Not Used To Cute - Becca Seymour Page 0,1

with mine, and his mouth lifted in another smile. “It’s all good though. Something always turns up. I tend to land on my feet pretty quickly.”

My brain started working overtime, wanting nothing more than to help the man before me. He was so fucking sweet, and hell, so vibrant that I had to stop from reaching out to keep him secure on his stool. “So what do you do?”

“Admin, waiting tables. Heck, I’ve done so much. I sometimes struggle to find something to stick to, you know? I love the work and work my arse off, but I’ve always gone for temp jobs. The places I’ve been employed have been great, but none have really fit. I always go in wondering if the rightness will be there and then a permanent opportunity will open up, but when the contract’s over, to be honest, I’ve always been happy to move on.”

Thinking hard, I glanced around my bar. We didn’t need another server, else I’d have no hesitation in offering him something. I didn’t even pause to consider what that meant or how messed up that was. My bar staff was family. We were tight-knit. It was rare we let anyone in the fold—the latest being Tom, who seemed like a good kid—but the man before me had all my caution melting away.

I started speaking before I’d even formed a complete thought. “I could do with someone in the office.” I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance as his eyes connected with mine, his bright, open, and honest. “Carla’s been begging me for ages to take on someone else in the office to help her. It would only be part-time, but if you’re interested, it’s yours.”

A smile stretched his mouth wide. “Seriously? That would be amazing, Elijah.” He stood and threw his arms around me without preamble.

I steadied myself on impact and laughed, patting his back. It was awkward. Hell, we were in the middle of the bar surrounded by my family, celebrating my sister’s birthday. I’d wanted to hug the hell out of Seb and breathe him in. Instead, after a couple of awkward pats on his back, I said, “Yeah, sure. No worries at all. You can start on Monday. Come in, and Carla will talk you through everything.”

I didn’t own a general run-of-the-mill bar, hence the need for support in the admin department. My place also held drag shows. While not every night, we were busy and popular enough, and ensured the shows were professional enough to warrant a whole host of support.

Seb stepped away and sat back down, still smiling widely. “This is incredible. Thank you.” He chewed on his bottom lip and looked away briefly before returning his gaze back to me. “And listen, how about a trial or something? You don’t know me from Adam, so this way, if things don’t work out, no hard feelings. Sound good?”

Who the hell was this guy? Sweet and confident, sexy as hell with his tight jeans that hugged his arse so perfectly, plus despite his somewhat flamboyant ways, he had the smarts too. My grin was genuine as I tried to show my increased respect for him and his words. “Sounds good to me.”

He lifted his bottle of beer up to me. I grabbed a new bottle that Lenny had set down for me and lifted it to his. “Congratulations.” I winked before taking a deep pull, hoping my ill-thought-out job offer wouldn’t bite me in the arse.

Harriet interrupted us close to midnight, saying she was exhausted so she was leaving. I looked into her smiling eyes, a pang of pride hitting me. She’d come so far since her PTSD diagnosis, which had formed into an anxiety disorder. Hell, just eighteen months ago, leaving the bar by herself would have been impossible, let alone touching and interacting with people.

“Come on, Sebastian, we’re your ride,” Harriet called to him. I had barely spoken two words to my sister all night, too absorbed in the man beside me, but Harriet was in good hands and had brought a small group of friends over tonight to celebrate. I knew enough to understand they were good people.

Seb’s smile was wide. “I’m ready.” He turned his gaze back to me. “Thank you so much, Elijah. Seriously. I promise I won’t let you down.” He reached out his hand for me to shake and I took it, wishing instead for another of those hugs he’d given me earlier.

I grinned at him, happy we were in the darkened