Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
SERENITY
“Enough about the dark stuff,” Sage harrumphed, lifting her cocktail in the air. “What I want to know is what’s happening between Serenity and the last bachelor standing!”
I choked on the sip of martini I just took, the vodka burning my nose and throat, making my eyes water violently.
For some reason, that sent the table into hysterics. Even Stella was giggling wildly as she patted my back and lifted one of my arms to help me out.
“What?” I croaked once I’m able to breathe, lifting the cloth napkin from my lap to carefully dab at the tears that had brimmed in my eyes. The last thing I needed was to screw up my mascara.
I was quickly coming to find that Sage was the kind of woman who said whatever was on her mind. Usually, that was something I’d love, seeing as I was similar in that way. But in this instant, not so much.
I felt heat creep up my neck and center in my cheeks, making them burn bright red.
Clearing my throat, I put the martini glass down and moved to the glass of water beside it, sucking some of the cool icy liquid down my burning throat.
I could feel Stella’s gaze on me the whole time, and sure enough, when I looked over, her head was tilted to the side, her shrewd gaze full of curiosity.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s nothing going on between us.”
I felt the lasered focus of everyone at our table. I knew it was only my imagination, but it was like a hush had fallen over the entire bar, and I was the center of everyone’s attention.
Sage pinched her lips to the side, her expression screaming, oh please. Who do you think you’re fooling? She lifted her cocktail glass and swirled the amber liquid inside before taking a sip. “Really? Because that’s not what I heard.”
“Oh my God,” Nona gasped as she practically threw herself across to table to better see Sage. “What did you hear?”
“She didn’t hear anything!” I insisted. “Because there’s nothing to hear.”
The whole table chose to ignore me, and I was suddenly questioning why I thought it was such a brilliant idea to make friends in the first damn place.
“Well, I heard from Rory that Hunter found out from Cord what was going down at the bar, and that, even though it was being handled, Hunter stormed out of the office like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels and practically got into a wreck on his way to the bar.”
I switched back to my martini and drank deeply. I was going to kill Rory, then I was going after her gossipy-ass husband. Damn me for deciding to drive instead of calling for an Uber, because I really needed another drink. “I’m sure that’s an exaggeration.”
Sage shrugged casually. “Maybe, maybe not. But she said he blew into the bar and made a beeline straight to our girl. Didn’t even spare anyone else a glance.”
My stomach began doing Olympic-gymnast level flips.
Don’t read into it, Serenity, I silently scolded, knowing this was a road I certainly didn’t need to go down.
She waggled her eyebrows suggestively as she added, “Then he dragged her into the back, and they were locked in the office, all alone, for several minutes.”
I waved my hands and tried talking over the chorus of oohs and aahs. “No, no, no. It wasn’t like that. He only did that so he could yell at me in private for putting myself in a dangerous situation.”
Stella’s eyebrows shot up. “And you let him walk out of there alive?” she asked in complete bewilderment. She knew me too well. If it had been any other man, he’d have spent the next week walking around with an icepack down his shorts.
Even Spencer hadn’t been immune to my wrath when we were growing up. He took his role as overprotective big brother very seriously and took it upon himself to threaten any guy who showed even the slightest bit of interest in me.
When I finally found one who was willing to risk a beatdown from my brother, he informed him I wasn’t allowed to go on the date the boy had asked me on.
I gave him a chance to take it back. It wasn’t my fault he didn’t heed my warning.
It also wasn’t my fault that he had to get his nose reset after I drove my fist into it.
After all, he was the one who taught me to punch.
I bit down on my bottom lip under the scrutiny of the women sitting around the table. “I would have, if he didn’t have a point,” I admitted. “I kind of lost my shit when I saw how scared Fletcher was, and I acted without thinking.”
Stella nodded in agreement. “That’s on par with your personality.”
I shot her a murderous look. “Anyway. That’s all it was. There’s nothing happening between Hunter and me.”
“Rory also said he’s been coming into the bar a lot more than he used to.”
I shifted my scowl from my sister to Sage. “Rory would do well to keep her mouth shut.”
The table burst into laughter.
However, she wasn’t totally off the mark.
She wasn’t the only one who’d noticed that Hunter’s visits to the Tap Room had picked up.
Not only did he come in for a cold beer or two after work nearly every night I was working, but he’d taken to coming in for lunch on the days I had the early shift.
He usually sat in my section, but if not, he was on a barstool at the end of the bar where the servers lined up to put in their orders, always ready for a conversation.
I wasn’t sure if he knew my schedule, or if it was just the world’s biggest coincidence, but lately I was seeing more of Hunter McCann than anyone else.
And those damn shivers and belly flips still hadn’t gone away.
“We’re just friends. That’s all.”
God, when would it stop stinging to say that?
In my defense, it wasn’t like he was making it easy.
His words and his actions were a constant contradiction, and it was starting to do my head in.
Just when I’d get myself to a place where I’d think the whole friendship thing would work, he did something like bringing me lunch from Evergreen Diner because I’d mentioned craving Ralph’s meatball sub.
Or he’d walk me to my car after a shift and linger once I was safely at my car long enough to brush a strand of hair behind my ear.
If there was a chance for him to touch me, he never failed to take it. And my skin never failed to erupt with goosebumps at the feel of his rough hands on my skin.
The shadows still lurked deep in his eyes, but they didn’t look nearly as dark as they had when I’d first met him.
I kept telling myself that it wasn’t because of me, but that stupid niggling ember of hope deep down inside me refused to be snuffed out, and every time he did something to make me think he could possibly want something more than friendship, that ember would glow brighter and hotter, like a coal being doused in lighter fluid.
Sage didn’t look convinced. She shook her head while nibbling on her bottom lip. “I don’t know. He’s seemed different the past couple of weeks.”
I tried my hardest not to let her words fuel that stupid coal, but then my sister spoke up. “She’s right. I mean, I don’t know him super well, but it’s like he’s been in a better mood lately.”
Sage nodded. “He’s been especially grumpy the past few months. It’s been nice to see him getting back to normal.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what normal was for Hunter, but I would have been lying if I said that wasn’t nice to hear. It also piqued my curiosity, and I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened a few months back to put him in the mood he’d been in since I’d known him.
My mind spun in a thousand different directions as our server returned to our table with a tray of refills.
I felt the tingle of eyes on me and turned to find my sister looking straight at me, her brow marred by an all-too-familiar wrinkle of concern.
It was a look she wore damn near constantly in my old life.
She worried about me. It should have been the other way around, given that I was the older sister, but Stella had always been a bit of a nurturer.
And it didn’t help that she could read me like a book.
She knew I couldn’t leave a puzzle unsolved and that my love of a good challenge had gotten me in trouble more times than I could count.
She’d already been concerned about my growing fixation with Hunter McCann, as it was.
The little nugget that had just dropped in my lap certainly wasn’t going to help put her mind at ease.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the women around us, Stella and I had a full-blown conversation, using only our eyes.
She lowered her chin and narrowed her eyes. I know what you’re thinking.
I widened mine and gave an infinitesimal shake of my head. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Her glare was so tiny, it didn’t register to anyone but me. Bullshit. I know you. This is a real-life human being, Sere, not a puzzle for ages six and up. You can’t fix him or solve him.
My chest rose and fell on a huff. Who said that’s what I want to do?
Damn her for knowing me so well. Because that was exactly what I wanted to do.
Her brows drooped and her head canted to the side. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.
God, I loved my sister. That could probably go without saying, but I couldn’t help it. She was, hands down, the best person I knew.
I smiled and leaned in to bump her shoulder with mine. I love you too, little sis. Don’t worry about me.
I knew the conversation was over when she let out a sigh and lifted her drink to her lips for a deep pull.
I lifted my own and sipped, determined to push thoughts of Hunter McCann from my mind for the rest of the evening.