Stirring Up Trouble Read Online Free PDF

karaoke.
    Thursday nights were now ladies’ night, where they could get any drink on the menu for two bucks. That was probably in direct correlation to the noise level the night before. He’d had a whole swarm of college girls come in from Gadsden. As college girls tended to do, they went from white wine spritzers to tequila shots. That was a bad combo, if you asked him. Yes, he had to pay a hefty fine for the noise, but at the very least, the cops ran off most of the girls before they started puking in the gravel parking lot.
    He was certain that before the weekend was up, he’d either have a solution or another grand in fines. Madelyn wasn’t going to give up the fight that easily. A part of him would be sorely disappointed if she did.
    Emmett could still taste a lingering bit of icing on his lips as he drifted off to sleep. He couldn’t help but wonder if those defiant lips might surprise him and taste just as sweet.

Chapter Three
    â€œI need a Boston Lager and a light beer.”
    Emmett looked up at his waitress, Joy Lane, as she flattened her serving tray against the bar top and leaned over to inspect him more closely.
    â€œYou look like hell,” she stated matter-of-factly.
    He wasn’t surprised that his miserable state was noticeable. It was hard enough to sleep during the day when the world was awake, but this wasn’t just run-of-the-mill day-sleeper drama. It was all because of that woman .
    â€œAre you getting enough sleep?”
    At that, he chuckled and poured a beer into a tall pilsner glass. “No, I’m not. I haven’t gotten three consecutive hours of sleep in the last two weeks.”
    â€œIs the crazy cupcake lady still after you?”
    Emmett scanned the bar’s patrons, poured the other beer, and sat it on her tray. “You’d better watch what you say, Joy. I know you’re pretty new around Rosewood, but the crazy cupcake lady comes from a big, influential family, and there’s usually one or two of them in here. But yes, Fancy Pants still has it in for me.”
    Joy frowned and loaded a fresh bowl of pretzels onto her tray. “Put this on table three’s tab. I’m going to take it to them, then I’m coming back and you’re going to spill about what’s going on.”
    Emmett nodded, and her blond pixie head disappeared around the corner. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face as he thought of her indignant expression. He was glad to have Joy here. She’d been working at the bar since the beginning of the summer. Business was doing well enough that he needed to stay behind the bar, pour drinks, and cash out tabs. Bringing on a part-time waitress had been a godsend. She worked only on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, but those were the busiest anyway.
    He’d also noticed the men tended to hang around the bar a little longer on the nights Joy worked. He could understand why. Joy was a curvy woman who liked tight jeans and even tighter T-shirts. Her hair was short, but there wasn’t anything masculine about her. There also wasn’t anything sweet or polite about her, either. As she liked to say, she was a sassy Georgia peach, not some delicate southern magnolia. The customers, both men and women, seemed to respond well to her.
    He wasn’t sure how long they’d have to chat about his problems, though, since it was a Friday. He expected it to be a busy night. It’d cost quite a bit, but they had a really popular band from Birmingham coming to play. He hoped it would bring enough extra revenue to pay for itself.
    And if Fancy Pants couldn’t sleep tonight . . . boo flipping hoo.
    â€œAll right,” Joy said as she climbed up onto a barstool. “Spill it.”
    Emmett leaned down onto his elbows with a sigh. He hadn’t really spoken to anyone about this. He felt silly about the whole thing, really. He was being childish, reacting so immaturely,