11. Anna #2
When we walked into the Watering Hole , I instantly noticed the décor.
As Archer had told me, the pub was right down the street from Dobbington Air Reserve Base , and the décor reflected that, with a strong military theme.
Vintage military uniforms and equipment, like helmets and canteens, decorated the walls.
Just above the bar, what looked like an old World War II parachute canopy hung from the ceiling. It gave the setting it a unique feel.
The Irish pub vibes came more from the old, worn hardwood floors, the warm but dim lighting, and the exposed wood beams and posts. All the tables and the bar top were made of dark wood and had various military logos carved into them.
Archer’s friends were located at the far end of the bar—the women sitting at the bar and the guys all standing near them or closer to the back wall, where there was a billiard table and a dart board on the wall.
We walked up to the bar, and Archer started to say hello and introduce me to everyone, but Ruthie cut him off. “ I got her, bossman. You go join the guys, and we women folk will keep Anna entertained.”
Archer just shook his head and turned to me. “ You good?” he asked, putting his hand on the small of my back. That touch felt like it was searing through my skin.
I jumped away, closer to the other ladies, and nodded, likely way more enthusiastically than I needed to. He grinned at me, clearly recognizing that his touch had earned that reaction, and then walked away.
“Hey, Anna ,” Ruthie said, drawing my attention back to her and the other women. “ Good to see you again. This is Cat , Vince’s wife. And this is Ellie , Wade’s wife, and Jack’s sister.”
I shook everyone’s hands and introduced myself just as a woman behind the bar walked up to us.
“Oh, and this is Tammy —she runs the bar, gives the best advice, and is an all-around badass,” Ruthie said. “ Tammy , this is Archer’s ex-wife, Anna .”
Why did she have to say it that way?
Tammy smiled at me, but I could tell she was sizing me up. She likely had no idea why I was here, and if she was Archer’s friend, she was automatically going to be on his side if she felt there was a need to take sides.
“Word of advice,” Tammy said to me. “ This one can’t hold her liquor, so don’t ever let her talk you into drinking.
” She pointed at Ellie then turned and pointed at Cat .
“ And this one tells her sister everything, and her sister can’t keep a secret to save her life, so don’t tell them anything you need to keep quiet. ”
Okay, that was good to know.
“And this one,” Tammy said, pointing at Ruthie . “ Do not, under any circumstances, let her drive you anywhere. Ever .”
The rest of the women all chuckled around me.
“Hey!” Ruthie disputed defensively. “ I’m not that bad.”
Ellie leaned over, pointing at Ruthie , and announced for all to hear, “ You damaged three cars while trying to parallel park because your favorite Usher song came on the radio.”
Oh wow. Okay , no riding with Ruthie . Got it.
“Look, it wasn’t my finest moment, okay,” Ruthie grumbled.
“She has a lot of those, but we still love her,” Tammy noted.
“Wow. Thanks , friends,” Ruthie grumbled before turning back to the bar. “ Okay , Tammy , what’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done?”
“Awfully bold of you to assume I’ve peaked,” Tammy responded, and I found myself trying to contain my laugh. Not because her comment wasn’t funny—it was. I just didn’t want to appear rude, laughing at her expense.
“What can I get you to drink, hon?” Tammy asked me kindly.
“Umm, I’ll just take a root beer or Coke if you’ve got one,” I replied.
“Comin’ right up,” she responded and moved down to the other side of the bar.
“How are you holding up?” Ellie asked me.
What did she mean by that? Did she know about the death threat, or did she mean it another way?
“In what sense?” I asked, not wanting to tell them more than Archer wanted them to know.
“Jack and Archer pretty much tell me everything that involves the company in any way since I work there,” Ruthie said, which made sense.
“I don’t work for the company, but I do work in the building, so Vince does the same for me,” Cat added.
“These two can’t keep a secret, so I know everything because they tell me,” Ellie announced, which made me chuckle at her honesty.
“Last year, I was attacked, and Vince struggled with having a career that would put me in danger,” Cat said, her voice laced with concern and empathy. “ He said it was Archer who ultimately got through to him.”
The smile on my face slid away at her comment. “ You were attacked?” I asked because Archer hadn’t mentioned anything, though it wasn’t my business.
“Yes,” Cat replied. “ I’ll tell you about it if you really want to know—it isn’t a huge secret—but my point was that sometimes these guys get it into their heads that they are here as our protectors, and when they can’t do that, it somehow makes their value less.”
That sounded like Archer . I shook my head slightly just thinking about it.
“I know. I was just as shocked as you are,” Ruthie said, likely assuming my face was from confusion, but that wasn’t why. “ Mister allergic-to-relationships gave relationship advice!”
Cat chuckled a little, but then her face grew serious and she looked straight at me. “ Archer told Vince that he felt the same about his ex-wife, so he divorced her to protect her. He told him it was the biggest regret of his entire life.”
What did she just say?
My mind started to spiral at what she’d said. I knew Archer wished he had done things with the divorce differently, but to say that it was the single biggest regret of his entire life was quite a significant comment.
Nobody said anything, but I felt everyone’s eyes on me.
“How do you know all this?” Ellie asked.
“Vince told me so I would understand where he was coming from and that Archer had knocked some sense into him,” Cat replied.
I heard them, but I wasn’t looking at them. No , my gaze was on the man responsible for this conversation. The man who hadn’t had the guts to tell me himself but had no problem telling his friends.
The biggest regret of his life.
If he had just explained to me what had happened, I would have understood—or at least I think I would have.
But he never told me, never gave me that chance.
Now all of a sudden, he wanted to make things right and just expected me to jump on board as though he hadn’t broken my heart into a million pieces.
I considered myself a forgiving person, but a second chance with the man who broke your heart was complicated.
“I see that look on your face,” Tammy said next to me, startling me out of my thoughts.
I turned to face her and saw her knowing look as she grinned at me.
“Let me give you some advice you didn’t ask for,” Tammy said loud enough for the whole group to hear, but her eyes were pinned solely on me.
“ I saw a talk show once where the guest said that men are like fine wine. They start as grapes, and, as women, it’s up to us to stomp the ever-living crap out of them until they turn into something decent enough to have dinner with. ”
She winked at me, and I grinned in return. Laughter rang from all around me as the other women enjoyed her comment.
Okay, all of these women were great, but Tammy might be my favorite.
After all of this was over and I was no longer Archer’s responsibility, I would still come back to this bar to visit Tammy . Dan and Talia would love her, too.