Chapter 12
chapter
twelve
MAREN
He’s a fireman.
Nathan McAllister is, in fact, at the Tap tonight, and if that wasn’t distracting enough, he’s dressed as a fucking fireman, complete with soot stains on his bare biceps and a clean-shaven jaw.
His white tank top is glued to every rippling muscle, and suspenders loop over his strong shoulders, stretched tight like a rubber band that might snap at any given second—kind of like my resolve to avoid him.
His dark, smoldering eyes peek out from beneath a helmet.
Every time he greets someone, his dimples pop.
The universe is very, very cruel.
On top of all his masculine glory, half of his lion tattoo peeks from beneath the curve of his shirt. I have to force myself not to stare—or lick my lips.
But I’m a mere woman, and my ovaries are not made of steel.
I’m very, very aware of Nathan McAllister—the guy who only wants to be friends with me. That much is clear. If he wanted anything more, he would’ve texted me at least once in the last few weeks.
I blow out a frustrated breath and tip my glass back for a drink of my whiskey. I’m making myself dizzy with this nonsense.
“You have to dance with us!” Caroline bounces next to me, her white boots clicking against the scuffed wooden floor as she shifts the cowgirl hat on her head.
I point to my unfinished drink. “I haven’t had enough of this for any dancing.”
I’m not one to dance to upbeat songs or sing karaoke. It seems like everyone else who comes to the Tap partakes in both at some point, but the only time I’ve ever come close to either form of humiliation is after a few shots of tequila.
That won’t be happening tonight.
I need to stay sharp and focused on finding a guy who isn’t dressed as a sexy fireman or a repeat of hairball Peter.
Caroline wraps her hand around my glass and tips it toward my mouth. “Drink up, then.” She flashes me a smile, which grows wider when her boyfriend’s thick forearms wrap around her waist.
None of us were surprised that Austin arrived dressed in coveralls as a mechanic. It is his job, after all, and he’s nothing if not predictable—albeit uninspired.
He and Caroline moved into their new house together this week, and yet, it doesn’t seem like they’re getting enough alone time, judging by the drawn-out, steamy kiss they share not two feet from me.
“Get a damn room,” I tease.
“We have one.” Austin never removes his gaze from her.
“Three, actually,” Caroline adds with a wiggle of her brows at me.
“If it helps, I tried to convince her to stay home,” Austin grumbles.
Caroline rises onto her tiptoes to whisper something in his ear. It’s safe to assume from Austin’s suddenly hooded gaze that she isn’t saying anything innocent, so I’m glad I can’t hear her.
Over their shoulders, I catch sight of Nate again, except this time, he’s not alone. He rests his back against the edge of the bar, and two women block him in, leaning closer and closer with every giggle. It’s pathetic.
Then again, I’m no better. After careful consideration during the last few nights of tossing and turning, I’ve concluded that it’s not any of our faults.
Nate has always had this otherworldly effect on women.
He’s like a sandman, sprinkling magic dust and coaxing the female species into a dream-like state with the deep timber of his voice.
It’s some kind of witchcraft.
Caroline unglues her lips from Austin’s and fans her face. With a thick swallow, she turns to me in slow motion, as if her neck forgot it was attached to her head. “So, um… what was I saying?”
Austin blinks at me like he forgot I’m still here.
“You wanted to dance.” I hook my thumb over my shoulder, where a Nora Jones song serenades the swaying couples. “Don’t let Owen and Addie have all the fun.”
“We can dance later.” Caroline shrugs, but she doesn’t stop staring at the dance floor like it’s the last slice of her mother’s incomparable apple pie.
“Go.” I wave them off, but Austin doesn’t go willingly. Instead, he swipes my drink from my hand and sucks back the rest. “Excuse me.” I scoff. “We’re not close enough for this.”
“Sure we are.” He slams the glass on the bar with a thud, but knowing the brute, he didn’t mean to do so with such force.
Caroline tugs him toward the dance floor, but before he obliges, he lifts an arm for Cole’s attention, points to my empty glass, and says, “She’ll have another on my tab.”
“On it.” Cole whirls around, tossing a towel over his shoulder in real Cheers-like fashion.
Caroline and Austin raise their joined hands in the air as they weave through the crowd. They stop next to Addie and Owen, who are pressed together so fiercely I couldn’t slide a piece of paper between them.
They still argue left and right, but now, they make out in between their verbal sparring matches. I haven’t gotten used to the latter yet.
Two young servers bypass each other next to me, one with a full tray of various purple and orange drinks and the other with three empty martini glasses. This crowd is loving the Halloween-themed cocktails. If I wasn’t so much of a whiskey girl, I’d try the Witches’ Brew or Poison Apple.
Scarlett drops off her load in the sink on the other side of the bar, then rests her elbows between us. “Are you two role-playing strangers who meet in a bar?”
“What?” I lean toward her as the new song crescendos into the chorus. I can barely hear.
“You and Nate.” She tilts her head toward the hunk in question so hard her cat ears nearly fall from her head. “He’s been staring at you all night like you’re the last drop of water on the planet. This is basically the beginning of a porno.”
My throat dries. Has he really been watching me instead of the women throwing themselves at him?
“Please give me the delicious deets.” Scarlett practically foams at the mouth for something juicier than I have to give.
“There’s nothing to tell.” I tap my finger against the side of my new drink and shake my head. “The ass hasn’t even texted me in weeks. Not that I’ve been waiting around, but it’s just rude, you know? Why would he ask for my number if he wasn’t planning on using it?”
“Oh, so there’s definitely lots to tell.” Grinning, she leans in closer until I’m positive her feet have lifted from the floor.
She’s ready for more, but I’ve said too much already.
Thankfully, Cole slides in to save me. He points to a table and tells her, “Please take them their order.”
“I can do it.” Another server appears, her long hair tied at the nape of her neck with a black-and-white polka-dot ribbon.
“Larissa, you’re a saint.” Scarlett blows her a kiss.
“I think Scarlett better do it,” Cole presses.
She groans and does as he asks, though not before she pauses to pin me with a playful glare. “You’re not off the hook. I’ll be back.”
Once she’s gone, I lift my drink to Cole. “Thanks for the rescue.”
“I swear, if that girl spent half as much time digging in her backyard as she does digging up town gossip, she’d find all kinds of treasures.”
I snort. “Cheers to that.”
“I haven’t been back to town in years, but I already feel like I never left, not with all the gossip I’ve gotten from Matilda and Scarlett.” Larissa studies me. “You’re Maren, right? You used to date Nate McAllister? I heard he helped deliver a baby in Montana.”
“A friendly piece of advice—don’t believe everything you hear.” This comes from a fourth voice I instantly recognize.
I choke on my sip, and the rush of soda burns my nostrils as it threatens to spray from my nose.
A blushing Larissa dips her head. “I should get back to work before my cousin Kenny catches me doing exactly what he warned me not to—get caught up in all the gossip.”
“Smart,” I croak and grab a handful of cocktail napkins to wipe my mouth.
“I’ll have what she’s having, please,” Nate tells Cole, then peers down at me. “Hey.”
Hey.
It’s a simple greeting. People say it all the time. Nate himself has said it to me too many times to count.
But the way it drips from his sinful mouth is like he reinvented the otherwise boring syllable. Plus, the fact that he’s devilishly hot in his costume ensures I am a lost cause.
“Haven’t we been here once before?” he asks.
“Hopefully, this time won’t end like the last.” I gulp.
“About that…”
My spine stiffens.
He rests his elbow on the bar next to me, like he has no intention of leaving anytime soon. “Can we clear the air, once and for all? Otherwise, it’ll be impossible to be friends.”
The word friends hangs over me like a dark cloud. It shouldn’t bother me as much as it does. We were friends for years before we dated. In fact, our friendship lasted longer than our romantic relationship.
Maybe we’re better off as friends.
And that’s the problem, isn’t it?
My sigh stretches far and wide between us, along with several notes of the current song. There’s no way out of this, so I guess we’re doing this here and now. Just your average Wonder Woman and a fireman hashing out a decade’s worth of drama.
Easy fucking peasy.
“Listen.” I lick my suddenly dry lips. “I overstepped the last time we were here. Your business is your own, and you know what’s best for yourself and your daughter. I shouldn’t have gotten on your case that night.”
“Thank you for saying that, but you made some good points, even if I don’t know exactly what to make of them.”
“What do you mean?” I wave my hand like I’m holding a wand that can rewind time. “There I go again, sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong. You don’t have anything to explain to me. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Like what?”
“Like...” I chew on my bottom lip. “What’s the deal with your lion tattoo? Is it true that you were mauled by a lion, and that’s why you got it?”
The corners of his mouth curl into a grin that has me leaning forward. “It just makes me look cool, don’t you think?”
No comment.
“There’s a story there,” I say.
He lifts a round, corded shoulder, then tips his glass back for a sip. His eyes twinkle, and I have so many questions burning an ulcer in my stomach.
He’s baiting me, luring me into a game that’s so dangerous to my heart, and I’m such a sucker to keep falling for it.
Three girls dressed as the witches of Hocus Pocus bump my shoulder as they order drinks.
The town went all out on their costumes this year. When I first walked in, I came face-to-face with a man painted blue—an avatar. I didn’t immediately recognize him, and I’m still not sure, but I think he’s the local vet.
There are a few Elphabas from Wicked, which isn’t surprising given how much I overhear from customers about the musical and how many times they’ve seen the movie.
“Who do you think will win the Halloween costume contest?” There. That’s safe. Innocent. Something fun a couple of friends might discuss, even.
The way Nate’s smile reaches his eyes stirs something long dormant in my chest. “There’s a chance the Skittles twins take the win.”
I swivel toward Addie and Owen, who are decked in matching Skittles costumes. They’re absolutely adorable, which is something I never thought I’d say about a caveman like Owen.
“Or, there’s the cast of Beetlejuice.” Nate points toward the other end of the bar, flashing a beaded bracelet around his wrist like those of the Taylor Swift trend.
If I had to guess, I’d say Teagan made it for him, and the fact that he’s wearing it in between his rope bracelets and watch launches a succession of warm, fuzzy tingles throughout my body.
“What do you think?” He tilts his head in the direction he just pointed, where a short man with wild white hair and black circles around his eyes initiates a toast to his friends.
I clear my throat and fight my growing smile. “I’m surprised you recognize them to begin with.”
“Everyone knows Beetlejuice. Just because I refused to watch the movie with you doesn’t mean I’m completely clueless.”
“You were too chicken to watch it. You thought it was a scary movie!” I lose my battle and burst into laughter.
“They were all dead—what was I supposed to think?”
“I told you it was more of a comedy than anything else, but you wouldn’t believe me.” I point at him around my glass. “And they’re not all dead, by the way.”
“I guess I have to watch it.” He exaggerates a deep breath. “I’m an adult. I can handle it.”
“I’ll send over my security blanket for emotional support.”
His eyes lighten as he stares at me for a long moment.
And for once—for a split second in time—I don’t feel the need to crawl out of my skin, or run over him with my car.
The moment is broken when Cole sets Nate’s matching drink in front of him and scurries away. Nate lifts it toward me. “Happy Halloween.”
I tap my glass to his and meet his gaze as we savor a sip.
His Adam’s apple bobs, his swallow slow and thick. “You could win too, you know.”
“Hmm?”
“You didn’t hold back tonight.” His smirk darkens as he rakes his gaze over me.
And my costume.
He’s saying I could win the contest.
Two wires cross in my brain, and I mentally walk myself through the meaning of his words like I’m just learning English.
“I figured I’d dust off my curling iron and put it to good use for once.” I flip my hair for good measure as my pulse quickens.
Nate tilts his head, and his helmet slips off-kilter. “That’s not all.”
“It’s just a silly costume.” I use the tip of my finger to trace the rim of my glass, round and round until I’m in a trance, either hypnotized by the motion—or by him.
He raps his knuckles on the bar and jolts me in place. “Wood is just wood, and salt is just salt.” Thick clouds consume his dark, narrowed eyes. “But this costume is more than just fabric stitched together. On you, this costume is…”
When someone squeezes behind him, Nate steps into me. His chest brushes my shoulder, and his fingers skim the back of my hand as if he caresses it on purpose.
My lungs squeeze, holding my next breath hostage.
Danger! Danger!
I need to get away from him, especially before he finishes that sentence.