Chapter 8 #2
Maya used to smell like kiwis. Something fruity and tropical.
“Thanks!” Lana’s cleavage matched her enthusiasm as she bounced up and down.
Kate swept by me then, with her loaded tray and loaded stare, elbowing me sharply in the ribs.
“Seriously?” I massaged my side and glared at my sister.
She stuck out her tongue. “Stay focused, Big Brother.”
Kate could be such a pain in the ass sometimes. I grumbled under my breath, unfazed by her false assumptions. I wasn’t interested in the new bartender. I didn’t have time for distractions, despite every male instinct telling me otherwise.
It really had been a long time.
Probably almost a year.
I’d had a few hookups after Maya. Rebounds. But they’d always left me feeling empty and unsatisfied. Admittedly, I was a connection man; I needed substance, something real. I craved genuine intimacy.
Maybe that was why Abigail Stone had gotten under my skin. She had substance. She was funny and quirky, and had a crooked smile that just did something to me.
She was also very off-limits.
I shook the thoughts away and looked up just in time to see a familiar face taking a seat on the stool across from me.
James tipped his head in greeting. “It’s hoppin’ tonight,” he noted, his deep voice hardly penetrating the heavy bass from the live band. “The ladies are eating these guys up.”
I scoffed, unimpressed.
Freeze Frame.
A bunch of tools from New York, thinking they were going to be big stars.
“I’m totally swooning.” Smirking, I leaned forward on my hands. “What can I get you, Partner?”
James eyed the drink specials written in Kate’s girly chalk handwriting above the bar. “I’ll do that Fireball one. Thanks, McAllister.”
Lana skipped up to the counter, plastering an eager smile on her face. “Hi!” she chirped. Sunbeams might’ve been lasering from her eyes. “I’m Lana. I’m new. I’ll get your drink for you.”
Kate appeared behind the counter again, her tray now empty. She winked at James. “She’s Lana. She’s new.”
James chuckled, his laughter rich. “How are you, Kate? It’s been a while.”
My sister flipped her hair over her shoulder with a shrug.
“Just being my usual delightful self. Slinging deep-fried appetizers. Drowning in debt.” She parked her hip against the counter, looking thoughtful.
“Hey, I don’t think we’ve really chatted since game night last Christmas when Kravitz’s girlfriend barfed all over Uno. ”
My attention was divided between Lana’s questionable cocktail-making skills and James’ and Kate’s conversation.
Ah, yes…game night. That was one for the books. Not only did Kravitz’s girlfriend, indeed, barf all over Uno, I seemed to recall some flirtatious banter between my partner and my sister. I was surprised to hear they hadn’t had much contact since that night.
“Memorable night,” James agreed, his eyes twinkling as they stayed fixed on Kate. “We should do a repeat.”
“I think that’s a brilliant idea,” Kate said, twisting toward me. “What do you say, Big Bro?”
“Sure. Maybe I can squeeze a little Scattegories in somewhere between my full-time work week, overtime, random bar shifts, sleep deprivation, and security detail.”
“’Atta boy. Always such a go-getter.” She slapped me on the shoulder, but her gaze lingered on James. “I’ll see you around, Walker.”
Before she disappeared into the kitchen, one of the band members stepped up to the bar with an attractive, exotic-looking brunette on his arm. The guitarist slid up next to James with a friendly nod and winked at Lana. “Whiskey, please.”
She practically fainted.
And was that…drool?
I took over the register, my sister hovering over me.
“Hot damn, Noah Hayes is fine,” Kate said, whispering under her breath. “If I were wearing any panties, they’d be—”
“Whoa, I’ll stop you there. I’m literally gagging right now.”
Kate’s laughter filled my ears as I poured the whiskey into a glass. “Hey, his girlfriend was totally checking you out,” she noted. “She’s obviously a floozy. Maybe I’ve got a shot.”
I set the drink on the counter, and the band member tossed me some cash. When I turned around, Kate was still gawking at him. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re a virgin, and you’ll always be a virgin. Also, I’m begging for a subject change here.”
“Fine.” She planted her hands on her hips. “How’s Abby?”
“I’m requesting another subject change.”
“Oh, stop,” Kate said. “She’s adorable, in a tortured kind of way. And I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”
I pretended to be oblivious to the insinuation, but it festered in the back of my mind. I knew exactly what Kate was talking about, and I couldn’t seem to help the warm, tingly feeling that washed over me when I thought about that look.
Her wide eyes, sometimes indigo, sometimes violet. Always curious and engaged. Abby was special, and that rattled me. I was trying desperately not to become too attached, too interested, but that girl made it downright impossible. She was different.
I liked different.
But, alas, she was also fractured. Her pieces were scattered, and I didn’t know how to put them back together. I didn’t have that kind of power, nor the resources.
So I focused on her case, instead.
Not on her smile. Not on the way her nose crinkled when she laughed. Not on her long blonde hair that spilled down her back like a fine champagne.
And certainly not on that look.
Kate gave me her own look that screamed “you’re pathetic” as she floated through the kitchen doors. I groaned in response. Then I sauntered back up to the bar counter, just as Lana started flirting up a storm with James and tried to reel him in with her kiwi perfume.
I sighed.
I couldn’t wait to get home and crawl into bed.
Abby
I stood at the edge of Cooper’s driveway the next morning, filled with boundless nervous energy.
I chewed on the inner lining of my cheek, my hands fidgeting in my pockets and my knees practically quivering.
I’d been surprised to find that Cooper owned the charming lakeside bungalow barely a mile away from Daphne’s house.
And I’d also been surprised because his yard was meticulously maintained with lush grass, a breathtaking selection of perennials, and vibrant greenery adorning the front yard.
I wondered how Cooper found time for landscaping, considering he hardly had time for sleep.
Eventually, I’d discovered that Kate was to thank for his Martha Stewart property.
A smile slipped as I breathed in the flowery musk. But the moment I remembered why I was there, my stomach started doing flips again.
The conversation with Maya had shaken me.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty for feeling the way I did.
Especially because I was certain Cooper was well-aware of my schoolgirl crush.
How could he not be? Infatuation was practically firing from my eyes every time we were within a few feet of one another.
It was pathetic. Embarrassing.
Wrong.
That was why I needed to apologize. The last thing I wanted to do was instigate the gossip train and put Cooper’s career in jeopardy.
I swallowed my nerves and took a few slow, courageous steps up to his front stoop.
Knocking through a gulp, I waited.
I heard footsteps on the other side of the door, so I wrung my hands together and nibbled my lip.
The door swung open.
I opened my mouth to speak.
But…nothing came out. I was stunned silent.
A woman answered the door in nothing but an oversized men’s T-shirt. And it wasn’t just any woman.
No way.
My skin blazed hot, my mind dizzy, my balance becoming unsteady. I reached for something to hold on to, but there was nothing, so I stumbled backward.
The woman smiled, her perfect features warm and inviting.
“Abby,” she said sweetly.
I stared at her, feeling the ultimate sense of betrayal.
“Maya.”