11. This Is Going To Be Good
ELEVEN
THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD
Lach
I yank open the door to Porter’s. My eyes need a moment to adapt to the shift from sunlight to fluorescent lighting. Nora’s a few feet away, clearing empty beer bottles from a table on the left wall. My gaze drifts from her to behind the bar. A woman—who I don’t recognize—wearing a black Porter’s shirt with her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail stands in front of a shelf of liquor bottles.
“Hey Nora, who’s that?” I nod toward the bar.
Her gaze drifts from me to the woman behind the bar and back to me. A wide grin splits her face. “Oh, you don’t know who that is?”
I study the woman for a beat longer. Did I hook up with her? From this side, I’d think I’d remember hooking up with her. My brows pinch together. “No. But you say that like I should.”
She laughs. It’s slightly sinister, but it’s Nora, so it’s a friendly sinister. “Oh, this is going to be good.” She turns to the side. “Hey, Eve!”
The woman spins around. All the color drains from her face. The pint glass slips from her grasp, shattering on the hard floor with a loud clang.
“Oh shit,” I mutter.
Nora holds an imaginary popcorn bucket in one hand and motions as if she’s tossing kernels into her mouth. “This is better than any matinee.”
I brush past Nora, and she chuckles behind me as I rush to the bar. I’ve come to grips that Kat would forever live only in my dreams, so to see her not only at my work but behind the bar is mildly shocking. Or a lot shocking. Her real name is Eve. Why does that name sound so familiar? “What are you doing here?” I grit through my teeth. The words come out harsher than I intended, but I’m in a current state of confusion. Or Panic? I’m not even sure.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Eve whispers, eyes wide.
Nora sets a tray of empty bottles on the bar top. “This is Lach. And from what I hear, you two know each other.”
My heart thumps in my chest. I tear my gaze away from Kat—or Eve—and settle on Nora. “What’s going on?” All Nora does is smile brightly at me. She’s useless in helping me solve this mystery.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Eve.
“I’m in town visiting my brother. And what are you doing here?” Her brows raise.
“I work here. But that doesn’t explain why you’re behind the bar wearing a Porter’s shirt.”
“What the hell?” Jake storms in from the hallway where his office is located. “I’m gone for five minutes, and shit’s already breaking.”
“I’m sorry. It bumped against the counter and fell from my hands. I’m such a klutz,” Eve says to Jake.
Shit. Now I feel like an asshole. She’s getting reprimanded for dropping the glass because of me.
Jake groans. “It’s fine. You’re not the first person to break a pint glass, and I’m sure you won’t be the last. I’ll get the mop.” Before any of us can say anything, he retreats to the storage room.
I’m rooted in place, still unable to comprehend what the fuck is happening. The girl I had the most amazing night with, who I thought I would never see again, is standing before me at my job, looking as sexy as ever. My fingers twitch with the need to reach over the bar and haul her mouth to mine.
Nora grabs the small broom from next to the register. Jake returns and helps Nora clean up the mess. Eve and I stare at each other like two deer in headlights. Jake drops the mop in the bucket and turns to me. “Lach, this is my sister Everly.”
Everly. As soon as he says the name, alarm bells flash in my head. Son of a bitch. She’s Jake’s sister. I was aware Jake had a younger sister, but I’d never met her. It’s not like Jake to share a scrapbook of his life with all of us.
“Call me Eve.” She holds out her hand to me from the other side of the bar.
My gaze jumps from hers to Jake’s and back to hers. Slowly, I wrap my fingers around her soft ones. She gently squeezes, just like the night in the hotel room. Except it wasn’t my hand she was squeezing. Fuck me. I drop her hand like it’s on fire. I slept with my best friend’s sister. My jaw clenches as I attempt to keep my facial expression neutral, though inside, I’m freaking the fuck out. Obviously, Nora knows. Did she tell anyone else? Did Eve tell anyone?
“Lach, can I talk to you in my office?” Jake’s tone is stern.
Oh shit. He knows. He saw it from the way she gripped my hand. The way our eyes connected. He knows I ravished his sister’s naked body, gave her multiple orgasms, all the while my dick was stretching her tight pussy. Beads of sweat pool at my hairline. “Yeah. I’ll be right there.”
He turns on his heel and strolls down the hallway.
I spare a glance at Eve. Her eyes connect with mine. Based on her face, she’s just as confused as I am. I peel my gaze away. As much as I want answers from her right now, I’m more concerned with Jake and what he might know. When I cross through the doorway of his office, he’s sitting behind his desk. I rap my knuckles against the wood door, and he glances up.
“Close the door behind you and have a seat.” He points to the chair across from his desk.
Oh fuck, he knows. Rarely does he close the door, especially when alone with someone else. I do as he says. I bite the inside of my cheek, not wanting to spill in case he’s still clueless. Based on his actions so far, he suspects something.
He clears his throat. “You’re my best friend, and I trust you the most.”
I nod along as I swallow the softball-sized lump in my throat. He’s fairly calm for someone who might know I slept with his sister. Calm before the storm, maybe? My leg bounces on the ball of my foot.
He rests his elbows on the desk and links his fingers. “I want you to help me keep an eye on her.”
My leg freezes. Her. Eve. The lump in my throat just became a boulder and catapults to the pit of my stomach.
“She tends to find trouble,” he adds.
“Keep an eye on her?” I spit out.
“Yeah. She’ll be in town for a little while, but she hasn’t given me a definite answer for how long. She’s said a week or two, but if I know my sister, there’s something she’s not telling me.”
That I was balls-deep in her only a few days ago. That’s probably what she’s not telling you. Fuuuck.
I rub the back of my neck. “I don’t know if that’s such a great idea.” In fact, this is the worst idea of all the ideas. Nothing good can come out of this.
“Please, man. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. I need an extra set of eyes on her to make sure she doesn’t get herself in trouble.”
I can’t tell him the reason I can’t, and I have no other reason not to. Outside of work, Jake hates depending on others, mostly because the ones who should have been there for him have always let him down. He only asks for favors when it’s the absolute last resort. He’s my best friend and has been at my side every time I needed him. I’d be a shit friend if I said no. I’m going to hate myself later, but I tell him, “Yeah. I can do that.”
“Thanks, man.” The creases in his forehead soften, and he rises to his feet. “While you’re at it, maybe teach her a thing or two about bartending.”
A bitter taste fills my mouth as the acid in my stomach churns, making me queasy. “Anything.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
With a curt nod, I manage a tight-lipped smile, my jaw muscles clenching. I’m afraid if I open my mouth, I’ll say something stupid.
“I’m going to get back out there. Make sure she doesn’t break anything else.”
“I’ll be right behind you.” After Jake exits his office, I blow out a deep breath. Resting my elbows on my knees, I rake my fingers through my hair. Of all the scenarios I considered, this one is the furthest from what I expected. Most of all, I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do.