”

“My hero.” He turned away then stopped and spun back on his heel. “Do you need me to walk you to your car?”

I smiled. “Me and Chelsea carpooled.”

“I can walk you both out.”

“I’ll walk them out,” Angel called.

“There we go.”

Dean grinned. “Boss man just doesn’t want me to get near you or Chelsea.”

I laughed. “We’re too smart for your tricks.”

Dean walked backward. “I can guarantee I could make one or both of you fall for me.”

“Nope!” Chelsea called from the dining room.

I laughed. “Definitely not me.”

He groaned and clutched his chest as he stomped backwards. “Right to the heart. Cruel, capricious women!”

I grabbed the other cash bag and brought it back to Angel. I tapped on the doorjamb. “We’ll be ready in five.”

He held out his hand for the bags and opened the drop safe in the floor. “Thanks.” Angel looked up and then sat back in his chair. “All good?”

“Yeah, of course. I’m beat. I can’t wait to get out of here tonight and take a long, cool shower.”

“Amen, sister.” He stood and shut off his desk lamp. “Anything that doesn’t get done, we’ll do tomorrow.”

I plugged my iPad into the charging station and waited at the doorway. “Hoping to catch the last set?”

He laughed. “You know me too well.”

I tugged my phone out again and forced myself not to look at the readout. Instead I went to the lockers for my purse and dropped it inside. Out of sight, out of mind.

Chelsea met me at the front of the restaurant. “Hey, can you use your ultra-mega phone and look up the hours for Gino’s? Jake wants to meet me there, but I’m sure they have to be closed.”

Seriously? I just couldn’t win.

I dug into my bag for my cell and tapped the bottom button for the phone to come alive. I tried to close the email before it popped up, but it flashed white on the screen with a bold, dark typeface.

My stomach jittered and my heart slammed. What did that mean?

“Georgia?”

I fumbled with the home button until I could change out the application. I swiped his email away and brought up a web browser. “What was I looking up again?”

“Gino’s hours. Are you all right?”

“Yes. Just tired.” My voice sounded far away even to my own ears. “Right, Gino’s.” I typed out the website. It felt like it took forever for the page to load, then even longer for my eyes to focus. “Yes. Yes, it’s open. Summer hours.”

“Well, shit. Guess I owe Jake a pizza. Want to come?”

I double tapped the bottom button on my phone to bring up the email again. For the first time in weeks, my blood buzzed and my heart raced.

Was I really going to do this?

God, yes.

I cleared my throat. “No, I need to get home.”

Suddenly, I wasn’t tired at all.