Chapter 1 #2
“So Grace dumped his ass?” I ask Cas, leaning my forearms on the bar as I watch him take a sip of his beer.
He’s here with Penny and Jude, the three of them tucked into their usual spots like they belong here as much as I do.
Sunday nights are slower, quieter, the kind where the bar feels less like work and more like home.
“Yeah. She said long distance wasn’t working out.
” Cas shrugs like it doesn’t bother him, but I know him better than that.
Our little sister moved to the University of Wyoming in September to study, and her boyfriend followed a different path, chasing a scholarship in Montana. A year, and it’s already over.
Not that I mind. I prefer her single and safe.
“Good riddance,” Jude mutters, not even looking up from his drink.
“Poor Grace. She must be devastated.” Penny shakes her head, sympathy written all over her face.
“You look tired, man. Everything okay?” Cas’s eyes land on me again, too observant for his own good.
“I’m tired,” I admit, grabbing a glass and polishing it more out of habit than necessity. “Sonia quit last month, and I’ve been working overtime ever since.”
Sonia had been with me for years. Reliable. Steady. The kind of person you don’t have to think twice about. Then she got married, got pregnant, and traded late nights behind the bar for something softer, something quieter. I’m happy for her.
Still doesn’t change the fact that I’m one person short.
“Damn, bro. You need to hire someone. We don’t see you at Mama’s dinners anymore.” Cas shakes his head.
“You could put up an ad,” Penny offers gently.
I sigh, setting the glass down a little harder than I mean to. They’re right. I know they’re right. But the thought of starting over with someone new, of teaching them everything, of trusting them with this place… it exhausts me before I even begin.
The door opens behind them, letting in a draft of cool evening air.
I don’t think anything of it at first. Just another customer.
Then I look up.
A woman steps inside, small and pale, her hair so blonde it almost catches the light like it doesn’t belong to the rest of the world. Soft waves brush her shoulders, and she stands there for a second like she’s unsure if she should have come in at all. Worn hoodie. Jeans that have seen better days.
Her eyes find mine.
Dark blue. Deep.
Something shifts in my chest, subtle but undeniable, like a string pulled too tight.
I break the eye contact first, shaking it off, turning back to the bar like it didn’t just happen.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her walk closer.
“Hi,” she says, her voice small, raw in a way that doesn’t belong in a place like this.
I look up again, and this time I don’t hold back the curse rising in my throat.
Up close, she looks… different.
All soft lines and fragile features, like something the world should have handled more carefully. There’s a quiet kind of beauty to her, the kind that doesn’t demand attention but still pulls it in anyway. Too innocent for the bruises darkening her throat.
“Hello,” I say, forcing my voice to stay even.
“I was wondering if you’re hiring? I’m looking for a job.” She wrings her hands together like she’s bracing for rejection before I’ve even given her an answer. “I can clean, cook, serve… anything, really.”
I take my time looking at her, my gaze catching on the details she probably wishes no one would notice. Worn shoes. A tear in her jeans. Scraped knuckles that haven’t had time to heal properly… and then my eyes land on her throat, on the bruises she can’t hide.
Trouble.
“Not looking, sorry,” I say, the words coming out flat. This girl is trouble, and I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime.
Penny’s head snaps toward me like I just insulted her personally, and Cas looks like he’s about to say something he probably shouldn’t.
“Oh, okay. Thanks anyway.” She turns, then pauses, fingers brushing the edge of the counter. “Can I have a Coke, please?”
I nod toward a table near the exit. She walks over and sits, keeping close to the door like she needs the escape route.
When I bring her the drink, I hear it.
Her stomach growls.
Quiet, but not quiet enough.
Something tightens in my chest before I can stop it.
I head back behind the bar, grab a bag of chips, and set them down in front of her without a word.
She startles, looking up at me like I just handed her something she doesn’t deserve.
“Oh, no. I can’t. I…” Her eyes flicker to the Coke. “I only have money for this.”
The words hit harder than they should.
“On the house,” I mutter, already turning away before she can argue again.
Back at the bar, Penny’s eyes narrow. “Dex, did you see her neck?”
“I did,” I say, focusing on the glass in my hands.
“And you said you need a new hire…” She gestures toward me like I’ve completely lost my mind.
“I know,” I say, exhaling slowly. “But she looks like she’ll break if I ask her to carry a tray.”
It’s a lie, and we all know it.
She does look fragile, yeah. But that’s not what’s stopping me.
It’s the way she walked in here and made something in me shift. The way I want to keep my eyes on her, make sure she’s okay, make sure no one comes too close.
I don’t need that.
“Someone hurt her,” Penny says softly. “And she can’t even pay for food. What if no one had helped me when I came here?”
Cas leans back in his chair, watching me with that knowing look I’ve hated since we were kids. Jude doesn’t say anything, but when I glance at him, his eyes meet mine for a second, steady and clear.
We don’t ignore people like her.
I let out a long breath.
“Fuckers. Never mind your own business, do you?” I mutter, shaking my head at Cas.
“Just give her a job,” he says easily. “We can’t leave her like this.”
I stare at the counter for a second longer, then push off it.
“Fuck.”
I walk back over to her before I can change my mind.
“What’s your name?”
She looks up at me, those bruises catching the light again, impossible to ignore. “Alexis, but people call me Lexy.”
“Lexy,” I repeat slowly. It fits her. Soft. Light. “I’m Dex.” I hold out my hand.
She hesitates just long enough for me to notice, then places her hand in mine.
It’s small. Cold.
“Ever work in a bar?”
She nods quickly. “I worked in a diner for seven years and at a night store for three of those.”
The thought of her working nights alone doesn’t sit right.
“When can you start?”
Her face lights up in a way that hits harder than it should. “Now?”
A breath almost leaves me in a laugh. Almost.
“How about tomorrow morning, around ten? I’ll show you the ropes.”
She nods, relief washing over her like I just handed her more than a job. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat and step back before I say something I shouldn’t.
When I return to the bar, Penny is already smirking.
“You did the right thing.”
Cas raises his glass. “Welcome back to having a life, brother.”
I ignore them, reaching for another glass, but my eyes drift back to her table anyway.
Lexy.
Bruised. Alone. Running from something she’s not saying.
I don’t need trouble.
But trouble just walked into my bar… and for some reason, I just gave it a reason to stay.