Misadventures of a College Girl (Misadventures #9)(65)

Yesterday, Gavin had to force himself not to be a total perv and stare at her all day. Her terrific body, her wavy dark auburn hair that fell over her shoulders, her light-blue eyes, that smattering of freckles on her nose… She was beautiful. The fact that she seemed to have almost no filter was also attractive. Gavin had learned the hard way over the past few years that people rarely said what they meant or were honest about their intentions. In Gavin’s world, Blake was a welcome anomaly.

“Hey, hotness,” she shamelessly called out when she saw him.

He felt heat prick his face and couldn’t help the shy smile that quirked his lips. Giving her a small wave, he dipped into the back to clock in and grab an apron. When he came back out front, tying his apron as he walked, he approached Blake. “Ready?” he asked.

“For…?”

He barked out a laugh, and damn did it feel good. He didn’t laugh nearly enough anymore. “To learn how to make these drinks.”

A look of disappointment crossed her features. “Oh. That’s not nearly as fun as what I was thinking.”

“I bet it wasn’t.” He shook his head at her brazenness even though he liked it.

He showed her where the recipe book was that she could reference if she got stuck. Then he explained the most common orders and a few variations of each.

“How does anyone remember all this?” she asked, her eyes wide.

Gavin shrugged. “Repetition. Most of these get ordered multiple times a day, so it becomes second nature. And the rare ones you can look up.”

“I don’t think my brain has room for all of this. I’ve been a bartender for four years, and I still don’t remember how to make most of the drinks. I just throw whatever in a glass, and people know better than to complain.”

He smiled again. “What happens if they complain?”

“I throw them out.”

Eyebrows shooting up, Gavin said, “You throw people out?”

She widened her stance and put a hand on her hip. “What does that mean?”

“Can we pretend I never said that?”

Blake seemed to mull that over before dropping her arm. “Sure.”

Gavin was dumbstruck for a second. “Wait. Really?”

Blake leaned a hip against the counter. “Yeah. I say shit I shouldn’t all the time, so it’d be hypocritical of me to hold someone else accountable for the stupid things they blurt out.”

Gavin thought there was an insult in there somewhere, but he didn’t dwell on it. “Oh. Great. Thanks.”

Blake nodded. “So let’s talk about more interesting things.”

“Like what?”

“Like you.”

Trying to keep his face blank so she wouldn’t pick up on just how much he didn’t want to talk about himself, he asked, “What do you want to know?”

She tapped a finger against her chin for a few beats before answering. “Boxers or briefs?”

He rolled his eyes with a chuckle. When he saw her eyes alight with mischief, he decided she was teasing and didn’t answer.

“Okay, a real question,” she said. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-five,” he answered.

“I’m twenty-six. I can be your sugar mama,” she joked.

At least he thought she was joking. “Wouldn’t be a hard position to qualify for,” he said in an attempt to tease her back.

But her face grew serious, making it plain that he’d somehow missed the mark. She looked pensive as she studied him. “What qualifications would someone need? In case I find someone interested in applying.”

Gavin laughed again, but it was humorless this time. “Right now, I’d settle for having a couch I could crash on.” He wasn’t sure why he was being so honest. He didn’t need anyone knowing about his personal shit. But part of him wanted to get it off his chest, throw it out into the universe so he didn’t have to carry it all on his own. Which was stupid, but he couldn’t take it back now.

Blake’s eyes grew wide as she bounced on her toes a little. “Oh my God, do you need a place to live? Say yes. Please, please, please say you’re homeless.”

Gavin had never seen someone so excited by the prospect of his homelessness. Even his parents hadn’t seemed to take any actual joy in it, and they’d caused it in the first place.

He busied himself with restocking the cups as he answered. “Not yet. But in about a week I will be if I don’t find something. But don’t worry. I always land on my feet.”

Blake grinned widely. “Well, it actually seems like you’ve landed right in my lap.”

Gavin wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded both dirty and promising.



* * *



Blake couldn’t believe her luck. Bethany’s dad had shown up at the crack of dawn that morning to help her move her out. Luckily, most of the furniture was Blake’s, since she was the constant in the apartment. Her roommates were the revolving door.

Bethany threw her things into garbage bags, and she and her dad carted them out and down the three flights of stairs without saying much of anything to Blake. Blake had nearly had to tackle Bethany to get the key to the apartment back. A key she’d shoved into her pocket and fingered now as she gazed excitedly at Gavin.