Abi joined me, and we went through the opening checklist with the rest of my team. Sebastian checked all the entrances and even the windows in the bathrooms. As goofy as he could be, it looked like he took his responsibilities seriously. I kept catching Abi stealing glances at him. Maybe I could play matchmaker. I didn’t think Sebastian was dating anyone, but I’d only known him for less than two weeks.
That thought made me pause. I frowned and did some mental math. Had it really only been that long? It felt like this new part of my life had been going on for months. Time was a strange thing.
The evening went by seamlessly. It wasn’t as busy as it had been the night before, which was nice. Less stress meant less to worry about. Sebastian entertained the staff and several patrons with stories and jokes most of the night. By the end of the night, I was grateful he was there. I could also see that Abi was definitely on the way to being smitten. All in all, it was a great night. It eased a lot of my fears. I loved working, and I would have been devastated if I couldn’t.
Sebastian even jumped in to help us close at the end of the night. It was the first time I’d been at the bar that late since the attack. Abi and several of the kitchen guys were helping out as well, but I still felt strangely alone as I wiped down the tables and put up the chairs.
Sebastian must have noticed. He walked over to me and nodded toward the door. “Expecting someone?”
“What?” I asked, straightening up from the table I was wiping.
“You’ve looked over at the front door like every minute since we closed. Again, expecting someone?”
I hadn’t even realized I’d been doing that. In my head, I was still waiting for Javi’s crew to show up again. Roll through the door, tell me I was an abomination and shouldn’t exist. I thought I’d been hiding my thoughts pretty well. Apparently not. I hung my head in embarrassment, not wanting to meet his eyes.
Sebastian came around the table and put an arm around my shoulders. “Maddy, you’re safe. If there is one thing I can promise, it’s that.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. Seriously. You guys don’t have to do this for me, and you are. Thank you.”
“You’re basically family now, so of course I’d do this. I mean, Nico is paying me like five hundred bucks a day in hazard pay to do it, but yeah, no problem.”
I punched him in the arm and laughed as I went back to my task. Sebastian grabbed a broom and started sweeping the floor. Basically family? What did that mean? It hadn’t registered when he first said it, but now I wondered why he’d said that.
I looked up to ask him to explain, but the front door opened. A familiar face walked in. Thankfully, it wasn’t the face I’d been afraid would show up.
Nico came striding through the door like he owned the place instead of me.
My heart fluttered at the sight of him. My mind had drifted to him multiple times throughout the day, and seeing him now brought confusing feelings to the surface. He’d said I was his mate, and that was information I had a hard time processing. I hadn’t really given myself much time to even think about it and what it meant. So much had happened. How could anyone get their minds around it? But I couldn’t ignore the ache in my chest when I watched him move through the room. Nor could I ignore that voice deep inside my head, the one that had been begging me to stake a claim on this man from the moment I saw him.
I glanced at my watch and saw it was just after two in the morning. I looked at Nico and tapped my wrist. “Awful late for a drink, sir. Sorry, we’re closed.”
Nico gave me a smirk. “Couldn’t sleep. I figured I’d relieve Sebastian and let him go home to bed.”
“My liege? My lord?” Sebastian said in an atrocious British accent. “Thou art too kind to your humble servant.” He threw the broom to the floor and bowed dramatically.
Nico shook his head. “Would you stop?”
“Okay, fine.” Sebastian stood and waved to me as he headed for the door. “See you Wednesday, Maddy. I think Felipe will be with you tomorrow.”
I waved and went back to work. Abi walked over and smacked me on the butt.
“Ow, shit. What was that for?” I said, rubbing my ass.
“Get out of here. Go on. We can finish up. Besides, your ride’s here,” Abi said, nodding toward Nico.
“Are you sure?”
“Get. Go on.” Abi shooed me away with a bar rag as she walked back to the bar.
I looked at Nico. “Well, I guess I’m done.”
He grinned at me and pointed a thumb toward the door. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving. I’d planned on making a grilled cheese before bed when I got home.”
“Eff that. Let’s go. There’s a diner down the road. It’s open 24/7. Great burgers, and a really good Greek omelet if you like olives.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Olives? In an omelet? I’ll stick with the burgers.”
“Suit yourself. Come on.”
He wasn’t lying. The diner was only five minutes down the road. I recognized it. It was a place called Gena’s. I’d driven by it at least a hundred times over the years, but had never actually set foot inside.
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