CHAPTER SIX

( JAN'S BIG GIRL JOB )

THE MIDDAY RUSH of the bar had finally come to a slow. January was thankful for this as she thought she had arrived too early. She wore a grin from ear to ear as she perched herself up on the barstool, waiting to catch Babs's attention. However, it appeared that she was far more interested in talking to her patrons from across the bar than greeting her.

She didn't take this to heart, she had to be making money somehow while being on the job. Instead, January grabbed the small cocktail menu, grazing over the options that she could order. She could possibly order something more expensive than what she usually got, but seeing as how she just got the job and her first paycheck was bound to be weak she resisted the temptation.

"If it isn't little Smiles Magee," a voice catches her attention from beside her, causing her to drop the menu in her hand. She recognized the voice, purely from the soft Irish accent rubbed in it. A small, playful smile crosses her lips as she turns to face the man. "Penn!" she greets in an excited tone.

Her eyes eat up his figure as he stands next to her at the bar, his hands in the front pockets of his apron as a small smirk appears on his lips. She tries her best not to stare at the tattoos on his forearms, deeming them the most attractive part of him. Penn was an overall bad boy, that she never got the chance to date. Mainly, because she's denied him several times even though she had always had quite the crush on him, especially when she first moved to California.

However, she made a promise to herself that she wouldn't date anyone until she knew she was financially secure and locked down. Perhaps it was time to make her move. "Haven't seen you in a while," January notes. "Where have you been?"

"The night shift," he answers politely. "Can never make decent money working the lunch shift,"

"And yet, you're here," she teases.

"Someone needed me to cover. I'm in no position to say no," Penn easily shrugs off in response, as if it were no big deal that he gave up his free time to take a shift at the bar. His eyes peer into hers quizzically, a mischievous glint appearing in them. "What about you? Find a job yet?" he questions, a coy smirk crossing his lips.

Jan could easily get lost in the way he was looking at her. Most of the time if a man eyed her like this she'd call him a creep, but since it was Penn - a man she'd been after for a while - she certainly soaked in the attention. She clears her throat, trying to shake her mind away from how delicious he looked at the moment.

"Actually I just got back from an interview that I nailed. I totally got the job," she responds in a nonchalant tone, yet a broad smile forms on her lips. "Nice!" he yips out, holding his hand up for a high-five which she eagerly claps. "Are you going to celebrate?"

"Ah, I actually celebrated with Babs last night," she dismisses, pursing her lips. "It was for my second interview but I don't think I can go out with her model friends again," she admits, trying to stifle back a chuckle.

Her eyes finally make eye contact with Babs from across the bar, who merely smiles at her presence while still waiting on her guests. "Ah yeah, they come in here sometimes," Penn replies, his face scrunching up at the thought of the beautiful looking models sitting at the bar. "They're kind of spacey," he states, gesturing with his hands to emphasize the word "spacey".

Jan nods her head in return. Hopefully, he wasn't grouping Babs in as well. She may be out there but overall she was her friend. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't celebrate. I could buy you a drink," Penn offers, piquing her interest.

"You're working," she scoffs with an eye roll.

"Not Saturday. I traded my night for a morning so I could see my mate's band play," he admits, slightly shrugging as his attention turns towards the two frozen mugs placed up on the bar in front of him by Babs. "You could come, if you want to," he mumbles out sheepishly, something she had never seen before.

January merely nods her head, taking in the offer. She could use this as an opportunity to get out and actually see the town, also possibly form a real relationship with a cute guy. "I'll have to look at my schedule, but I'll let you know," she adds a cheesy wink for good effort, making the server lightly chuckle and roll his eyes. "This for fifty-four?" he questions, grabbing both beers by the handles, letting the frothy foam pour over the sides.

Jan hadn't even noticed that Babs had been there just quietly watching the two flirt for a moment. A heated feeling of embarrassment bubbles up inside her chest.

"Yep," Babs simply states, plopping a piece of popcorn in her mouth - a common sight for servers and bartenders since the popcorn was out on every table as a sort of appetizer. Just looking into Babs's dark eyes made her want to curl up in a ball and die from embarrassment. There was no way she was going to live this down. Penn slightly nudges her as he leaves, a smirk on his face, "See you around, Smiles,"

Jan gives him a small wave as she watches him disappear from the bar. She couldn't help but give him a once over. He really wasn't her ideal type, she can't even remember the last she went on a date with a guy with tattoos - if that even happened. But for some reason, she was drawn to him. Perhaps it was because he was the only genuine person in this fake city, aside from Babs. He spent most of his time as a vet tech, helping out animals, and then the other part was working in a bar to make ends meet.

His first job sounded like a dream, working with animals while serving as his second job sounded less than ideal, something her parents would definitely judge her for. "Gag me, were you flirting with my coworker?" Babs speaks up, breaking her concentration from staring at Penn. She jumps a little as she turns to see Babs leaning on the counter of the bar near her, also looking at Penn. "Maybe," she mumbles out under her breath. "Are you finally going out with him?" Babs asks, turning around to lean against the back of the bar, being careful not to place her full weight on the shelves of alcohol.

"Merely celebrating," Jan smugly states, a sly smile growing on her face as she points to a shot on the bar menu that she wanted. She could see the curious gleam in her friends eyes. "Oh?" she quips as she grabs a shot glass from underneath and placing it on the bar in front of her. After she pours the shot, a sweet mix of vodka, grenadine, and soda water - dubbed the Grenade, she looks to January who had a slick and bubbly look on her face even while taking the shot.

"You have the worst poker face. Something happened. What's going on?"

"I got the job!" Jan squeals, unable to contain her excitement anymore. Even Babs's usual sultry face turns excited.

"You did? Congrats, babe!" she shouts over the counter. "What do you want? On the house," she quips, running her hand along the top shelf of the bar where the good alcohol is stored. Jan's face turns somewhat sour. "I just got a shot -"

"Yeah, but that was a pre-shot," Babs excuses her. Jan's brows raise at the logic. If she continued to enable her she was going to turn into an alcoholic. "Can I just get a daiquiri?" she requests, squinting her eyes at the menu. Babs, in turn, nods her head once and returns to her usual pace behind the bar, also picking up a few drink orders from the printer that she neglected for a few minutes.

Jan's mind was still buzzing from the interview early, how unorthodox the whole meeting was. It was just her luck to meet the indomitable Stark before her interview. She wondered how it would've gone if she hadn't have met him the day before. Would he still have been obnoxious? The frozen drink slides in front of her along with Babs's curious gaze.

"So tell me everything. What's it like? When do you start?" she lists off. Jan takes a brain-numbing sip of the daiquiri which is more potent than usual. Babs must've mixed in too much vodka. She makes a sour and puckered face as she recovers from the swig, giving Babs the satisfaction that she did make the drink hearty enough for her.

"Totally weird," she gave out, trying to catch a breath of air. The aftertaste in her mouth staying behind and giving her aftershocks of the alcohol.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" she asks, knowing that she probably wouldn't remember. It's be a miracle if she did, she was wasted. Babs bobs her head from side to side as she tries to recall the events of the club. "It's all kind of fuzzy," she finally admits, watching January playfully roll her eyes.

"Uh-huh," Jan chides. "Well, last night I was sitting alone -"

"Sorry -" Babs whispers under her breath. When she started drinking she became a new person that didn't care for anyone but herself. Jan has pointed it out to her numerous times.

"And this guy came over and sat by me," Jan continues after waving off the apology. "And we got to talking and he was flirting with me but you know me, I'm coy, I'm not going home with a stranger,"

"Uh-huh," Babs says distracted by the incoming drink tickets coming through to her for her to make.

"So I didn't tell him my name or anything, all I said was maybe we'd meet again,"

"Classic,"

"No! But it really happened!" Jan exasperates, catching Babs's undivided attention. She looks at her confused as to why she was making a big deal out of this. "What did? Did you run into him? Was he like also applying for the job?" she nonchalantly asks, continuing to make drink orders.

"No, Babs, that guy was Tony Stark,"

Babs's eyes go wide, her heart slips up on a beat, causing her to almost drop the glass in her hands. "What!" she gasps in shock and awe. She missed out on an opportunity to see Tony Stark, flirt and talk to him, all because she was too busy making out with her co-worker.

Now she was flabbergasted and intrigued by her friends story. "I mean it makes sense," Jan shrugs. "We were in the VIP lounge last night and he did have this high tech thing on him that he was tinkering with,"

Babs snaps her fingers for Jan to come back to earth and focus on telling her story. "Back to the story, how did you find out it was Tony Stark?"

"He interviewed me!" Jan shouts, just as in awe as Babs. "No way!"

"That's not even the best part, do you know what this pretentious asshole said to me in front of his assistant who was also interviewing me?" January begins to giggle just from thinking about how straight forward and ludacris his comment was to her.

"What?"

"That he was going to marry me!"

Her friends face scrunches up in disgust. Even she had a knack for sniffing out douchebags. "I smell a lawsuit. Why did you accept it? I thought you hated people like that?" she questions. For a moment, January is stumped. Babs was completely right, it was against her entire moral judgment to go work for an egotistical bastard of a flirt. She had curbed so many offers like that in Chicago. Was there really a difference like that here? She shakes the thoughts of her going against her own code an shrugs.

"Not in the position to say no," she states, drowning her own inner turmoil out with a swig of the numbing alcohol. "That's true," Babs replies. "So when do you start?"

"Tomorrow,"

"Jesus," she hisses out, a scowl crossing her face. "So soon?"

"I guess they need me right away,"

Babs releases a pent up sigh, "Well I have to say, I am a little jealous,"

This perks Jan's interests. Babs had never been jealous of her before. Babs had the beauty, the grace, and the confidence out of the pair and suddenly she was jealous of her. It was a new feeling that she'd never felt before. She couldn't quite stick a name to it as it bubbled in her chest with joy. Was this pride? "Why?" Jan questions, trying not to sound too overly excited about having the upper hand on Babs.

"Because you literally have a billionaire asking you to marry him and I'm a model and a bartender,"

What she wanted to say was for Babs to go back to school and get an education. Encourage and nurture her to not to make herself feel bad. But instead, a nervous chuckle spews from her mouth. "Me? Marry him? Oh, yeah, right. You can have him if you really want. I have someone else in my sights,"

Her eyes rest on the relaxed figure of Penn as he greets a table, his smile warm in greeting. Babs rolls her eyes as she connects Jan's love-driven gaze to the flirty server. "Who Penn?" Her voice sounds higher than usual, a tone she'd use for judging people.

She didn't think he was that attractive - not more attractive than Jan's new boss - but to each their own. However, she'd never seen Jan in such a daze, it might've been the first time she'd genuinely seen her happy since the move. Babs purses her lips as she looks at her friend. "Babe, do you really think going on a date with him is a good idea?"

"What do you mean?" January questions, her brow arching a little as she can hear the heat in her tone. "I don't know, you just tend to fall a little fast and I know Penn and he's not the kind of guy you settle down with," Babs tries to convince her, cleaning the bar in front of her in the process to make it seem like she was doing some work while talking to her friend. Jan snorts, "I'm not going to fall for him, I promise, I just need someone -"

"To check your pipes?" Babs cuts her off, a sly smirk placing itself on her lips. A vibrant red hue tinges Jan's cheeks at the remark. "Elegantly phrased," she notes, taking a sip of her drink. Maybe the coolness would put out the fire in her belly that ignited just by Babs's suggestion.

"So why wouldn't you want a stranger to do that?" Babs blankly asks, returning to work as she begins to pour a pint that had come through. Jan's mouth twists into a slight frown as she begins to overthink. She liked Penn, but if she were to trust Babs's judgment she wasn't going to have a fun time.

In a way, Babs was right. She did tend to fall easily, and hard. But that was Midwest Jan, this is west coast Jan and she could easily have friends with benefits. "I don't know, I just like the connection," Jan lies trying to sound cool, although she could tell by the tone in Babs's voice when she said her name that she knew she was lying through her teeth.

If she was being honest with herself, yes, she would like Penn to be with her. For how long is the next question. She knew if she brought him home her parents would flip because of the way he looked and his chilled out and laid back attitude. She shuffles awkwardly in her seat, trying her best not to let the nerves get to her. Babs notices the shift in her attitude, from going from pleasant sunshine to mopey and socially inept.

"Jan..." she hisses out from under her breath. She runs a hand down her face as she stands in front of the redhead behind the bar. "All right, it's been officially decided that I'm going to spy on your date -"

Jan hastily states, "Please don't -", as she sips on her drink but Babs ignores her wishes. "It's already been decided, there's no going back," she states confidently, knowing damn well that it was also an excuse to go out with her friend. "What if he sees you?" Jan asks the obvious.

"He shouldn't be able to see me if he can't keep his eyes off of you," she notes. "Even you won't even notice I'm there,"

"That's actually kind of sweet," Jan gives her the benefit of the doubt, as she sees the gears shifting in her head. She was already assembling outfits and ways to get close enough to her to eavesdrop and still not be able to be seen.

January scratches her forehead with the backside of her thumb out of nervousness, groaning in the process. There was no way she could convince her not to go. But she knew Babs would take full responsibility if she got caught. Hopefully. Or else she'd seriously have to reconsider being friends with the model.

She lets out an exasperated sigh as she nods her head, granting her permission to be undercover on her date. Babs can't help but let out a high pitched, giggle that made her want to roll her eyes. She knew she liked getting dolled up for the weekends and she just gave her an excuse to go all out on dressing up. "Let me know when you're date is and I'll see if someone can cover for me," Babs states, already beginning to scribble things down about the date in her server book.

"And hey, hopefully, your boss won't be there," she teases with a wink that makes January almost spit out her drink. Instead, she gags on the drink for a moment before glaring up at her friend. The last thing she wanted to do was envision Tony Stark crashing a date. Babs's facial expression becomes more serious than teasing for a moment as she watches her friend choke on the daiquiri.

"Seriously, I don't think he goes to little garage bands," she tries to ease her conscience as she slides her a receipt for the shot she had taken earlier. January sniffles as she tries to gain her composure, grasping on to the pen Babs laid down in front of her.
"Thanks for the life-changing advice," she sarcastically remarks, wiping her nose on a napkin.

Babs cheerily picks up the receipt and places it in her book, before flashing her a dazzling smile, "Anytime, babe,"