Chapter 6

Sam smiled at her when he came back inside.

"Sorry about that, Sookie. Let me take a look at the schedule and get you in for a few shifts."

She followed him to his office. He had already pencilled her in, but he erased a couple of shifts and replaced them with two others. He smiled and handed it over.

"There you go. I'll be here so I can give you a hand if you need it."

He had her working the next four days on the lunch shift. She looked at the coming weeks on the calendar hanging on his wall. She knew that she would be changing again, even if she wasn't quite ready to admit it to herself yet. She was likely going to have to arrange her whole existence around the three nights of the full moon for the rest of her life.

That time of the month had a whole new connotation now.

She stood up and smiled at him.

"I guess I'd better go on home then and get to bed if I have to go to work in the morning. I'll see you tomorrow at eleven."

"I'll be looking forward to it. 'Night, Chère."

"'Night."

She felt warm again. There were a few butterflies, even. She felt almost slutty for wanting two men, virgin or not. She hurried out to her car before she said something and made a fool of herself.

That night, she couldn't get to sleep. Her brain just wouldn't stop churning. Maybe she was being presumptuous, but she thought that she could likely have her pick. She kept going over the pros and cons in her head.

Sam was warm and friendly and made her feel welcome. Eric was really intimidating and seemed to only run hot or cold with nothing in between.

Sam was her boss and things could get really messy if anything went wrong. She wasn't dependent on Eric for a job, no matter what happened.

Eric was drop-dead sexy with the nicest ass she'd ever seen. On the other hand, Sam was a really good looking guy in his own right.

Sam made her feel safe, even though she hardly knew the guy. Eric scared her half to death. But being scared was kind of exhilarating.

She was only twenty-one and Sam was a good bit older than she was. She was pretty sure that Eric was much closer to her in age, even though he carried himself like someone far older.

She was almost positive that Eric would move on when something new and shiny came along. She got the feeling that Sam was looking for something else. Something long-term. She wasn't really interested in just a hook-up.

Sam's mind was a lot harder to read than a lot of people's but she still couldn't block it out. His thoughts had already made her feel a little uncomfortable a couple of times and she was sure it would be much worse if they became intimate. Eric's mind was completely silent and she could touch him and hug him and kiss him and… anything else… him without even having to worry about it. Touch without discomfort was a hell of a thing on offer but was she looking for a couple of weeks or maybe a few months together or was she looking for someone to share her life with? And would she ruin her chances with one if she chose the other?

And was she ready to even start anything right after her whole world had somehow been upended by the dumpster behind the Grabbit Kwik?

She turned over again and put the pillow over her head. Eventually, she fell asleep.

The next day, Sookie decided to drink a third cup of coffee before she took a shower and got ready for work. She really hadn't slept well but she at least had some energy by the time she made it to the bar fifteen minutes early. The employee entrance was propped open with a cinder block and she went inside.

Sam was sitting at his desk in his office and Sookie poked her head through the door.

"Hey, Sam."

"Well, hey back. I'm glad you could make it. Go ahead and put your purse in the bottom drawer there and we can go on out to the bar."

He closed his eyes and smelled her hair as she leaned down to put her bag away. She was flattered by his thoughts and lingered just a tiny bit before standing back up.

She followed him into the bar and got to work prepping lemons and limes and then checking to make sure the ketchup bottles were full. Soon, the customers started trickling in and then they were busy clear through lunch to mid-afternoon.

When it had finally slowed down, Sookie leaned against the bar and stretched her lower back and then sighed. Sam smiled at her.

"You're doing great, Sookie."

She smiled back. "Thanks."

He really was cute, with his shaggy reddish-gold hair and friendly smile. Cute wasn't a word she could possibly use for Eric, even if Sam looked a few years older. Sam ran his fingers through his hair and she liked that it stuck up in every direction. It was charming, in a way. He was.

"It's past time for your break, Chère. Go ahead and take fifteen."

He told DeeAnne, the other barmaid working that shift, to take over Sookie's tables for a bit and then poured Sookie a glass of lemonade. She sat on one of the barstools and took a sip. He was pleased that she'd decided to stay; she could see it and she'd heard it in his thoughts, even if she'd tried not to.

Sam leaned against the bar.

"So, what do you think so far? Is it a good fit?"

"Yes. I think I'm going to like working here. I'm really glad that we ran into each other outside the bathrooms the other night."

He laughed. "Well, I woulda come over and asked, anyway."

She smiled at him. "Good to know "

She didn't really have any experience with flirting, but she sure liked it. It helped that she could tell by the tone of his thoughts that she wasn't making a fool of herself.

"How do you like living in Bon Temps?"

He shrugged. "Great so far. Business is good, the people are mostly nice and it's slow-paced, just how I like it. All in all, I'm glad I moved here."

"Well, as I said before, the town really needed a place like this, so I'm glad you moved here, too."

He grinned and ran his hand through his hair.

A group of guys from Norcross, the lumber processing plant, came in and Sam got busy pouring pitchers. Sookie got back out on the floor and was busy until her shift ended at five. He followed her into his office when she went to grab her purse. She smiled at him.

"See you tomorrow, Sam."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

She noticed him lean forward just a bit as she walked past him. She knew that he was smelling her hair again. She made sure to swing her hips a little as she walked away from him towards the exit.

She thought about when she might see Eric again on the drive home.

Shortly after dark, Eric walked through the door into Merlotte's. He scanned the room and was disappointed not to see Sookie again. Sam was leaning against the bar with his arms crossed. He looked smug.

"Good evening, Eric."

"Sam."

"Looking for someone?"

Eric's eyes narrowed. Sam's grin got a little wider. He was very pleased with himself.

"You know, I think my new waitress is going to work out great. She did so well with the lunch crowd that I have her working day shifts for the foreseeable future."

Eric didn't give Sam the satisfaction of reacting to the news but seethed inside. He followed Sam into his office. They both sat. The silence stretched. Eric looked at the clock on the wall.

"He is late."

"Just by a couple of minutes. Give it a rest."

"I have better things to do with my time than wait for a shifter."

Sam shrugged.

"What can I say? He'll be here."

Eric looked up at the clock again and then back at Sam. He sighed, resigned to an attempt at patience.

"The girl. What is she?"

Sam considered keeping him in the dark but decided against it. It was information that Eric could easily get if he walked back out into the bar, and the idea of a vampire glamouring all of his patrons wasn't a welcome one.

"As far as I know, she's just human. Just one who smells better than everyone else I've ever met."

Eric shook his head. "It isn't just her scent. There is something special about her."

Sam shrugged and then nodded. "People like to talk. A lot of 'em say that she's crazy."

Eric raised an eyebrow. Sam shrugged again.

"The other ones say that she can read people's minds."

Eric leaned back to think about that. The office door opened and a man stepped inside. He was big enough to fill the doorway. He had black hair that hung over his green eyes and he looked like he'd had to start shaving at thirteen. Maybe twelve.

"Hey, what's that really great smell in here?"

Sam ignored the question and gestured to the empty chair next to Eric. The man sat down. He and Eric, side by side, stretched almost the width of the room. He was still scenting the air.

"She smells good enough to eat. Yum. Is she still around here somewhere? I want to meet her. What is she?"

Eric was through with pleasantries. He steepled his fingers.

"Be quiet, Herveaux. It is time for business."