The Marriage Contract, Natasha Black [thriller books to read .TXT] 📗

easy grabbing and several of the most popular themed cocktails already mixed and set at the end of the bar for the waitresses to grab as they were ordered could save massive amounts of time and hassle.

A little while later, the door to the back of the bar opened. I looked up, expecting to see one of my brothers. Instead, my breath caught in my throat at the sight of a gorgeous woman walking in. For a second, I could barely think much less say anything. She looked at me, and I had to break my gaze so I didn’t completely freak her out by staring.

“I’m sorry. We’re not open yet,” I said.

I was trying to think of a diplomatic way to tell her she wasn’t allowed to come through the back door when she shook her head and smiled.

“I’m not a customer,” she said. She held her hand out toward me. “I’m Hannah.”

I couldn’t believe this was the new cocktail waitress Ava hired. She was stunningly beautiful with a bright smile and a confident, unwavering gaze. She already looked completely comfortable in the bar. But she also seemed like one of those people who was probably comfortable anywhere she went.

Doing my best to keep my cool, I took the hand she offered out to me and shook it.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jordan.”

“One of the owners?” she asked.

I smiled. “Yeah. But tonight, I’m just a bartender. And I’m actually going to be showing you around and getting you familiar with the place and the job.”

“Sounds good. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

There wasn’t anything overtly flirty or suggestive about that comment, and yet I felt it down to the depths of my belly. This might be a bit more of a challenge than I was expecting.

Still forcing myself not to stare at her, I opened my arms out to the sides to encompass the bar.

“This is the bar,” I said.

Hannah nodded, playing up a deeply thoughtful expression like she was concentrating hard on remembering what I was telling her.

“Okay. We’re just going to hit the ground running, I see. Should I be taking notes?”

She grinned at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Walking out from behind the bar, I led her to the front of the space to start showing her around.

“This is actually the second location of The Hollow,” I said.

“I heard that,” she said. “The original one burned down, right?”

“Yeah. That was not fun. But it led us to this building, which is an awesome space and in a great location in town. I think I’ll always have a soft spot for the original place just because that’s where we got started and the one that our father got to see. But I do really like this one. It has a lot of potential, and we’ve been building it out and renovating since we got it.”

“It’s impressive,” Hannah said, nodding as she looked around. Her big eyes met mine. “I’m sorry to hear about your father.”

A little pang of grief hit my heart, but I didn’t let it drag me down. It had been long enough, but it still hurt—I figured it always would—but I was able to live with it.

“Thanks. Thankfully, our mother is doing much better. I think having all the grandbabies around has made a big difference for her,” I said.

We continued on through the bar, and I introduced her to everybody as we came upon them. I found myself laughing and smiling the entire time. Hannah wasn’t just beautiful. She was friendly and confident and had a glow about her that I found myself drawn to.

Of course, I couldn’t let myself dwell on that. It wasn’t like I could act on it. Hannah was brand-new and a member of the staff. I couldn’t cross that line. But there was nothing wrong with looking.

2 Hannah

I swung by one of the tables I had been taking care of all night and scooped up the portfolio with the check in it.

“Keep the change,” one of the men said.

“Thank you. Have a great night,” I said.

“I hope to see you again sometime,” he said.

I gave him one of my brightest, yet still generic, smiles. “I’ll be working here just about every day.”

“Sounds good to me. This place is lucky to have you.”

I continued on through the bar without responding. He wasn’t being inappropriate, but I wasn’t going to hang around long enough for the tide to shift if it was going to.

Bringing the portfolio up to the cash register at the back corner of the bar, I opened it up and took out the money tucked inside. I handed it and the receipt over to Ava, who had jumped in behind the bar to help Jordan out. She read the receipt and counted out the money. Giving me an impressed look, she handed back several bills.

“Nice tip,” she said. “You seem to be getting a lot of those tonight.”

“People are trying to make my first night a good one,” I said.

She smiled. “Somehow I think it’s a little more than that.”

I glanced over at Jordan as he walked up behind Ava to get another of the souvenir glasses on display. His eyes met mine, and we held each other’s gaze for a brief second before he turned away. I had been catching him staring at me all night, ever since he showed me around the bar earlier and helped me get started.

Looking at him, it was hard to believe he was actually one of my bosses. He was old enough. I guessed he was somewhere in his mid to late thirties. But there was just something about him that seemed way more fun than a regular boss should be. Not to mention he was stupidly hot.

That was the part that really stood out to me. Ava was the one who hired me. She explained to me that the bar was owned by the Anderson brothers, and she was married to Mason