Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
Bentley
I watched her from the living room couch, my eyes running down the length of her body as her father stood before her, lecturing her and her friends.
Honestly, I didn’t see why it was big deal that she wanted to have a party for her birthday.
It would just be her and a few friends, but he saw it differently.
Can’t say I blamed him, once I thought about it. Parents away, kids will take advantage, I guess.
I sat there, a double shot of whiskey in my hand, watching the three girls do their best to keep a straight face. If only she knew what her father had been like at her age.
I took a sip of my drink and zoned out, listening to Bruce drone on and on about responsibility.
“That would be okay, wouldn’t it? Bentley?”
“Huh?” I tore my eyes from her and looked up at my best friend. “What would be okay?”
“If Noelle wants to have some time with her friends this weekend for her birthday, would it be okay if she came by Dripping Whiskey for dinner?” he questioned.
Dripping Whiskey was my bar. It was a little local joint located in the heart of the downtown core. I didn’t allow minors in after seven at night. That way my staff wasn’t burdened with asking for ID all the time.
I glanced at Noelle, who was practically begging me with those big cinnamon-coloured eyes of hers. How had I gotten roped into this? I looked at Bruce, who stood there waiting for an answer.
“I guess I could make an exception for one night.” I shrugged, looking back over at Noelle, who sat there with a huge grin on her face.
Fuck, she was gorgeous. It was almost as if overnight she’d gone from being a kid to a knockout.
I quickly erased that thought from my mind. She was way too young for me to be thinking of her that way.
“What do you say?”
“Thanks, Bentley, I appreciate it,” I heard Noelle’s sweet voice say as she smiled in my direction.
Those full, pouty lips, those light-cinnamon eyes would be the death of me one day, I thought as I looked to her father and smiled.
“No problem, Noelle.” I winked.
* * *
Noelle
Light snow fell outside, and “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” played over the speakers as my friends lifted their glasses to me in celebration of my sixteenth birthday.
“Happy Birthday, Noelle,” Kelsey and Macy sang, clinking their glasses against mine.
“Thank you,” I replied, smiling, as we each took a sip of our drinks.
Kelsey, Macy, and I had been friends since kindergarten. We were inseparable and always celebrated our birthdays together.
“It’s too bad they wouldn’t let you have a party while they were gone.” Kelsey moaned.
“I know, I agree. Dad was pretty serious before he left. However, it’s nice to be able to be in a grown-up place for once,” I said, looking around at the old bar.
I’d remembered coming here with my parents when Bentley first opened Dripping Whiskey. It still looked the same, still smelled the same. In some ways, it was just like home.
“Yeah, we remember the lecture from your dad,” Macy said, giggling, as she shifted in her seat.
“Girls, you can’t go all crazy,” Kelsey said, trying hard to mimic my father’s voice. “It’s about being responsible.” She waved her finger at each of us.
Macy laughed and then continued where Kelsey left off, each of them focused on finishing each other’s sentences.
As I listened to them, that mortified feeling I’d felt this afternoon fell over me again.
I was finally sixteen, almost a grownup.
I was excited to have more responsibility and hopefully to be able to start dating soon.
I was also excited to spend the evening with my two best friends, even if we were under the watchful eye of my father’s best friend, Bentley Grey.
I shifted in my seat and rested my head on my hand, glancing over toward the bar where Bentley sat.
He was tall, dark, and handsome, with a muscular build and the clearest glass-blue eyes that would melt anything and anyone who dared to look.
It surprised me that he wasn’t married or in a relationship and, to my knowledge, never had been.
He’s also my father’s best friend, which is why we are sitting here and not having a house party because, as my father put it, he can monitor me.
He was at the house during my father’s lecture, watching me the entire time as my father rattled on and on about responsibility.
Kelsey let out a loud laugh, and Macy grabbed hold of me, shaking me, bringing me back to the moment. “What the hell are you so serious about?” Macy questioned, looking over her shoulder toward the bar. “Worried he’s going to report back to Mom and Dad?”
“No, nothing like that,” I quickly said, averting my eyes back to the drink in front of me.
“Really,” Kelsey said, giggling as she looked over her shoulder. “‘Cause you look like you are worried about something.”
“Nope, it’s nothing,” I repeated.
“Uh-huh,” Macy said, giving me that knowing look.
I’d broken down one night shortly after Mom and Dad’s annual Fourth of July party and told Macy that I was sure I had a crush on Bentley. Even though she laughed at me, I continued to share how I felt and had been feeling about Bentley Grey.
“What?” Kelsey questioned, turning and looking at the pair of us.
I glanced back over at the bar where I saw Bentley sitting at the end, working on his laptop.
“If you two will excuse me, I need to use the little girls’ room,” Macy said, getting up from the table. “You should take this time to fill in Kelsey.” She winked and took off toward the washrooms.
Kelsey looked at me with questions in her eyes. “Well, are you going to say anything, or am I going to guess?”
I could feel my face heating as she stared at me.
“It’s your secret crush, isn’t it?” Kelsey asked, leaning forward, resting her chin on her hand, waiting for me to answer.
I softly smiled before bringing the glass to my lips and drinking down the soda I’d ordered.
Then I looked over at Bentley. A rush of heat fell over me as our eyes connected and all I could see were those glass-blue eyes staring at me from the other side of the bar, the same way they’d stared at me that afternoon as my father went on and on.
He smiled, then grabbed one of his servers and nodded toward our table, whispering something to her.
I tore my eyes away and swallowed hard as I looked at Kelsey.
“Well? God, I can’t wait to hear who it is. I bet it’s the guy from your math class, isn’t it? The cute blond guy you’re always sitting with. Goodness, what is his name? Mike, Matt…no wait, Mark?”
“It’s Bentley Grey,” I said, stifling any more of her guesses.
Kelsey was just about to take a drink but froze. She looked over her shoulder at the bar, then back at me, and then burst into a fit of laughter. “God, Noelle, that is funny. Nice try. Now, who is it for real?”
“Bentley Grey,” I said without even so much as a hint of a smile on my face.
Kelsey was about to say something when the server approached our table.
“You girls need anything before your meal arrives?” she questioned.
“Maybe another soda?” I asked. “For all of us.”
The server smiled and grabbed the three empty glasses and made her way over to the bar, where she quickly poured three other sodas and brought them back to the table just as Bentley arrived with our food.
He placed the three plates of burgers and fries down in front of us and then smiled as he placed a bottle of ketchup and vinegar down.
“I know how much you love vinegar, Noelle.” He winked.
It was true, I was nothing but a vinegar and salt girl with my fries, and Bentley knew it. In fact he’d been cooking fries for me for as long as I could remember.
“I salted those myself, darlin.” He winked.
“Thank you,” I said, grabbing one and taking a bite. As always, it was the perfect amount of salt on them as well. “They are perfect,” I said, smiling up at him.
“Alright, you girls go back to it, and when you are finished with dinner, there is a chocolate fudge cake in the back with your name on it,” he said, winking at me.
“Thank you.” I smiled. It was always like Dorian to make sure I felt special on my birthday. I couldn’t remember a birthday that he hadn’t done something special for me.
The moment he left the table, Kelsey and Macy took one look at me and giggled.
“She’s got it bad,” Macy said, bursting into a full-on fit of laughter, and Kelsey joined her.
I just shook my head, stuck a fry into my mouth, and went about fixing up my burger, ignoring my giggling friends.
It was almost ten by the time we’d finished dessert.
Bentley had brought out that chocolate cake with a sparkler on top and even sat down beside me and had a piece with us.
Shortly after that, we played a game of pool, and then we got our coats on and were just about to leave when I saw Bentley out of the corner of my eye.
He was standing in the doorway that led up to his small apartment above the bar, overlooking the crowd.
“Girls, I’ll be right back,” I said, leaving them both standing at the door, and made my way over to the other side of the bar where Bentley stood.
“What is it, Noelle?” Bentley questioned. “If you are looking for the bill, it’s on me. Can’t have the birthday girl paying for her own dinner.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “I just wanted to thank you for tonight.”
“What for?” he questioned.
“For letting us hang out here. I know you have strict rules about age in here.”
“Ah, no big deal, Noelle. Anything for you.” He winked.
Again, I felt my cheeks heat at his words. Curiosity got the better of me when he glanced up at the top of the doorframe. I looked up to see a sprig of mistletoe hanging.
“Looks like you’re stuck under the kissing door.” He chuckled.
I’d heard my mom and dad talk about that. I’d always wondered what they meant by it but had been too afraid to ask when I was younger.
Bentley leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek before pulling me in for a hug.
“Happiest of birthdays, Noelle. Hope you aren’t too old for that now.” He chuckled.
There wasn’t a time I could remember Bentley not being in my life.
It was only recently I’d developed a crush on him, and right at this moment, looking into his eyes as he pulled away from placing that birthday kiss on my cheek, I secretly wondered if one day I’d ever be able to have a chance with him.