Filed To Story: Chasing the Rejected Luna's Heart (Clara & Liam) Book PDF Free
I hesitated, not sure telling a complete stranger the truth was a remotely good idea–but I had to admit, it was kind of nice to be talking to another person. “Not running,” I admitted. “Kind of the opposite.”
Curiosity lit her gaze and she raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t press it.
I went on, “I…sort of got kicked out.”
She blinked a few times. “Kicked out? Holy shit, what did you do, burn the place down?” She winced. “Sorry. I’m good at getting other people to loosen their tongues, but not really controlling mine. Occupational hazard. I just meant, you wolf shifters are pretty protective of your females. Alpha male bullshit and all that.””It’s fine,” I assured her. “Still just kind of fresh, I guess. And no, nothing like that. I just…” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Turns out my mother had a lot of secrets, and once they got out, I ended up paying for them.”
I could tell that didn’t fully answer her curiosity, but she nodded. “This calls for something a little stronger,” she said, going back to the shelf behind the bar.
The martini already tasted like it could peel paint, so I was more than a bit wary of what something stronger might be. She placed a tall, clear glass in front of me filled with swirling blue-and-green liquid.”What is this?” I asked, trying not to sound as nervous as I was.”It’s my own personal concoction,” she said proudly. “Trademark secret. I call it the Freight Train.”
That sounded less than reassuring, but I took a sip. Maybe I was just a little more tolerant after the first one, but there was a pert yet fruity essence to it that made it a little easier to swallow. “It’s good,” I said, my voice a little rough, but I managed not to wince this time. “Thanks.”
Sam smiled and seemed satisfied by my reaction.”Hey, Sam. ‘Nother round over here,” a big guy bellowed from one of the tables close to the bar.”In a minute, Pete,” she shot back, rolling her eyes. “Regulars.””You handle the barandthe tables?” I asked, surprised. That seemed like a lot.”One of my girls just quit,” Sam said unhappily, ducking beneath the bar for a tray. “And my brother’s off being a manwhore, so it’s just me tonight.” I grimaced sympathetically, watching her pour a tray full of beers from the tap behind the bar.”Sam!” the same guy yelled.”I said hold your fuckin’ horses, Pete!” she snarled, baring fangs that were just subtle enough to pass for sharp human incisors, but the way her eyes flashed made the wall of a man visibly shrink down in his seat.
I watched as she deftly lifted the tray onto one hand and sauntered over to the table, giving the guy a death glare as she set his drink down in front of him first, the foam sloshing onto his beer gut.
Hmm. It didn’t lookthathard. Not the waiting tables part, at least. I’d never had an actual job, and wouldn’t have been allowed to if I’d had the inclination. Now that I was on my own, I was seriously regretting it, but maybe…
When Sam came back over, taking out a towel to wipe off some peanut shells further down the bar, I found myself getting up the nerve. Maybe it was the few additional sips of the Freight Train I’d forced down, but I managed, “Hey.””Hm?” she asked without looking up, stooping down to arrange some glass shit behind the bar, judging from the clinking sounds that hurt my ears.”Um. I was just wondering if you’d found anyone to replace your server yet?”
Even as the words left my mouth, I couldn’t believe what I was asking. If anyone back home had even the slightest inkling the alpha’s daughter was actually thinking about working at a bar, waiting tables…
Then again, that version of me didn’t really exist. It never had.”Nah, she already quit,” she said, cocking an eyebrow. “You interested?”
I could tell from the doubt in her tone I probably looked like the princess I’d always been accused of being. Now I had to carve out a whole new identity for myself, and getting a real job seemed like as good of a way as any.”If you’re hiring…yeah.””You ever worked at a bar before?” she asked, leaning on the counter again.
I swallowed hard, hoping it wasn’t loud enough for her to hear. “No, but I have some experience with event planning and that sort of thing.”
That was a stretch, to say the least, but she didn’t outright laugh in my face, so maybe I sounded more convincing than I feared.”It’s not exactly a glamorous job,” she warned me. “We get all types coming through here–shifter, human and vamp alike. Some of the customers are a little rougher around the edges than most, and how much you make depends on them.””That’s fine,” I said with a confidence I didn’t have any right to. If there was one thing all my training to become the next Luna had taught me, it was how to hold my head up high, lie my ass off, and pretend like I had even the slightest clue what I was doing. “I’m used to dealing with assholes.”
Thatmuch was true.
Sam pursed her lips and watched me for long enough I was sure she was going to call my bluff. Instead, she blew a puff of air through her nose and nodded once. “Alright, Princess. I’ll give you a shot. You start tomorrow at five.””Great,” I said with far more enthusiasm than I ever could have imagined I’d have at the prospect of bussing tables and waiting on drunks. I hesitated. “Five in the afternoon, right?””Of course,” she said with a husky laugh. “This place only comes alive after dark. I hope you’re a night owl.””Definitely,” I lied. One way or another, I was going to have to be.
* * *
Fifteen minutes before I had planned on leaving for work, I checked my duffel bag for Chapstick and discovered something else in the inside compartment. Normally, discovering a wad of cash would’ve been cause for excitement, especially considering my recent shift in fortune, but since there was only one person who could’ve put it there, the sight filled me with rage.”That son of a bitch,” I muttered under my breath in disbelief.
I’d had no less than a dozen missed calls from Liam in the last twenty-four hours, and one text that simply read, “I know you’re angry, please just let me know you’re okay at least.”