Chapter 39
Gin Mill is a true classic. With red brick walls, a copper coffered ceiling, and classic industrial sconces, it is everything you want from a local tavern on a late autumn night.
I sit at a high-top table with Taylor and Levi, sipping my whiskey, and keeping my attention pointed towards the front of the place.
It’s convenient that the stage is set in the nook between the two doors and the band is already up there performing.
This way, I’m far less obvious as I watch the entrances, easily playing it off as interest in the musicians donning Ghostbuster costumes for their set.
Every muscle in my body twitched to run towards Lucy’s house as soon as I entered town limits once more. Playing it cool and agreeing to meet here has proven to be vastly overrated.
“How are you two liking Ellicottville?” Levi shouts over the cover of a Smashing Pumpkins song. It’s a fitting choice.
Taylor leans forward across the table, as if her answer deserves to be cloaked in secrecy. “Actually,” she starts, “it’s grown on me.”
“Turning into a small-town girl?” I tease.
“Not quite. But, I originally thought you lost your marbles when you talked about preferring this place over the city. I didn’t realize it could be so charming here.”
“We are known for our charm,” Levi agrees with a serious nod. Then he turns to me. “But do you really prefer it over the city?”
“Yeah,” I say as a rush of cold air blasts through the pub and sends a chill up my spine. I turn to face the open door, just in time to see Lucy pushing it closed behind her. My heart swells being in her presence once more. “Yeah,” I say again. “I really prefer it here.”
I watch her fidget uncomfortably with the hem of her suede dress where it falls mid-thigh, perfectly at her fingertips. It’s subtle; if you weren’t paying attention, you wouldn’t realize she was doing it. But I am.
I’m also paying attention to the way her eyes are a little wide as she glances around the place. And when they land on me, I watch them soften just a hair.
In an attempt to further ease that anxious edge, I stand and meet her halfway. My hands gravitate towards Lucy, cupping the back of her arms just above her elbows and rubbing when I feel a shiver pass through her.
“Hey, you,” I say.
Her burgundy painted lips lift slightly. “Hey, you.”
“Hi, Jake.”
My attention snaps over to the woman standing at her side. “Claire, yeah, hey,” I say quickly, hoping it’s not obvious that I failed to notice her enter with Lucy.
But if the amused glint in her narrowed gaze is any indication, Claire absolutely realized my mistake. “How are things?” she asks like she already knows.
I grin back at her as Lucy tucks tighter into my embrace. “Things are good. Really good.”
“It had better stay that way,” she warns before turning on her heel and leading us all back to the table.
I keep an arm around Lucy’s waist as we weave through the crowd, and when her roommate is a few steps away, I lean in to whisper yell over the music, “Claire is surprisingly scary.”
She loosens a laugh, but there’s a ripple of nerves in it. “She can be.”
On the tip of my tongue sits a host of questions about why she seems edgy and unsettled. I’m about to ask when I watch her loosen the tension in her shoulders and plaster a smile on her face. Lucy has officially locked down her thoughts like she does so well.
She slides onto one of the chairs at our table and greets the rest of the group. On the surface, she appears calm enough. Enjoying herself even.
But her smile is a fraction too sharp, like it’s being forced. And when I take the last seat at the round table, right beside her, she reaches over and clutches my knee with ferocity.
“I’ll grab you drinks,” Levi is offering her and Claire. “They have those apple cider mules again this year.”
“Oh, I’ll take that,” his girlfriend says brightly.
“Same, please,” Lucy adds.
I can feel the tension in my own body increasing with each passing second that I watch her discomfort. Never in my life have I wanted to fix something so badly.
Below the table, I tap a finger on the back of her hand. When she looks my way, I mouth okay?
She nods and flashes a reassuring smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“How is Bear settling in?” Claire asks, her attention flicking to Lucy then back to me. Maybe I’m not the only one noticing things.
My hand curls over Lucy’s as I say, “He seems to be doing well. The adjustment to a home environment has been smooth, I think.”
“Have you ever fostered before?”
“No.” I shake my head and pause for the band to do a guitar solo. It’s impressive, and has garnered a loud response from the crowd. Whoops and electric riffs fill the air.
Claire only quirks an eyebrow at me until everyone drops back to their previous volume. Then she says, “What a convenient time for you to try this fostering thing out then.”
“Leave the poor man alone.” Levi laughs as he returns with fresh drinks in cold copper cups. “It’s a good thing that Bear’s out of that kennel.”
“Oh, I agree,” she replies innocently.
Heat pricks the tips of my ears at this blatant insinuation about my motives. But the slightest twinkle catches in Lucy’s gaze as she looks up at me, and suddenly I don’t have it in me to care if my motives are laid out bare.
“The timing wasn’t just convenient,” I admit unashamedly.
“Which is another reason to root for you.” Claire lifts her copper cup at me in a toast.
Her approval has my sister bored, apparently. Flicking at the tiny black straw in her drink, she asks, “Okay, great. But can we order food?”
Another drink and way too many potato skins later, I can’t shake the feeling that Lucy isn’t enjoying herself.
The band is still playing, and the crowd has doubled in size. And around the time that someone bumped against our table, sending our drinks splashing over the lips of our glasses, she started picking at the skin around her nails and fidgeting in her seat. Her jaw seems tighter as well.
I hate that she’s putting herself through this. My mouth opens to ask why when I hear, “Mr. Carpenter, what a surprise.”
Swiveling my head from Lucy towards the newcomer, I see Laurie, complete with velvet cat ears, grinning back at me. There are even tiny cat paw prints on the rim of her glasses—styled to the nines like every other time I’ve encountered her.
“Happy Halloween, Laurie.” I flash her a genuine smile.
“It’s nice to see you enjoying what our little town has to offer.” The words are vindication cloaked in kindness.
I take a sip of my drink then say, “It’s something special, right?”
Laurie’s attention scans our table before settling on Lucy. Her eyes sparkle with delight behind those lenses. “Very special,” she agrees. Then snapping back into her typically discerning demeanor she adds, “But don’t spend so much time out that you forget to bring my books back to me.”
“They’ll return soon—in the same pristine condition.”
She gives me a single curt nod. “Good.” And then without any pleasantries to the others at the table, she disappears back into the crowd.
“Who was that?” Taylor asks, staring at the empty space left before us.
“Our town clerk,” Levi explains. “And a seriously tough nut to crack. I can’t believe she actually greeted you. How did you win her over?”
I shrug. “We both like ordinances.”
He huffs in amusement, accepting an answer he knows only sits at the tip of the iceberg.
“It’s a miracle no one heard you being called Mr. Carpenter,” Claire points out—much to my dismay because Lucy is standing and throwing on her coat.
“I’m going to get some air,” she mumbles. Tucking her head down, she doesn’t wait for anyone to answer before fleeing.
I don’t hesitate either when I grab my coat and chase after her.