Glass Ceilings Read Free

her mouth.
    “Not here.”
    “How did you get so good?”
    “Practice.”
    Eve fired question after question at me, unaware of my interest in her cousin. “What else are you good at?” she asked with a wink.
    “Eve!”
    “What?” Adorably, it was Angela who was blushing and not Eve.
    “I make a great dirty martini.” I returned her wink before smiling at Angela. The corners of her plump lips lifted slightly, before she curled them between her teeth. My declaration worked long enough for Eve to sample her drink.
    “Not bad,” she admitted with a nod.
    Slowly, the bar began to fill up as the night went on. The ladies were finishing up their first round when Jase busted through the door in his usual obnoxious way.
    “My jingle bells are freezing!” Moments later, my friend parked his ass next to Eve. “Marry me,” he said, the minute she looked his way.
    Eve giggled. “I’m high maintenance.”
    “I love a challenge.” Without breaking eye contact with Eve, Jase said, “Dart-man, beer and a refill for the ladies.” He leaned closer to Eve and whispered something in her ear. I could only imagine what he said. It didn’t matter. My buddy managed to shut her up. As they exchanged whatevers, I leaned closer to Angela.
    “I haven’t seen you around here before last night.”
    “You saw me last night?” she asked, surprised.
    “Just as you guys were leaving. Are you new in town?”
    Her brows shot up as she paused. “Um…no. Eve heard of this place from a co-worker. So we decided to check it out.”
    A slow smile spread over my lips, and I honestly had no idea why I was smiling. Our eyes locked and her lips parted as if she was about to say something, yet no words came. She was the first to look away but her eyes were back on my smiling face a second later.
    “Um…”
    I waited with bated breath for her to speak, until our moment was interrupted when a customer called for me.
    “I’ll be right back.” My words came out in a whisper, making a very ordinary statement more like an intimate promise.
    She continued to stare, nodding slowly, leaving me hanging and wondering what she was thinking.
    I cursed the customer who needed a drink, as well as the next. When a third waved their money to catch my attention, I suddenly wanted out of The Dump. In fact, I wanted out of The Dump with Angela in tow.

Chapter 2
    Nick
    At the other end of the bar, Angela and Eve chatted with Jase while I served drink after drink to every drunk in Chicago…or at least it felt that way. The concert breaking had the bar packed, effectively shutting Mugs up for the time being. Unfortunately, they only had one drink to warm up from the elements, before exiting as quickly as they came.
    It wasn’t long before the crowd thinned to only a handful of people, forcing a deeper scowl on Mugs’s face. It was still fairly early, but it was a holiday. Tomorrow was Christmas, and The Dump would be closed. Being closed meant no profits, which meant Mugs would be hard to take for a few days afterward.
    “Nick, fill everyone up and take off. I can’t afford to be paying you overtime tonight. Marce will divvy up the tips later.”
    “Sure, Mugs.” I internally laughed since the man was richer than Trump. Relief flooded at the reality that I was done and my night was wide open.
    Jase and Eve were still hitting it off, while Angela looked bored out of her mind. As I watched her staring into space my mind wandered. Why would she still be sitting here, obviously not wanting to be, and on Christmas Eve?
    “Can I get you another?” I asked, hopeful that she would stay awhile now that I was done for the night.
    “No, thank you. I think I’m ready to go.”
    Eve turned toward her. “Oh come on, Ang. It’s still early.”
    “I’m beat. Take your time.”
    “You’re staying!” Eve barked animatedly.
    Angela rolled her eyes before grabbing her coat.
    “Angela, you put me in charge of your bucket list. So, sit your ass down right