As Ambrosia began to fill two mugs, one with lager and the other with ale, she nudged Cade playfully with her elbow. “What’s wrong, Cade? Getting bored back here without me?”
Her smile came a little more easily around Cade, though it still wasn’t her usual one. Most days, Cade found her joshing antics amusing. Today wasn’t most days. No hint of a smile cracked his features, and his straight face said he wasn’t in the mood for joking.
“What’s got you in a bad mood today?” Ambrosia asked carefully.
Cade looked down into a mug he’d already been drying for the past half a bell. He didn’t like confrontation much if it was someone he knew well. “Honestly, kid, you do.”
“Shit.” Ambrosia didn’t like being called out, mostly because whenever she was called out, whoever was doing so was right. She looked over to Winnie who suddenly became very interested in what her wine looked like. “Winnie said something, didn’t she?”
Cade stopped polishing his mug and glared at her, and it was Ambrosia’s turn not to meet his eyes, There was little in this world she hated more than his disapproval.
“It doesn’t matter who said it, because she isn’t the only one who’s noticed. She’s not the first one to say something. I’ve been getting complaints about you for about a fortnight now. When you’re as good at being hospitable as you can be, people tend to notice when you’re suddenly shit at it. Listen, I know you’re worried about Tessa. Hai, I’m starting to get worried, too. But when you’re here, I need you here, not distracted by other things. I know it’s a lot to ask, love, but-”
Shocked horror crossed Cade’s face as he realized what had just slipped out of his mouth.
“Petch!” He slammed the mug down on the bar top.
Everyone in the bar turned his direction at his exclamation. Outbursts weren’t something Cade was easily prone to. He tended to be a calm man who handled most situations with words rather than aggression, so loud expletives always got his customers’ attention.
Picking up his mug again, he began to dry it furiously, inspecting it for spots and not meeting Ambrosia’s eyes. “I swear to the Gods, Ambrosia, if I start calling customers ‘love’, you’re fired.”
A smile spread across Ambrosia’s lips and not just any smile. It was her smile, the one she was so accustomed to having come easily. It had been too long since she had smiled it, and it felt familiar and good to have it back. “I’m too pretty to fire.”
“Oh, trust me. That’s plenty worth firing you over. If I-” He stopped when he looked over at her. A smile spread across his face. “There it is. That’s the smile I’ve been looking for.”
Ambrosia’s smile saddened a little as she apologized. “I’ve been trying.”
“Hey, come here.” Cade held his arms open and wrapped them around her when she stepped up against him. “I know, kid. You just let me know what I can do to help keep that smile there.”
“This is good for a start.” There was little Ambrosia coveted more than Cade’s attention, though the attention he gave her was never the attention she was seeking. The hand at the small of her back was placed there protectively, not for any other purpose. He saw himself as her protector. Kid. She was nothing more to him than that. A little girl who needed protecting. A little sister, at best. It seemed to be that way with everyone Ambrosia wanted to have see her as more, Cade and Cordon mostly, but there were others as well. Still, his arms around her felt good. Comfort was what she needed at the moment.
“We should probably get back to work.”
“Probably.” She didn’t let him go.
“Go get people their drinks. I’ll still be here at the end of the night.”
Ambrosia let him go, and her smile returned to her normal happy one. “Thanks.” She pulled away but turn back and added as an afterthought, her smile brightening a little more, “Love.”
Cade glared at her as she went back to filling beers. “I will fire you.”
Ambrosia just beamed her smile back at him. Filling all the beers her patrons had ordered, she picked them up by the handles, managing to hold three in each hand and working her way around the tavern. Her memory was good, at least when it came orders, and soon she had everyone’s drinks in front of them.
Returning to the bar, Ambrosia saw Winnie had nearly finished her glass of wine, so the barmaid swiped a bottle from Cade as he was just finishing uncorking it.
“I was using that,” Cade called after her.
“I know. Thanks for opening it for me.”
Shaking his head, Cade pulled another bottle from beneath the counter and went to work popping the cork. Ambrosia slid up, so she was standing on the other side of the bar from Winnie, beaming her newfound smile at her friend. Seeing Ambrosia on her way over, Winnie dropped her eyes to the bar top and refused to meet her friend’s eyes.
“If you drink that wine any faster, I’m gonna start thinking you’re only doing it to get me to come back. You can always just talk to me, Winnie. The wine’s not expensive, but my company’s free.” Satisfaction filled Ambrosia’s smile as Winnie blushed slightly at that comment.
Winnie watched the depleted bottom of her wineglass, hoping it would give her some sort of escape. It didn’t, so she was forced to respond to Ambrosia. “Listen, Ambrosia. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with Cade. I was just concerned, and I thought if I said something, he’d be able to cheer you up or at least give me some insight on how I could. You’re my friend though, and the last thing I wanted to do was put your livelihood at risk.”
Winnie continued to ramble, her eyes trying to jump up to meet Ambrosia’s but glancing down every time they briefly did. When she finally finished talking in circles, Winnie’s gaze had fixed on Ambrosia’s chest.
Waving her hand in Winnie’s sight, Ambrosia pointed up toward her face. “My eyes are up here, love. Staring at the dress isn’t going to make it come off.”
A blush brighter red than any Ambrosia had ever seen on Winnie before spread across her friend’s cheeks. Winnie’s gaze went to the bar top, and once more, she refused to look up.
Leaning across the bar, Ambrosia placed a gentle hand beneath her friend’s chin and tipped Winnie’s face up, continuing to smile as she did. “I was only kidding.”
Winnie’s blush began to subside when she saw Ambrosia’s smile. “I was already starting to miss that smile.”
“You saying something is what led to it coming back. Thanks for being concerned.”
Winnie returned the smile. “I’m glad.”
Ambrosia filled Winnie’s glass back up. “There. That should keep you busy for a bit.”
“Careful.” Winnie’s honey-smooth took on a seductive air. “You keep on filling my wine, and I might start to think you’re trying to get me drunk.”
That brought Ambrosia’s first blush of the night.
Winnie’s voice dropped into a secretive whisper. “If I get that idea, I’ll have to start drinking even faster.”
With the warmth that flooded her cheeks, Ambrosia was certain her blush rivaled Winnie’s last one. “Not fair.”
Winnie smiled victoriously. “We’ll call tonight a draw.”
Wood creaking alerted Ambrosia to another patron entering, and when she glanced over, she saw Eli, one of their longtime regulars. A bee crawled across Ambrosia’s hand and on to the counter, buzzing its wings expectantly. Leaving a few droplets of wine in front of the little yellow and black illusion, Ambrosia caught Winnie’s attention quickly. “Keep an eye on him, would you, Winnie? Don’t get him too drunk. I gotta go see to Eli.” |
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by Ambrosia Alar on November 28th, 2017, 3:12 pm 
