Blame It On The Carols (Sugarplum Falls #6)

Five | Aiden

Five

Aiden

“H ere’s the order for table five. Make sure the burger is well done, no pink.” I added the ticket to the line and made sure the kitchen staff heard me before I went behind the bar to get their drinks. Everyone had ordered a cocktail or a glass of wine except for Makayla. She didn’t bother to ask for anything, which bothered me. I knew I hadn’t been very welcoming when she came in to see me last night, but I was caught off guard. It was still hard to see her because so much had changed between us, but my heart refused to accept that as it clung to the tiny thread of hope that things could be different between us.

I got the drinks situated on the tray and then filled a glass with ice water for Makayla. I knew that she used to be a beer and burger kind of girl back when we were dating, but who knew if she still liked it? Why would I expect to know anything about her now? I’d taken a guess on her food order, but she hadn’t stopped to correct me, which made me think maybe things hadn’t changed as much as I thought.

I made my way through the tables that were starting to fill up and set the drinks down on the empty table beside me. The ladies were all laughing at something her mom, Jill, had said, but I noticed that Makayla seemed off in her own world. She was chewing her nails and staring down at the table, something that made my heart hurt for her.

I passed the drinks around, then excused myself as I headed back behind the bar. It was a risky move, but I found myself doing it anyway as I prepared a special cocktail for Makayla. I may not have been ecstatic to see her, but that didn’t mean that I ever stopped caring about her. It was just a shock that she was back in town, and it took me a little longer than expected to warm up to the idea. Mainly because I didn’t want to get my hopes up that things would be the same between us as they were before she left.

The ladies were all sipping on their drinks as Makayla swirled her straw in circles, pushing the ice through the water.

“Dirty Reindeer Balls,” I said, clearing my throat to get Makayla to look at me as I extended the glass to her.

“I’m sorry?” she stammered, looking confused as her cheeks flushed the prettiest shade of red. “Oh, no. I didn’t order a drink.”

“I know. It’s on the house.”

She opened her mouth to respond, then snapped it closed as she took the drink. The older women talked behind their hands, likely commenting on how vulgar the name of the drink was, though they all had smiles on their faces. Then Makayla smiled for the first time since I’d seen her, and that smile alone started shattering the steel wall I’d built around my heart.

The night moved quickly, and before I knew it, the bar was packed. The tables were completely full, and every seat at the bar was occupied. It was standing room only and close to getting shut down by the fire marshal for exceeding the occupancy limit if we didn’t stop allowing people in. It always sucked having to turn people away, but it was also a good problem to have because our bar sales were usually high when we were this busy.

Karaoke was always a big hit, but it seemed to be even more popular the closer we got to Christmas. It was like everyone was coming in to have a drink or two and relax for a bit. I didn’t blame them; it was crazy this time of year and I didn’t even have family in town to buy for, let alone kids. I couldn’t imagine the stress parents were under to make the magic of Christmas happen for their little ones. Between taking them to see Santa and sneaking around to buy presents that he would leave on Christmas Eve, it felt like too much.

“Alright, next up, we have the Sugarplum Sweethearts,” I announced, making sure the microphone was loud enough to be heard over the crowd of people talking around me. “Come on up, ladies.”

There was a makeshift stage at the front of the bar that we used for karaoke and it worked perfectly. The ladies all made their way over, and I noticed Makayla staying behind as she nursed her drink. Her mom bent down to say something, but Makayla shook her head.

“It looks like we’ve got the full team tonight, folks. Get ready for a real Christmas treat as we have Makayla Hendrix in the house with us,” I added, noticing the way her head immediately shot up, eyes glaring at me.

Her mother gave her another nudge, and Makayla reluctantly stood up. The crowd began cheering and clapping as they all made their way to the stage. I tried not to watch as Makayla walked in front of me, her round ass drawing my attention in the skin-tight jeans she was wearing. She was curvy when we dated, but never like this.

I forced myself to ignore the thoughts that wanted to infiltrate my mind as she took her place on the stage behind the other women until her mom forced her to the front. Now wasn’t the time to entertain dirty thoughts about what it would be like to be with her again. That would have to wait until later when I was home by myself. Or better yet—never. It wasn’t like there would be anything happening between us. That ship had sailed.

I pressed a few buttons and waited for the music to start. They were singing Silent Night, and I had heard them do it a few times already, as they came in often to rehearse. But this would be the first time I’d heard Makayla sing in person since she left.