Finding Carly (SEAL Team Hawaii #5)(22)

“Well, I’m not sure I’m back-back, but I’m here to talk to Alani about the possibility.”

“Oh, you’re back,” Paulo said with certainty.

Then Kaleen was there, and Carly was smothered in another hug. The two bartenders did their best to talk over each other as they tried to catch her up on months of gossip.

Carly couldn’t help but laugh. “Enough, you two, jeez. Nothing changes around here, does it? You’re still like the three stooges, but there’s only two of you.”

They both laughed, and Alani joined in.

“I swear customers come just to listen to their banter,” the manager said. “I’d schedule them on different shifts if I didn’t think our patrons would complain.”

“Paulo’s a pain in the ass, but he’s a damn good bartender,” Kaleen said with a smile.

“I’m not a pain, you’re a pain,” he retorted.

“Yeah? Who was it who convinced that guy to ask you out on a date last week?” Kaleen asked. “You weren’t thinking I was a pain then.”

“True, and that man was f-i-n-e,” Paulo said, fanning his face with his hand dramatically.

“All right, you two, back to work,” Alani said. “I’ll bring Carly by after we talk.”

Paulo leaned forward and winked as he said, “Is that tall drink of water who hasn’t taken his eyes off you for a second with you?”

Carly turned and saw Jag leaning against a wall not too far away. He definitely had his eyes on her, and for once, Carly was thrilled to be watched. She turned back to Paulo. “That’s Jag. You’ve met him a few times already.”

Paulo squinted then stood up straight. “Damn, it is. All the good ones are taken.” Then he leaned forward and hugged Carly once more before heading back to the bar. Luckily it was early enough that it wasn’t terribly busy and no one seemed to mind the short wait for their drinks.

“Come on,” Alani said. “I think we’d better have our talk before the rest of the staff sees you. Otherwise, we might never get a chance.” Carly followed her toward the kitchen, and the small office that was in the back of the space.

She looked at Jag once more, relieved to see his eyes still glued to her. It felt incredible to have him watching over her. That was one of the biggest reasons she’d let him convince her to leave his apartment at all this week, because she trusted him.

She mouthed, “You okay?” before she entered the kitchen area.

Jag nodded and made a swirling motion with his finger, then pointed to where he was standing. Carly interpreted that to mean he’d be waiting for her right where he was. She nodded, and he smiled.

That smile gave her courage a boost, something she definitely needed before talking to her former boss.





CHAPTER SEVEN





Jag stayed right where he was as he waited for Carly to finish her chat with her manager. He had a good view of the bar and the beach beyond the eating area. Everywhere he looked, he saw smiling tourists and employees who seemed to be in a good mood. He could understand why Kenna and Carly enjoyed working here.

The other employees seemed nice enough, and Jag wasn’t surprised with the welcome they’d given Carly. She wasn’t quite as outgoing as Kenna, but she could certainly give the other woman a run for her money.

Jag didn’t see anyone who looked out of place, which was a relief. He was still waiting for Baker to send pictures of the people the detective had investigated. The people who Carly had said were somewhat close to Shawn. Until he had those, he couldn’t let down his guard.

His gaze wandered to the ocean. Right now, the water was almost as smooth as glass. It was hard to believe it had been so dangerous a few months ago.

Jag had no problem waiting for as long as it took for Carly to talk to Alani, so he was surprised when the pair reappeared out of the kitchen area only twenty minutes later.

Carly hugged her boss before joining him.

“All good?” Jag asked.

“Yeah.”

She didn’t tell him what they’d discussed, whether she’d gotten her job back or not, and before Jag could ask, two of the servers approached.

Once again, he watched as Carly was welcomed back. She introduced them as Justin and Charlotte. As they talked…it was just as he’d expected. Carly seemed to glow from within the longer she spent around people she liked and respected.

It took another forty minutes before she finished speaking with the staff she knew, and even a few of the customers who were apparently regulars stopped her to say hello.

As he walked them back through the mall area and toward the main street that went through Waikiki, Jag took her hand in his once more.

They didn’t talk as they headed toward the parking garage. There were a lot of people around, and he concentrated on weaving in and out of the many tourists. Once he’d gotten her settled in his car, and he’d locked the doors behind them, Jag turned to her and asked, “So?”

Carly gave him a small smile. “Apparently Alani never turned in the paperwork to terminate me. So she doesn’t have to rehire me at all. I can start whenever I’m ready.”

“That’s great news, angel.”

Carly took a deep breath. “Yeah, I guess it is. I wasn’t all that fired up to start working again, especially not back at Duke’s where everything happened. But being there today, and seeing everyone, made me realize how much I’ve missed it.”