Chapter 5
NOLAN
5
“He had a weird sex fetish, didn’t he? Some gossip blogs said mayonnaise was involved.”
“I heard that, too.”
“Good god. Those Hollywood people are a crazy bunch, aren’t they?”
“Is any of it true. Is that why you left him, Inez? That’s why you left him, right?”
The whole place has been buzzing with a different kind of energy since the moment Inez waltzed through the door this evening. Naturally, the regulars are happy to see her. And curious about why she’s back.
Everyone wants the inside scoop on why.
Why, why, why?
I’m not sure how the TV show wrapped up last night when it became clear that Inez wouldn’t be marrying Vance. And I haven’t checked the internet to find out. None of that matters as far as I’m concerned.
Last night, while all of America was waiting for Inez Machado to walk down the aisle, she was with me. She was safe.
That’s what’s important.
It was such a relief, having her under my roof. For the first time in months, I slept like a damn baby. And this morning, when I woke up to find her wearing my T-shirt and playing with my daughter on the couch, I was automatically in the best mood.
I was able to get Stella through her Saturday morning activities, without worrying about all the things that could go wrong at the bar tonight. Knowing that I’d have Inez here at work backing me up meant that I got to be fully present with my daughter in our moments together. That peace of mind was a freaking gift.
Now here we are, working a shift together at the bar. As thrilled as I am about Inez’s return, I’m trying not to smother her with attention tonight. I have a feeling she has a lot of things to figure out. Unfortunately, the rest of Starlight Falls isn’t willing to give the hometown superstar her space.
The news of Inez’s return spread quickly. Now the town has turned out at The North Node in numbers, bombarding her with questions about her experience on the reality show.
For the most part, Inez remains tight-lipped. She just smiles at all the nosy patrons and expertly skirts around the topic.
“Oh you know, I couldn’t stay away from you too long, Larry.”
“Nah, it was just too warm in Hollywood for my blood.”
“Come on now. Didn’t you guys miss me?”
All of her responses dance around anything to do with the show. She naturally uses her wit and charm to deflect everyone’s blunt curiosity.
She may be all carefree jokes and effortless smiles. But the way she’s handling the questions makes me think that she probably signed an NDA or something along those lines.
I don’t know a darned thing about Hollywood, but I imagine they have ridiculous rules limiting how and when information can get released. There will probably be hell to pay if Inez says the wrong thing before the powers that be are good and ready for it to be revealed to the public.
So, as the night wears on, I try to keep my head down. Whenever the rush of drink orders cools off, I work on completing the inventory forms I didn’t get to finish last night.
But every time Inez struts my way, my eyes helplessly follow the sway of her curvy hips in those tight dark wash jeans. She looks incredible.
When she stops to shake a cocktail, I find myself hypnotized by the way her perky breasts bounce in her stretchy baby blue tank top.
When she leans across the counter to hand a customer his change, the flowery sweetness of her perfume pulls me right along with her.
Shit—I’m not giving her her space at all, am I?
Eventually, the conversations in the air start going too far and I sense Inez becoming overwhelmed. She’s still trying to be a good sport about everything. But these nosy bastards are taking things into ‘invasion of privacy’ territory, in my non-expert legal opinion. It’s grating on my nerves.
Things come to a head when Suzy juts a hip against the ice bin, tilting her nose up in the air. “So you’re scared of a little mayonnaise? Psht. No offense, girl. But Vance Cavendish is H-O-T-T. Any woman with half a brain would have slathered up like a cheeseburger for a man like that. Mayo. Mustard. Ketchup. Hot sauce. Dill pickles. Horseradish dressing. All of it.”
What the actual fuck?
The town gossips huddled around the counter break into uproarious laughter, nodding and high-fiving Suzy in agreement. They’re pathetic.Every last one of them.
Inez’s responding laugh is tinged with bitterness, not the sweetness the sound usually carries. “What can I say? I chose my integrity over a big diamond ring.” She shrugs, eyes focused on scooping ice into a whiskey tumbler. “This is why famous people always think they’re better than the rest of us. We’re always ready to sell our souls for two seconds in the spotlight.”
Suzy tosses her head back and cackles up at the rafters. “Your integrity?! Honey, you walked away from a life of fame and luxury to come back and mix watered-down cocktails in this hellhole. Hope your integrity can pay the bills.”
I watch Inez’s eyes go narrow as she squares her shoulders and lifts her chin. “You have a whole lot of audacity, don’t you? Let me remind you that you know nothing about my life.
Suzy rolls her eyes. “Look, honey. I know you think you’re special and all. But at the end of the day, you’re just another ‘hot chick’ with a ‘killer body’ that no one’s going to remember in a month from now.”
When she says that, my head snaps up just in time to see the forced smile slip from Inez’s face. Rage blooms on her cheekbones in a fiery shade of red.
I don’t wait for Inez to respond. I smack my clipboard against the counter. Hard. It causes the audience gathered around the bar to startle.
“You’re a big comedian, huh, Suzy? Did you check whether they’re hiring down at the comedy club? Because at the rate you’re going, you might need a new job by the end of this night.”
Although I know that Inez is perfectly capable of handling herself, I don’t like anyone getting in her face. I won’t stand by and watch it happen.
The new waitress tosses her head back and groans. “Oh, come on, boss. We’re all just joking around. And we’re curious. Don’t you want to know what—?”
“Inez doesn’t owe any of you an explanation!” My eyes pingpong over the crowd before zipping back to Suzy. “You are here to serve the beer and wipe down the sticky tables. You are not here to badger your coworkers about the goings-on of their private lives.”
I’m fully prepared to keep ripping into Suzy but Inez turns to me, shooting a fake, sugary smile my way. “Hey, Boss Man. I have a quick question about ‘the thing’.”
“The thing?” I squint at her. “What thing?”
“The, uh, the thing over there.” She randomly points to the short hallway past my shoulder.
“Inez…” I say in warning when I catch onto what she’s doing. She’s trying to distract me.
With an eyeroll, Inez drops the facade. She grabs me by the sleeve, pulling me around the corner into the tight entryway between the kitchen and the bar.
Once we’re alone, she spins to face me. “It’s okay, Nolan,” she says, her voice hushed.
“No, it’s not.” I huff. “Answering all those personal questions isn’t in your job description.”
She shrugs. “I get it, though. I opened my life up to the public by going on that reality show and now people want answers. It’s sort of what I signed up for.”
She’s got to be kidding me. “So, I’m supposed to just stand there and watch them back you into a corner and make you uncomfortable?” I fling an arm in the direction of all the drunken vultures impatiently waiting to pick her apart.
“It’s not that bad,” she tries to brush it off with a good-natured smile. “In a few days, they’ll forget all about this and move on.”
“In a few days?! I’m not gonna stand by for ‘a few days’ and watch them harass you. It ends right now.”
Inez makes a growly sound in her throat. I’m sure she doesn’t intend for it to be sexy. But it fucking is.
“You know what…?” She swerves around me and marches over to the beer taps. I struggle to keep my eyes off her ass as she fills a pint glass to the brim.
Then she stomps back to me, grabs my clipboard and sets my favorite dark lager into my palm.
“Go…” she commands me.
What the hell?!
I make a grab for the clipboard clenched in her hand. “I’m in the middle of making my inventory ord—”
She backs up, hugging the sheets of paper to her chest. “Take a break, Nolan.”
“Gimme that,” I growl back at her, reaching for the clipboard again.
Inez lifts the order forms over her head, holding the clipboard out of my reach. “Go.”
What a joke. Like I can’t just snatch the thing out of her hand if I want to.
“Don’t make me take it from you,” I warn her.
Smirking, she inches another step backward, into the shadows of the little hallway.
I don’t follow her.
Because if I get any closer, I might just press her up against the wall and remind her exactly who’s in charge around here.
Claiming victory, Inez ducks around me and tosses the clipboard onto the bartop. Before I can turn to face her, I feel her small hands on my back, pushing into my shoulder blades. A thousand volts of energy shoot from her fingertips down my spine, instantly weakening me.
Now, she’s pushing me across the room to the table where Mason and Felix are unwinding after working at the medical clinic all day.
When he sees us approaching, Felix lifts his glass in salute and grins. “Inez Machado. Back in town. I heard the rumors today and I had to come see for myself.”
“The rumors are true. Here I am, in the flesh.” She does a silly curtsy.
“Glad to have you back. Nolan wasn’t doing so hot without you around here the past few months.” Naturally, my brother takes a jab at me. Because he’s a hater like that.
Inez playfully flips her cascading hair over her shoulder and shoots me a look. “Good luck trying to get him to admit how much he missed me,” she sasses.
Felix chortles, motioning between himself and Mason. “Trust me. We’re working on pulling his head out of his ass. But it’s stuck in there pretty good.”
Inez laughs cheerfully. “I won’t hold my breath, then. Thanks for the heads-up.” Her eyes dart between my brother and brother-in-law. She grabs at my forearm and pulls me closer to the table. Fuck. I love it when she touches me. “Say, do you two mind keeping an eye on this dude? He’s only getting in my way behind the bar.”
A mocking smile dances across Mason’s face. “Is that so, young man? You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Inez restrains a giggle and lightly bumps her hip into mine. “I don’t need him micromanaging me. And I definitely don’t need his bad attitude fucking up my tips tonight.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll keep an eye on him,” Felix promises.
Mason shrugs, pushing an empty chair in my direction. “I don’t mind playing babysitter. Karli kicked me out of the house so she could study tonight. We’re married now, by the way.” He grins.
“My night is wide open,” Felix tosses in resentfully. “Daphne’s participating in some fashion webinar panel thing.” Then his entire face brightens up. “Daphne and I are engaged, in case you haven’t heard.”
Inez’s eyes bulge. “No way! Congratulations to the both of you! Gosh—I have so much gossip to catch up on!” She quickly peeks in the direction of the bar where a handful of patrons now wait to be served. She takes a few steps backward, away from the table. “Anyway, have a good night, guys. And don’t let Boss Man out of your sight.”
I’m ready to turn around and stomp right back to work. Fuck this bullshit. This is my bar. Inez is my employee. She doesn’t get to tell me what to do.
But an icy-hot tingle races through my body when I suddenly feel Inez pressed up behind me. She lifts onto her tiptoes, her soft, round breasts crushed against my shoulder blades. Her breath tickles the back of my ear. “Go. Take a break, Nolan. You deserve one.” She chuckles softly. “Teamwork makes the dream work. I’ve got it covered. I’ve got your back.”
And just as suddenly, she’s gone.
Before my body can recover, Felix yanks me down into the empty chair beside him. That’s how I end up at this table on the far side of the tavern, nursing a cold beer and glaring at this sassy little bartender who’s taken over my bar.
Soon, Archer and Darius show up. Without waiting to be asked, Inez sends over a round of their favorite drinks, and I sit here, absently listening to the guys complain about their usual nonsense.
“My newest assistant quit after two days on the job,” Darius laments. “And she stole my favorite stapler on the way out…”
“I need to figure out how that deer keeps getting into my yard,” Archer gripes. “She took a dump on my front mat again…”
Blah, blah, blah…
When Ronan strolls into the bar and joins us a while later, his gaze darts straight to me. “What’s going on with you?” my twin brother asks, a note of concern in his voice. “Is something wrong? Are you sick?”
I scowl and sip from my beer. “Huh?”
“You’re over here. Sitting. Drinking. Not running around like the bar is on fire.” Ronan’s arms flail about. “Are you okay?”
That’s when I realize that, for the first time in months, I am sitting my ass down, taking a damn break. I haven’t been able to do this on a Saturday night in ages.Dare I say, it’s…relaxing.
I feel like a monumental weight has been lifted off my shoulders for the first time since forever. And it’s all because Inez is here.
Damn—it’s good to have her back.
Not just because she’s a hard worker and a kick-ass employee, but because she’s a fucking sweetheart. She cares about more than just her paycheck. She cares about my wellbeing. Even when I sometimes forget to care about myself.
I steal another one of Archer’s French fries off his plate, and watch from a distance as Inez does her thing behind the counter. She’s all smiles, slinging drinks, serving customers, and managing the rest of the staff.
For once, everything is running smoothly and I’m not pulling my hair out.I can’t help but smile as I stare at her from all the way over here.
“I think he missed her more than all the regulars did,” Felix quips, kicking me under the table.
When I turn, I see that Ronan, Archer, Darius, Felix and Mason are all staring at me—while I’ve been staring at Inez.
“Nonsense,” I mutter, shaking my head.
Archer chuckles gruffly. “You’re not convincing anyone, bro.”
I groan, trying to avoid looking in Inez’s direction again. But it’s pointless. I can’t keep my eyes off her. I constantly feel the need to assure myself that she’s really here. “Shut up. All of you. You don’t get it. These last few months have been hell, and I’m just relieved that my best employee is back.”
Ronan jams his elbow into my ribs. “All right, Noles…let’s cut the crap. Your Inez came back to you. She left that douchebag at the altar and came back home.” He tilts his head to the side. “So, are we cooking up a game plan for you to finally seal the deal with your woman, or what?”
Felix throws an arm along the back of his chair, nodding. “Yeah. Now would be the perfect time to make your move.”
I ignore them, picking up my beer and chugging it down.“You donkeys don’t know what you’re talking about. Inez is not my woman.”
Archer grunts. “Keep telling yourself that.”
Mason picks up his hamburger. “Are you still doing the whole ‘denial’ thing? After everything that’s happened? Really?” He takes a huge bite.
I rake my fingernails across my scalp. “I’m not in denial.”
I’m totally in denial.
My brothers know it.
All five of them—Mason included—shoot me amused looks from around the table.
“Come on, bro,” Felix challenges. “Don’t act like you don’t want to make a move on her.”
“I don’t,” I respond, my words firm. “Believe it or not, things between Inez and me have never been inappropriate. Sure, we’ve grown closer in the four years since my divorce, but that’s just because we work well together. We got used to seeing each other every day. We were bound to become friends. That’s all.”
“But you’ve thought about it,” Ronan asserts confidently. “You’ve definitely thought about hooking up with her.”
I open my mouth to deny it, but he does that ‘twin thing’—cocking his head to the side and wordlessly daring me to lie.
Ugh! I hate sharing a brain with that shithead.
“Seriously,” Felix chimes in. “You like her. Admit it.”
I sigh. There’s no use in denying it. “Fuck yeah, I do. What’s not to like?”
“Finally!” Ronan drops his shoulders and dramatically turns his face up to the ceiling. “You admit it.”
I glance over my back to make sure none of my patrons are eavesdropping. Then I crack. “Inez is a magnetic woman. Of course I’m attracted to her. But we have a great working dynamic between us. A friendship, even. I’m not going to blow all that up just for one night in her pants.”
Darius leans back in his chair, sporting a half-smile. “I see your point, Noles. Inez is hot, but you know what they say—never get your honey where you make your money.” He winks, shooting finger guns my way.
For once, somebody’s on my side.
But the rest of them keep pushing it. “Who says it has to be one night?” Archer mumbles into his beer. “I mean—I’m no love guru but I don’t see why you’d have to restrict it to just one night.”
“So, you’re suggesting that I turn my best bartender into a booty call. That’s fucking sleazy, you jackass.”
I already know first hand that running my bar is absolute hell without Inez. No matter how much I like her, I can’t risk the future of my business—my entire livelihood—just to get between her legs.
“Are you being an idiot on purpose? Or did I kick you in the head when we were sharing a womb?” Ronan tosses a dirty napkin at me. “We’re telling you to pursue a relationship with her.”
I nearly choke on my beer. “A relationship?!”
“Yes, a relationship,” Mason presses, an entertained look on his face.
No fucking way. Inez is too good for me and I know it. I could never give her the things she really deserves. My life is too complicated. I’m too distracted. Too unavailable. That’s why I always kept my distance. It was the right thing to do. It still is.
I scoff some more. “Look—I think she’s beautiful. I fucking missed her when she was gone. I’m happy she’s back. But do you think I’m the only man in this town who feels that way?” I wave an arm in the direction of the counter where at least half a dozen bastards are hanging onto her every word.
Ronan slowly angles his head to the side. “Oh…you’re afraid of a little competition. That’s a pity. I guess all those years and years of hockey training were for nothing, then.”
Archer scowls at Felix and Darius. “I always knew we didn’t push him around enough when he was a kid. Would have toughened him up a bit.” He ruefully wags his head. “We failed as older brothers.”
I snarl at the band of morons. “You guys just don’t get it. Dating doesn’t work for me. Not with me being a single dad and a business owner. Relationships require time and attention and nourishment. And I don’t have any of that in me to give."
I’ve tried it a time or two over the years. Each time, I ended up being a half-assed boyfriend. The kind of guy who could never keep his promises. The kind of guy who could never commit. Because my other obligations were always too much. Each crumbled relationship would result in nothing but disappointment, bruised egos and a heap of annoying rumors that followed me around town.
Fuck—the last girl I went on a few casual dates with took our breakup so badly. She went around town saying she left me because I kiss like a bearded toilet plunger. I still haven’t lived that shit down.
None of it was fair. Not to me. Not to Stella. Not to whatever woman was trying to squeeze a commitment out of me at the time. That’s why I won’t do it again.
Do I sometimes crave female companionship? Of course.
Do I sometimes wish I had a steady reliable woman in my life? Yes.
And sex? I miss sex so fucking much. I haven’t had a woman in my bed since the last time my ex-wife dropped into town over a year ago to get her rocks off. I let my guard down and let Lilian in. Then she left again the next morning.It fucking sucked.
All of it sucks.
But I would make all those sacrifices over again and again to provide stability for my daughter.
I don’t need the headache of a relationship. I’d rather just focus on my kid and my bar.
Ronan is not too happy when he realizes that I’m not changing my position on this. “Wow. So you really learned nothing from almost losing Inez in this whole reality show mess?” he prods, wagging his head left to right and eyeballing me down.
Felix leans over and whispers like a ‘helpful’ classmate giving me the answers to a pop quiz. “I think the moral of this story is, don’t just sit around like a stoic dumbass and watch the woman you want run off and get engaged to another man, you idiot.”
Mason shrugs. “A bit of an oversimplification but that’s the gist of it.”
“You realize that another guy will be trying to scoop her up in no time, right? Are you really going to sit back and risk the same thing happening all over again?” My twin asks. “You’re prepared to let Inez slip through your fingers for a second time?”
A second time? Inez was never mine to begin with. I can’t claim ownership over the woman on the basis of an innocent, little, unreciprocated crush. These guys are delusional.
“Look, you bastards can keep running your mouths. I know what my priorities are. And I’m sticking to them.” On that note, I tune out my brothers, ignoring their arguments. They continue to yap away as I coolly sit back and sip my beer and supervise my employees from a distance.
Suzy spends the rest of the night shooting dirty looks in Inez’s direction. She’s being downright hostile at this point. Bumping into her. Talking back. Being a jerk. I’m not sure what this girl’s deal is.
If Inez notices or cares, she doesn’t let on. But it sure grates on my own nerves.
And twenty minutes later, when Suzy changes the channel on the televisions around the bar, I know she’s doing it intentionally.
Now, one of those celebrity gossip shows that falsely labels itself as ‘news’ is playing on all my big screens.
The catty bartender sneers in Inez’s direction as all eyes in the room swing to the pre-recorded interview currently playing. Vance Cavendish is front and center as a bold yellow ticker tape scrolls across the bottom of the screen. “Heartbroken: America’s Jilted Groom Tells All.”
Oh, fuck.
I watch in disgust as Mr. Golden Boy breaks down crying on cable television, blubbering into a soggy tissue about his broken heart, and about how Inez betrayed him.
My attention follows the closed captioning rolling across the screen and I’m ready to claw my eyeballs out.
“...She was the love of my life.” Sniff. “I put everything on the line for her.” Sniff. “But she…she just stomped on my heart.” Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. “I have to wonder if any of it was real, or if Inez just played me from the start.” He blots his eyes and blows his nose. Then he stares directly into the camera and delivers his next line with dramatic flair. “I may never be able to love anyone again. Not after this.”
More sniffing and nose-blowing.
Sabrina, the TV host lady, sits across from him, blotting her tears and sniffling, too.
I roll my eyes so hard it gives me a headache.That guy is such an actor. Somebody, give him an Oscar already, so he’ll shut the hell up. These people will do anything for their TV ratings.
But then my attention shoots across the bar, which is now painfully silent. You could hear a pin drop.
All eyes are focused on one person.
Inez keeps her head down. She stubbornly refuses to look up as this horror show plays out on the TV. She just stirs-stirs-stirs the rum and coke she’s mixing together. But the splotches of red creeping up her face completely give her away.
Fuck. She’s humiliated.
I get up in such a hurry that my chair flies backward and falls over. I rush across the room, snatch the remote out from under the bar and swiftly change all the TV screens back to the Sports Broadcast Network.
Everyone turns my way just in time to witness me chucking the one and only remote into the garbage can.
Protests ring out across the bar.
“Whoa!”
“You gonna do us like that?”
“Ah, change it back, man!”
The worst part is, my employees are the ones complaining the loudest. This can’t be real.
I lay down the law. “Next person to change the fucking channel gets tossed out on their ass. Customer. Employee. I don’t give a damn.” My gaze moves across the room, staring down anyone who may want to challenge me.
There’s a bit of muttering and griping all around. But not thirty seconds later, the bar is back to normal. Orders are coming out, customers are watching the baseball game, and the staff is…well, most of them are pouting, but I’ll deal with them later.
I don’t really care what they think. I sure as hell don’t pay them to come here and watch trashy television, and I definitely won’t have the employees making Inez uncomfortable.
She gives me a small, thankful smile from the other end of the counter.
I nod at her. In my mind, I hear the words she whispered into my ear earlier. I’ve got your back. Well, I’ve got her back, too.
I glance toward the table where I was just hanging out with my brothers. They’re all sitting there, gawking at me.
Fuck. I really don’t want to deal with their questions and comments and ‘I-told-you-so’s.
So I head into the back, grumbling a quick ‘hello’ at Joe as I pass through the kitchen.
I only make it a few more steps before I pass one of my bartenders. Well at least, I’m paying him to be one of my bartenders. But here he is, hanging out in the kitchen, stuffing his face full of French fries, and streaming Vance’s interview on his phone.
“Didn’t your break end ten minutes ago?!” I bark at him.
“Oh! Yes. Sorry, boss.”He quickly puts his phone away, apologizes again and gets back to work, taking drink orders.
I storm into my office, collapse into my swiveling chair and drop my throbbing forehead into my hands.
This bar will be the death of me.