Champagne Toast (4 page)

She
leads me into Vince
’
s office and I
’
m relieved that he
’
s nowhere to be seen.  I want to have more time with her; I
’
m desperate for it, in fact. Ever since she smiled at me, it
’
s impossible to focus on anything else.

“
Well, it looks like he
’
s decided to ditch you.  Um, what did you say your name was?
”  Kate
asks, embarrassed.

“
Evan,
”
I say with a smile.
“
Evan Maxwell
.” 
I reach out to shake her hand.  She takes it in hers and eyes me suspiciously.

“
Well, Evan Maxwell, I guess I
’
ll
start with
some of Vince
’
s standard questions.  I sent him a text when you first arrived and he still hasn
’
t answered.
”

“
Does he do that a lot?  Disappear when he
’
s in charge of the place?
”
  I ask, curious, secretly hoping that this
will
be a habit of his so I can spend work time getting to know the beauty standing across from me.

“
Sometimes, yeah
.” 
She shrugs her shoulders in a non-committal fashion.
“
Have a seat and we
’
ll get started
.” 

I pull a chair from the corner of the room and drag it so that there are only a few feet between Kate and me.  Kate smiles to herself, but I catch her expression even though I know she
’
s purposely trying to hide it.

“
I
’
m ready when you are,
”
I smile, placing my hands on my thighs, and awaiting my first interview question.

“
All right, here we go,
”
she says, glancing dow
n at the file folder on her lap.
“
So, Evan, tell me about yourself.
”

“
Well, I
’
m a junior at NU.  I
’
m a marketing major.  I love people and I
’
m a hard worker.  I
’
m sure everyone says that, though,
”
I look at her expectantly.  She shrugs her shoulders and gives me a half-smile. 
“
You probably want to know what
’
s different about me?  Here
’
s the thing, Kate, I won
’
t be late to work.
I won
’
t throw a fit if I
’
m asked to sweep up broken glass or wash dishes.  I have a ton of student loans and I
’
m looking to pay them off.  I
’
ll work as many hours offered to me, and I think I
’
ll do a good job dealing with customers.
”

“
Well, that leads me to my next question, Evan.  We don
’
t have any official policies on this or anything, but we
’
re discouraged from dating customers.  Vince feels like if we date them and screw it up or something, then we may lose business.
How do you feel about that?
”

I stare her directly in the eyes as I carefully plan my response. 
“
I can
’
t imagine wanting to date someone on the other side of the bar
. . .
if I
’
m working behind it, that is.  Are there any policies for dating inside the work place?
”

She gets it.  She knows I
’
m flirting with her.  The stunning Kate tilts her head to the side and grins.
“
No, that would never happen here.
”

“
Well, now I
’
m intrigued. Why is it that would
never
happen here?
”
I ask, shifting in my seat, so that I
’
m leaning towards her.  She mirrors my body movements and shifts towards me just a bit.

“
Well, Vince met his wife here when he first opened the place, she was one of his first hires.  They started dating pretty soon after her interview.  So, he
’
s cool,
”
she says.
“
Although I have to say, it
’
s a little presumptuous of you to already be thinking about dating your coworkers.
”

“
Is it?
”
I ask in an innocent voice.
  “
I was just curious,
”
I say, holding back a laugh.  Kate looks flustered and looks down at the file still resting on her lap.  She holds onto it as if it will protect her from any discomfort.  I love that I
’
m getting such a reaction out of her.  Our attraction seems mutual.

“
Well, then, let
’s . . .
um, let
’
s keep going with the questions,
”
she clears her throat, and I do the same, shifting once again, this time resting back in my seat to give her some breathing room.  A slight look of disappointment crosses her face.  Kate continues,
“
What kind of hours are you looking to do here?
”

“
Honestly, whatever I can get.  I can work weeknights and weekends, whatever Vince wants.
”

“
Well, I make the schedule, so I
’
d be the one to work with you on that,
”
she states.

“
Even better,
”
I give her a wicked grin
,
and she bites her upper lip attempting to hold back a laugh.  Just then, her phone beeps.

“
Oh, that
’
s Vince.  He
’
s on his way and will finish the questions.  He wants me to head back to the front.  It
’
s bound to get pretty packed with all the games starting
.” 
Kate places the file folder on Vince
’
s desk and stands.
I rise to my feet and stretch out my hand.  She places hers in mine and we stand, shaking hands for just a few seconds too long.

“
It was nice to meet you, Evan
.” 
She smiles, her cheeks a beautiful shade of rose.  And at this moment, I would do anything to keep her here just a little bit longer, just a few more minutes of time with this beautiful girl before me.

“
And you, Kate
.” 
I smile and hesitate for a moment, which is so unlike me
—
women don’t usually
intimidate me.  I
’
ve always known exactly what to say and when to say it.  But, now, I
’
m pausing and she notices.
She starts to walk out of the office
,
when I finally muster up the confidence to ask what I
’
ve been dying to ask since I walked through that door.

“
Hey, what time does your shift end?  Wanna grab some dinner when you get off work?
”

“
Um, Evan, I
’
d love that,
”
she looks uncomfortable.  Maybe I was misreading her?  Or maybe she thinks I
’
m being inappropriate.
This is a job interview, after all.
She continues, looking deeply into my eyes,
“
But, I have a boyfriend.  I
’
m sorry.
”

“
Oh,
”
I say, crushed. 
“
Got it.
”

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
she says, looking guilty.

“
Seriously, no worries, Kate.  Maybe we can hang out if I get the job.
”

She smiles warmly,
“
Well, if I have anything to say about it, you already have the job
.” 
She raises an eyebrow and walks out of the room.  I watch her walk down the hallway.
Her walk is sexy, and I
’
d like to think that she
’
s strutting for my satisfaction.
When she reaches the end of the hallway, she turns back and notices that I
’
m watching.  She gives me a coy smile and heads towards the bar.

I
’
m in trouble.

Kate

October 16, 2007

“
He
’
s really hot, when did he start?
”
  Bree asks as we wipe down glasses at the bar after closing.  Evan, the new bartender and the man I can
’
t stop staring at, is hoisting up chairs and placing them on top of tables.  And every single time he does it, I get lost in the delicious movement of his back muscles.  Bree
’
s voice brings me back to reality.

“
I don
’
t know, a week ago, I guess?
”
I lie.
I know Evan has been working here for exactly ten days.  Ten days of flirting.  Ten days of stolen glances.  And ten days of absolute torture.

“
You
’
re such a liar, Kate.  You
’
re pretending you
’
re not into him.  You forget that I know you better than that
.” 
She gives me an all-too-knowing look.

“
Whatever,
”
I whisper, trying to encourage her to keep her voice down so he won
’
t hear us,
“
so, he
’
s cute.
What
’
s the problem?  I
’
m allowed to look at him.
”

“
Well, I don
’
t think Shawn would appreciate that very much,
”
Bree says in a sing-songy tone.

“
Shawn knows I work with guys.  He
’
s fine with it
.” 
I lie again.  Although this time, she doesn
’
t see through me.  I
’
m usually a pretty good liar when I want to be, but for some reason, I
’
m finding it difficult to lie about the guy I
’
ve known for ten days.

“
Shawn is also a very jealous guy, so you
’
d better be careful
.”
Bree raises an eyebrow as she dries a pint glass.

“
I can handle Shawn,
”
I sigh, knowing she
’
s right.  If Shawn ever saw me with Evan, I
’
d be in trouble.  My attraction to him is beyond obvious
,
and with each passing day
,
it
’
s getting harder and harder to rein myself in.  I love that he
’
s so much taller than I am, with perfectly toned muscles.
His short dark hair and chocolate brown eyes compliment his olive skin.
I can
’
t stop staring at his gorgeous chiseled face.  Evan glances over at me as he places the final chair onto a table.  He smiles briefly before walking in our direction.

“
So, I think I
’
m getting the hang of this place, wouldn
’
t you agree, Miss Armour?
”
  I seriously want to jump out of my skin every time he calls me that.  It is the sexiest thing ever
,
and I do my best not to blush every time he does it. 
You have a boyfriend, Kate.

“
You
’
re doing all right,
”
I smirk.  Evan shakes his head as he stares down at the floor.
Bree winks at me as she sneaks off to the backroom.