“Do you have a charcuterie board?” Kendall asked. “But only with organic meats and cheeses.”
Chet snorted. “Like you eat.”
Sonya gave her an apologetic smile. “I think we’ll skip the food. Just another round of drinks. And don’t worry about us driving. Someone’s picking us up in thirty minutes.”
That was good to know. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
She turned and walked to the bar, putting the order in. She was used to serving jerks. They always came from out of town because Zane had dealt with anyone who lived around here very quickly. The truth was she enjoyed working during the off season most of all. Things were quiet, and the tavern took on a family feel, with the locals bringing their kids in and turning Trio into a communal meeting spot.
But tourists tended to pay her bills, and she was about to go into a place where tourists were kings.
“What are your plans for the night?” Callie asked while they both waited as Alexei worked on their orders. “I mean I know you’re supposed to go out with…”
“Don’t say it.” If she let this go, she would forever be known as Luty or Mucy or even worse Miluyer.
Callie grinned. “Michael and Ty. Where are you going? I could set up a table for you.”
And have her giving all of Bliss a blow by blow of what might be her only date of the year? “We’re picking up some pizza and going back to River’s to watch a movie.”
“What are you going to do once she’s back permanently?”
“Cheer. Thank the universe she’s safe.” It didn’t matter that she would have to find a place to stay. She just wanted her friend back. “I’ll look around once she’s settled in.”
“If you need help, you know where to go,” Callie said. “I’ll keep a lookout for any cabins that open up in the valley.”
She wouldn’t be able to afford a whole cabin. “Let me know if you hear about anyone needing a roommate.”
“I will, but I don’t think that will be necessary. If you get that job you’ll get your own place, right? From what I understand the waitstaff who live out there share rooms, but management get their own apartments.”
Her own place. Actually she didn’t mind having roommates, but she was always the one struggling to make rent. She wanted a place she could decorate and feel comfortable in, a place she wasn’t worried she would lose. It wouldn’t be so hard to live in that place with someone she cared about. A friend.
Or two.
It was way too soon to even think about that.
Except she couldn’t get that kiss out of her head. When Ty had dragged her against him, she’d forgotten about everything except how good it felt to be in his arms. How right.
It had also felt right to look up at Michael.
I don’t think that’s who you want to be.
He’d been right about that. She didn’t want to be the person who couldn’t accept a little help from someone who cared about her. She didn’t want to be the woman who wasn’t brave enough to try for what she wanted.
“Yes,” she replied. “But I could also live in the valley if I wanted to. It’s close enough that I could get to work even if I had to take a snowmobile. Lots of people ski in. I don’t know. I’ll have to see how I feel if I get the job.”
She liked Bliss. She worried living at the resort would put her in a bubble. She wanted to be surrounded by happy families and the kookiness that came with living in this amazing, weird town.
“Good for you,” Callie said. “Now go on and get changed. I’ll take your drinks out. I saw that pretty dress hanging in the supply closet. It’s definitely what I would wear to hang out.”
She flashed Callie a frown but knew she was right. This was supposed to be nothing more than a hangout. Except Michael had called it a date, and a date felt like something she should dress for even if it was nothing more than pizza and a movie that hopefully worked because sometimes the Internet was spotty out at River’s, and she was pretty sure their choices would be extremely limited if they had to use River’s DVD collection. It was mostly romcoms from their teen years and her dad’s plethora of war films.
She was pretty sure those romcoms hadn’t covered what to do if she was approached by two completely opposite men who wanted to share her. Nope. She hadn’t ever seen one of those.
She thanked Callie for giving her time to get ready. Michael had texted her earlier that he and Ty would pick her up around seven. That only left her fifteen minutes to change. She hurried to the supply closet to grab her dress and bag before going into the women’s bathroom. There was a roomy stall that everyone used when they needed to change. It happened more often than she would have thought. She changed into the dress that she’d been told made her eyes shine.