“Nice to meet you, Smiley.” He reached his hand out to shake hers and she reached across the bar.
“It’s Michaela. Your dad is just messing with me and the nickname thing,” she said as their hands touched. She felt that instant attraction. It went straight to her gut and she pulled back, grabbing the rag and wiping down the bar.
“What are you drinking?” she asked him.
“A Bud is fine,” he said, never taking is eyes off of her, and then he ran his fingers through his hair as she pulled the lever to the bar tap, filling the ice cold mug with beer.
She watched him, as she kept watch of the mug. She was right. He looked sexy running his fingers through his hair. He also looked a bit less serious than his brother, Jake.
She placed a coaster down and then the mug of beer.
“Hey, Hollywood, how’s it going?” Some guy came up behind Hal and joined him by the bar. She had seen him at The Station before. She was starting to recognize the regulars.
“Hey, Tyler. What’s up? How’s it going?”
“Not bad. Where’s Bear? I thought you two traveled by the hip,” Tyler stated and then looked up at Michaela.
“Get you something?”
He eyed her over. “Sure, sweetheart. I’ll take a Bud, too.”
She grabbed a cold mug from the cooler and poured the beer.
“Smiley, I need three cosmos for the three young ladies at the end of the bar there, can you do that for me? They requested yours, not mine,” Jerome told her. Holding his hands up in front of him as he rolled his eyes.
“I thought you liked making those girly drinks, Jerome?” Tyler teased as Michaela set down Tyler’s beer and headed toward the other end of the bar. A glance over her shoulder and Hal was leaning forward as if to get a look at her backside.
She smiled to herself. Typical hotshot firefighter, out to flirt with the new girl. She was glad she knew this business well. A tight pair of jean shorts, the bar’s logo tank top, just as tight and lifted slightly at the belly to reveal a hint of her tanned, toned abs along with the belly ring. She knew what got the tips, but she also knew her limitations. She could easily flaunt her size thirty-six double Ds, but that wasn’t her style. Sometimes less was more.
* * * *
“So that’s the new girl. Wow, she is hot,” Tyler said, taking a sip from his beer, still keeping his eyes on her.
“I guess so.”
Tyler gave him a shove. “Are you fucking shitting me? I saw you staring at her ass as she turned to head down the bar to make those cosmos. What does your brother Jake know about her? Any inside information?”
“Why?”
“Look at her. She’s cute, has a great body, sweet smile, and doesn’t flaunt her assets. Plus, everyone heard about her ability to defend herself. Your brother must have been pissed off about that, huh?” Tyler asked as he chuckled.
Hal shook his head and smirked. Jake had been steamed but not as badly as he thought his brother would be. Hal had heard about what happened at the sheriff’s department. That woman was lucky she wasn’t shot. But given the circumstances of the situation and the fact that some guy was groping her, he thought she reacted accordingly and had the knowledge of some self-defense to take control of the situation. He heard all about her sexy body, the skirt to her waist as she straddled the thug, pointing his gun to his head. He would have loved to see the video.
“What are you smirking about?” Tyler asked.
Hal looked back down the bar to where Smiley was talking with some other guys and the women she made the cosmos for.
“Just wishing I had the chance to see the video.”
“You didn’t see it? I saw it yesterday. So many people have downloaded that thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wound up on the news or even YouTube.”
“Shit, Jake is going to be pissed about that.”
“Pissed about what?” Jake asked, coming up behind him. Tyler chuckled, and Hal gave him a dirty look. He could have warned him that Jake was behind him.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit, nothing. What? What would I be pissed at?” Jake asked but wasn’t looking at Hal. He was looking down the bar and his eyes were locked on Smiley.
“She’s one sexy little thing, isn’t she, Sheriff?” Tyler teased and then walked away chuckling.
Jake gave Tyler a dirty look and then shook his head.
He took the seat next to Jake.
“What can I get you, Jake?” Jerome asked.
Jake looked down the bar to where Michaela was. She looked up and locked gazes with him. Hal watched as her face lit up and she gave a small wave. His brother nodded his head toward her, smiling.
“You’ll have to wait in line for a chance with that one, Jake. There’s a waiting list of men interested in Smiley,” Jerome said, pulling on the lever, filling a cold mug with beer. He placed it down on the bar in front of Jake.
“A waiting list?” Hal asked Jerome. Jerome chuckled.
“Smiley? Who started that? Oh, forget I asked. My dad, right?” Jake asked.
Jerome chuckled. “Yep. He’s taken a real liking to her.”
“A liking to her?” Jake snapped at Jerome. Hal wondered if his brother was thinking what he was thinking. Could their dad be interested in Michaela? She was too young. Hell, she could be his damn daughter.
“You two get those damn looks off your faces. Your dad could be her damn father. Not that kind of interest. She’s a sweet young woman. She keeps to herself, doesn’t give much info, and your dad and I think she’s hiding something. You saw the video, Jake. How many women can make moves like that without some sort of formal training?” Jerome asked as he dried a couple of beer mugs.
“What video?” Jake asked.
“He doesn’t know, Jerome,” Hal informed him.
“Oh shit. I’d better go down and check on Michaela, see if she needs some help.” Jerome walked away and Jake looked at Hal.
“What fucking video?”
“The one from the sheriff’s department. The incident was recorded and someone uploaded it to the Internet.”
“Oh hell. That’s not good.”
“You’re telling me. She snagged the attention of a few guys immediately, but now, with that video out, she’ll have a lot of guys hitting on her.”
“I need to talk to her. Let her know about this.”
“You think Jerome is right? You think there’s a waiting list?”
“She’s not that kind of woman. She’s sweet, quiet, doesn’t want to give a lot of info on herself or any family. I spent a little time with her on Sunday. Jerome could be right. Dad’s good at detecting shit like that.”
“You spent time with her at her house?” Hal asked. He didn’t know why but he felt both insulted and jealous, and he shouldn’t be. Neither him, Bear, nor Jake had dated anyone since Lisa. It had fucked up their heads and killed their ability to trust. Especially after what they found out Lisa did. Maybe this was why his brother hinted about dating again?
“I was going to talk to you and Bear about it. It’s just that the visit with her was kind of mixed. I mean, she is very attractive, and resourceful, independent, and a complete opposite of what Lisa was like.”
“Don’t bring up her name. I fucking hate even thinking about her.”
“I know, Hal. I do, too. I was just saying that Michaela is completely different. She’s tough, and she’s got a shell around her. After we talked a bit and I helped her at the house, I told her I’d like to be friends and be there for her if she needs anything since she’s new in town.”
“And?”
“She basically shot me down, and told me she didn’t need any friends. She was good on her own. Now, normally I would take that as a sign she’s not interested, but I felt the attraction. I saw it in her eyes, and then they changed to an expression of fear, and it was like she threw up this wall and blew me off. I’ve been thinking about it all week.”
He took a sip of the beer.
“All week? Why didn’t you talk to Bear and I?”
“I don’t know. I guess I was worried about both of your responses, maybe the possibility of being rejected by her?”
“Well you shouldn’t have been. I think she’s very attractive, and seems really sweet, too. Now if Bear shows up and he thinks the same, we’re going to have to have a talk, and decide.”
“I know. I’m just not sure I’m ready to take a chance like this again. It fucking hurt, what Lisa did to us,” Jake stated with a firm expression as he glanced around the bar and looked at Michaela again. He took a sip of beer and Hal did the same. He felt the same as Jake did. Lisa fucked with their heads, and their hearts. It wasn’t just the fact that she cheated on them. It was what she did prior to that without their consent and without them knowing. It wasn’t something a man could forget. It left a bad taste in his mouth, and made his heart hard. Could Smiley be different? Could she possibly make them forget about Lisa even if just for a little while? Maybe she wouldn’t even give them the time of day. After all, all the guys were hitting on her right now.
* * * *
Michaela was shaking her head at some flirtatious remark some guy had thrown at her. She gave a sassy reply and then continued to make the drinks until Jerome came back over. This was his side of the bar tonight, so she winked and headed back over toward the other end.