that I made the choice to hire him on, though. The little bastard had me fooled. How much of the under stock do you suppose he's taken?”
“Not as much as you'd think,” Caroline explained. “The inventory system tracks a bottle's usage based on how many drinks per bottle you can pour versus what's rung up. A whole bottle during inventory would have thrown up a flag, like it did this time. We've been short a few pours but never an entire bottle. I'm going to say I believed him when he told us it was his first offense.”
Sighing, Lilly said, “That's why I hired you. That right there. That and your magnificence behind the bar. Oh. Speaking of magnificence. The event planner sent out the invitations using the guest list from the last party we threw. She said she sent you an email but you didn't respond to her. I hope that's okay?”
Caroline tried to remember the people on her guest list. It had been her parents and grandmother that she'd invited. There was no way she'd be able to go get her grandmother, so that was out. As for her parents, they'd skipped the last one so it wasn't like they'd show up anyway. “That's fine I guess. I didn't get an email, though.”
“Trinity Vickers?”
“Lemme check my spam folder, because I'm usually pretty good about my email,” she explained. Clicking on her spam folder, she scrolled down the list and asked, “ [email protected] ?”
“That's her,” Lilly confirmed.” Spam?”
“Yeah. I'll respond and apologize. She ended up buried with a bunch of Viagra ads and I totally missed this. Was there anything else she needed?”
“Not that I know of,” Lilly answered, frowning. “It's time. I have to get up or I never will. Now, please look away. It's not even remotely graceful anymore.
Caroline dutifully turned her head until Lilly gave her the all clear. “Thanks for your help with the Joey incident. It's pretty generous of you to not press charges.”
Snorting, Lilly said, “If I thought it would stick, I'd absolutely press charges. That little shit stole $34,000 from me. The camera didn't get a clear enough shot of the bottle. I'm surprised it was enough to scare him into confessing. I figured he'd just deny it.”
“I wasn't expecting him to come clean either,” Caroline admitted. “I almost felt a little sorry for him when he started crying. Almost.”
“Yeah. I can't handle when grown men cry. Don't tell him I told you this, but Talan cried in front of me once and it absolutely gutted me.”
“I can't even picture that. Talan is so tough and in control all the time. He's not even mine and I think that would ruin me.”
Lilly's eyes zeroed in on her neck as she gestured. “You might want to adjust your shirt a little bit. Your bite marks...”
“Crap. I'm sorry. I thought this shirt would hide them. I've been shifting it all day.”
“Doesn't bother me any, clearly,” she laughed, tugging the neckline of her own shirt to the side a bit to show off her own set. “How's all that going, by the way?”
When Lilly wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, Caroline couldn't help but laugh. “Really well. I like him. A lot. Underneath all that grouchiness, he's actually a very sweet man.”
“Sweet? Magnus? I'm glad I'm blown up like a beach ball right now. Once I've had the baby, I won't have any advantage. Magnus seems a little frightened of the fact I'm pregnant. Like, he doesn't want to be too cranky because he thinks I'm going to cry. Since he's sweet to you, I'll just bring you with me to all major conversations going forward.”
Laughing, Caroline imitated Lilly, “' Magnus, I brought Caroline along and she'd like to talk to you about some issues with last night's dinner service. Did you have a minute?' ”
Lilly snorted. “Yeah. I'm sure that would go amazingly well.”
“Um. Can I ask you something? You said if I needed to talk that I could come to you.”
Her face sobering, Lilly said, “Sure. What's up?”
“The differences
“Not as much as you'd think,” Caroline explained. “The inventory system tracks a bottle's usage based on how many drinks per bottle you can pour versus what's rung up. A whole bottle during inventory would have thrown up a flag, like it did this time. We've been short a few pours but never an entire bottle. I'm going to say I believed him when he told us it was his first offense.”
Sighing, Lilly said, “That's why I hired you. That right there. That and your magnificence behind the bar. Oh. Speaking of magnificence. The event planner sent out the invitations using the guest list from the last party we threw. She said she sent you an email but you didn't respond to her. I hope that's okay?”
Caroline tried to remember the people on her guest list. It had been her parents and grandmother that she'd invited. There was no way she'd be able to go get her grandmother, so that was out. As for her parents, they'd skipped the last one so it wasn't like they'd show up anyway. “That's fine I guess. I didn't get an email, though.”
“Trinity Vickers?”
“Lemme check my spam folder, because I'm usually pretty good about my email,” she explained. Clicking on her spam folder, she scrolled down the list and asked, “ [email protected] ?”
“That's her,” Lilly confirmed.” Spam?”
“Yeah. I'll respond and apologize. She ended up buried with a bunch of Viagra ads and I totally missed this. Was there anything else she needed?”
“Not that I know of,” Lilly answered, frowning. “It's time. I have to get up or I never will. Now, please look away. It's not even remotely graceful anymore.
Caroline dutifully turned her head until Lilly gave her the all clear. “Thanks for your help with the Joey incident. It's pretty generous of you to not press charges.”
Snorting, Lilly said, “If I thought it would stick, I'd absolutely press charges. That little shit stole $34,000 from me. The camera didn't get a clear enough shot of the bottle. I'm surprised it was enough to scare him into confessing. I figured he'd just deny it.”
“I wasn't expecting him to come clean either,” Caroline admitted. “I almost felt a little sorry for him when he started crying. Almost.”
“Yeah. I can't handle when grown men cry. Don't tell him I told you this, but Talan cried in front of me once and it absolutely gutted me.”
“I can't even picture that. Talan is so tough and in control all the time. He's not even mine and I think that would ruin me.”
Lilly's eyes zeroed in on her neck as she gestured. “You might want to adjust your shirt a little bit. Your bite marks...”
“Crap. I'm sorry. I thought this shirt would hide them. I've been shifting it all day.”
“Doesn't bother me any, clearly,” she laughed, tugging the neckline of her own shirt to the side a bit to show off her own set. “How's all that going, by the way?”
When Lilly wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, Caroline couldn't help but laugh. “Really well. I like him. A lot. Underneath all that grouchiness, he's actually a very sweet man.”
“Sweet? Magnus? I'm glad I'm blown up like a beach ball right now. Once I've had the baby, I won't have any advantage. Magnus seems a little frightened of the fact I'm pregnant. Like, he doesn't want to be too cranky because he thinks I'm going to cry. Since he's sweet to you, I'll just bring you with me to all major conversations going forward.”
Laughing, Caroline imitated Lilly, “' Magnus, I brought Caroline along and she'd like to talk to you about some issues with last night's dinner service. Did you have a minute?' ”
Lilly snorted. “Yeah. I'm sure that would go amazingly well.”
“Um. Can I ask you something? You said if I needed to talk that I could come to you.”
Her face sobering, Lilly said, “Sure. What's up?”
“The differences
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