Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bailey
“ S peed dating?” Monroe asks and they both lean in attentively, waiting for me to say more.
“Something of the sorts. I thought about it a few weeks ago, when Billie first mentioned how finding love in Crossroads was nearly impossible and online dating was a nightmare.”
Billie’s eyes widen with curiosity and a hint of mischief. “Go on.”
“I saw a flyer last week, when I went down to Rivers Bend to pick up some supplies Sally over at the Red Barrel had run out of. It was for a dating mixer. I was thinking, what if we host one at Stingers? We can advertise it on Billie’s social media account, post flyers around town, and even send them out to the neighboring communities. I was thinking we can do it during Halloween weekend, since people are also coming down for the weekend of the Harvest Festival. I don’t want to make them too close together. We can even come up with a cool theme.”
Billie’s eyes gleam with excitement and I know she’s going to make sure this event is a total success. She's a planner and loves a good party. “You know I theme harder than the Met Gala, baby. How about Cowgirls and Casanovas ?”
Monroe’s equally excited and suddenly so am I. “I love that.”
Billie lets out a sharp squeal. “We can have our very own Honky-Tonk Speed Dating Mixer. Grab your boots, hat and ride a cowboy. Yee-haw.”
Our laughter echos in the bar as Penny approaches our table with drinks and food in hand and a warm smile. “Sorry I took so long, ladies.” She sets our shots and the basket of fries and hush puppies down before turning to me. “Bailey, there’s a girl here who’s asking about the help wanted sign outside. I gave her an application, but she’s asking to talk to you if you’re around. I told her you weren’t working tonight but that I’d check. She seemed pretty desperate, and I felt pretty bad.”
I look around and find the woman Penny is referring to, sitting alone at the bar. Her back is turned away from us, and all I can see is a blanket of jet black hair down over her shoulders, so long it nearly covers the pair of cutoff denim shorts she wears. Cowboy boots on her feet and a black strapless crop top, showing off the tattoos on her back and arms. She looks like she’d fit right in with the vibe of Stingers.
Refocusing my attention on the girls, I notice Billie already scrolling through her social media accounts, while Monroe’s pulled out her phone and is currently designing the flyer for the dating mixer. “Do you guys mind if I take care of this real quick?”
Looking up from their phones, they both turn and look her way. “Why don’t you call her over here?” Monroe suggests and I nod, giving Penny the okay to bring her over.
“She’s cute, kind of young, but that can be good for business. I mean, so long as she’s old enough to work in a bar.”
Billie’s right. The woman is an effortless kind of beautiful, yet the closer she gets to our table, it’s obvious she’s much younger.
“How’d she get past the bouncer?” Monroe whispers just as she stands beside our table.
“Hi,” she says, bright green eyes flicking back and forth between the three of us. Something about the girl is so familiar, yet I can’t put my hand on where I know her from.
Her sleek hair shines underneath the glow of the ceiling lights, pin straight and now that she’s standing, falls just above her lower back. A patch of freckles paints the bridge of her nose, and other than a bit of mascara and lip gloss, she’s hardly wearing any makeup yet looks like she’s airbrushed.
Taking a strand of her hair between her fingers, she nervously twirls it in her hand when I don’t immediately reply. “Hi,” I say, realizing how rude it was of me to stare at her without saying anything. “I’m Bailey King.” She nods in understanding. “These are my best friends, Billie Cole and Monroe Bishop.”
“I’m Raven, Raven Dawson,” she says, giving us a soft wave and timid smile.
The name immediately rings a bell and I can’t believe I hadn't realized it sooner. “You’re Dr. Dawson's daughter, one of the triplets?” I ask, remembering I saw her sister, one who looks almost identical to her only with slightly lighter hair, earlier today at the farmer’s market with their mom Millie Dawson.
There’s a small twinge in her expression and I suddenly feel awful for referring to them as “The Triplets”. I’m sure growing up with identical sisters wasn’t easy, especially if most times they were always seen as one and not individuals. Nonetheless, she politely answers. “Yes, my sisters are Rayleigh and Reyna.”
“Oh my God,” Billie shrieks. “I remember you girls when you were babies. I used to babysit you. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you.”
“It’s fine. I’ve been away from Crossroads for a few years now. I only came back because…” She pauses, sorrow taking over her bright green eyes. “I’m looking for a job. Saw the sign out front and was hoping I could set up an interview.”
“Are you old enough to work in a bar?” The question comes out a bit harsher than planned. I’m simply curious since even with the light hand of makeup, she looks no older than twenty.
“I turned twenty-one last week, and I’m pretty desperate for work. I just got back into town and things at home aren’t the best right now. I’ve never worked as a bartender, but I was a server down at a restaurant in Tennessee for a few years while in college. I’m sure they’d give me a recommendation if I called.”
I want to ask what she means about trouble at home, but I don’t want to appear nosey. Things seemed fine with Millie and her other daughter when I ran into them, but I know firsthand how things aren’t always as black and white as they may seem.
“No need,” Billie says. “You’re hired.”
“Really?” Raven asks in surprise. And I’ll admit the surprise is mutual.
I don’t want to outright turn the girl away, but hiring her on the spot won’t work, either. “Mind giving us a second, Raven? Why don’t you grab a drink and come join us?” She nods and heads off toward the bar.
“Billie, you know I love you and love being in business with you at Honeybees, but you can’t just hire people to work at my bar.”
My best friend has the audacity to roll her eyes like what I’m saying makes little sense. “Bailey, she’s perfect. For one, Raven is one of the most gorgeous girls I’ve ever seen. I know she has two identical sisters, but I remember Raven. She’s always stood out from the three of them. Not to mention she’s smoking hot and perfect for the bar. Imagine the tips the girl will get. Besides, you just planned a speed dating event we need to pull off in less than two weeks. Two weeks, Bailey. There’s no way we can pull it off alone. A girl like Raven Dawson is exactly what we need to make this successful.”
Monroe and I look at each other and know that she’s right. Having a girl like Raven behind the bar will bring in plenty of business and the dating mixer coming up. We could use her help to figure out what the younger, touristy crowd would be into.
Yet I’m not one hundred percent convinced. Raven and her family are one of the wealthiest families in Crossroads. Dr. Dawson and his wife have been at the front of the hospital for the last forty years, and I know they own a large plot of land on the border of Crossroads and Rivers Bend. However, I don’t get to ponder the possibilities of why Raven’s in dire need of employment for long.
Suddenly, the room feels increasingly suffocating as an aura of darkness lingers around us. As it usually does when he’s around, the crowd goes silent, conversations pausing and gazes momentarily darting in his direction. There’s no discretion, only a buzzing hum in the air matching the anticipation brewing within me. The soft tune of the guitar playing a more melodic song in the distance rings in my ears as my breathing wavers the slightest bit.
I can sense his arrival without having to turn my attention to the front doors of the bar, though I do anyway, unable to resist. His presence carries a unique and unmistakable aura that shifts the entire energy of the room. My heartbeat quickens when his gaze finds mine, the tension in his eyes softening the moment he sees me. Nash Bishop commands attention wherever he goes and my body can’t help but react to his intense stare, arousal pooling in my core as his eyes drink me in.
There’s something so mesmerizing about his confident stride through a room full of people who find thrill in speaking poorly of him. He effortlessly blends into the crowd yet just as easily stands out, drawing attention to the way those damn jeans fit snug around his thighs and groin. My chest heaves as I drink in the man that makes my mouth run dry every time I look at him. The white tee he’s wearing is tightly fitted around his broad back and shoulders, a stark contrast to the ink tangled around his arms and neck.
Blue eyes, the darkest shade of night, burn through me as he wields the power to control me, turning every thought of mine into pleas of a merciful conquest at his hand.
Suddenly, I’m back in the shower, pressed against the cold tile wall with his hands on my body and mouth on mine. Everything I felt then crashes into me now, a raging wave of desire that threatens to wash me out. It’s at this moment I know I’m totally fucking screwed.
“God damn, I think I just came from the sexual tension palpitating in the room.” I ignore Billie, unable to think straight, when all I hear is the beat of my open heart thundering in my ear.
Nash heads straight for us, for me, ignoring the stares and whispers as he makes his way to our table.
“Nash,” I whisper as he stands right beside me, focused solely on me. His eyes are so deep and attentive, a hint of worry lingering in the small crease of his crinkling eyes as a hand comes up to cup my cheek. Time stands still, unspoken words and emotions aching to be heard and felt. Yet it’s the desire that burns in his gaze, which sets my entire being ablaze in a way I’ve never experienced. The brewing tension promises a world of possibilities as our dreams and memories intertwine. Our shared secrets are so loud in the silence that passes between us.
Leaning into his palm, closing my eyes at the feeling of his touch, I lose sight of everything around us and only the two of us exist. I completely forget that not only are Monroe and Billie still here, but we’re in the middle of my bar. Though, I can’t get myself to open my eyes and look at him, afraid of what I might find looking back.
“Nashiel, what are you doing here?” Billie asks with a knowing smile and I could murder the girl for her lack of discretion but also kiss her for breaking the tension and giving me a much needed chance to breathe. Slowly I open my eyes and find her smirking at me, Monroe with her mouth gaping open beside her as she closely watches her brother.
Nash keeps his gaze focused on me, refusing to give anyone else at the table any attention. “I texted you,” he says, as if that explains why he’s come, though I don’t hear the question he’s clearly expecting an answer to.
I feel sort of guilty, thinking maybe there was something he needed from me and that’s why he rushed here. “I haven’t checked my phone. Is there something you need?”
“I was calling to check on you and when you didn’t answer, I thought maybe you’d gotten hurt.”
“Check on me?” He has to be joking. Why would he suddenly be interested in my well-being when he’s spent the last week avoiding and ignoring me? Not that I haven’t been doing the same.
He stares at me like he doesn’t understand why I sound so surprised. “Yes, to see how your ankle is doing.” A deep scowl forms on his face, his brows caving in disapproval. “Why are you down here, anyway? Shouldn’t you be upstairs resting? Why isn’t she upstairs resting?” His last question is directed at Billie who simply gives him a knowing smile.
That seems to suddenly remind him we’re not alone, and he drops his hand from my cheek as his gaze finds Monroe.
“Nash,” she mumbles under her breath as she scowls at her brother. Her irritation is obvious, though I notice her eyes don’t display the same hatred they did just a few days ago. It’s moments like these I forget how much their relationship suffered and I can’t help but think I’m part of the reason.
“Hey Izzy,” Nash says with a soft yet awkward smile. Though, his tone is gentle.
“Izzy?” Billie asks, and I’m equally curious as to why Nash is calling his sister by her middle name.
“It’s a nickname I gave Monroe when she was born, and I couldn’t say her name. Monroe sounded more like Mon-woah, so I got tired of the teasing from our older brothers and started calling her Izzy, short for Isobel.”
“Sorry, am I interrupting?” Raven asks as she returns to our table with a beer in her hand. Nash turns at the sudden intrusion, his focus now on Raven. Compelled by her beauty, he stares for a lot longer than necessary. Jealousy, the raging bitch, creeps up inside me and suddenly I have no desire to hire the pretty girl.
“Nash, this is Raven…” I say, but Nash interrupts my introductions.
“Raven Dawson,” he says, his voice carrying an unfamiliar warmth as he looks at the woman next to me like he’s known her his entire life. There’s no fucking way, unless, unless she’s here because of him. Raven’s earlier comment about being away from Crossroads for a few years comes back to me. Is she a woman from his past? A scorned ex-girlfriend who’s come looking for him?
Raven seems totally unfazed by his presence, something out of the norm for most women. “Nash Bishop, glad to see you without all the stitches or bruises for once.”
“You two know each other?” Monroe asks, ready to murder her brother for flirting with another woman while I’m standing right in front of him. Especially after what I just told her happened between us and what she just witnessed.
Raven explains the reason for this shift in his demeanor. “Nash came into the hospital to get stitched up or have his broken bones mended by my dad more than anyone in all of Crossroads.”
Their playful familiarity suddenly makes sense and I’m relieved it’s not any of the circumstances I concocted in my head. But my mind wanders, thoughts of what might occur at this unexpected reunion, as I’m not at all comfortable with the way they so easily fall into conversation.
“You were no more than ten years old when I last saw you. Look at you now, Rae.”
“Rae?” I question with a slightly bitter edge to my voice and when all four pairs of eyes fall on me, realize I’ve said it out loud for all to hear.
Billie once again saves the day and stops things from escalating or becoming any more awkward than they are. “Raven is twenty-one now and is the newest employee of Stingers.”
Yet it’s Nash’s teasing smirk that tells me he caught on to the jealousy behind my clipped tone. “Nice, congrats Rae.” Raven smiles, green eyes flickering with excitement, but not when she looks up at Nash as I expected. It’s when she looks at me.
“Really Bailey? I got the job?” I can hear the desperation in her voice combined with a shrill of eagerness.
Put in the awkward position of hiring a girl I didn’t even get to interview or vet for the job, or refusing to and coming off as a jealous girlfriend who’s angry Raven is friendly with my man, I have no other choice but to nod and extend my hand out to her. “Welcome to the Stingers team.”
Nash sets a hand down upon her shoulder, his fingers gently squeezing as he congratulates her. “It’s good to see a familiar face around what has become one of my most frequented and favorite places in Crossroads.”
The son of a bitch is playing me, trying to get a rise out of me now that he senses a hint of what he thinks is jealousy. I don’t give him the pleasure of watching me make my new employee the enemy, knowing it’s his way of distracting me and making me forget he’s the one I should be wary of, not her.
“Raven, why don’t you have Penny show you the way to the office? My brother Jameson is in and the two of you can go over and fill out whatever paperwork you need to get you on board. Then, if you’re available, you can start tomorrow. We’re closed Mondays, but it would be a great opportunity for you to come in and complete your orientation and go over some training modules with Jase.”
Raven’s excitement is unmistakable and I’m suddenly feeling like this is going to work out for the best. She’s cool and reminds me a bit of myself when I was younger. Unsure what to do with my life, clearly not fitting into the mold my parents wanted me to fit. Nor following in my siblings' footsteps. Looking closely at her, I notice some ink peeking out from under her top that bares her midriff and the ink along her upper body. Yeah, I’m sure Dr. and Mrs. Dawson didn’t approve of that.
“Sounds perfect. Thank you so much, Bailey. It was good to see you girls again. You too, Nash.”
Nash’s hand remains on her shoulder and the asshole has the audacity to pull her in closer for a one-armed hug. “Yeah, look forward to seeing you around here, Rae.”
My anger turns into annoyance because I know for a fact the bastard is flirting with her just to piss me off. The only positive thing, Raven, somehow doesn’t seem at all affected by him.
“Rae, huh?” Billie mocks, repeating her name in an over-exaggerated impression of Nash as soon as Raven is out of earshot. As he’s done most of the night, Nash ignores her.
I can feel the weight of his gaze as he redirects his attention to me. “We need to talk.” I'm taken aback by his forwardness, especially in front of his sister and Billie. My eyes search for answers, or maybe even reassurance, but I find nothing but more questions. I’m itching to find out what he wants, what the text he sent me said, but I don’t want to seem desperate and take my phone out to read it. I came down to spend time with the girls. Much needed time, especially since I’ve barely seen them all week and we have so much to discuss and plan regarding the mixer we need to put together.
I smile softly, trying my best to appear unaffected, yet I know I fail miserably. “Not sure we do. But if you insist, it will have to wait. If you hadn’t noticed, you interrupted a girls' night and we have a major event we need to plan.”
“What event?” He asks, clearly annoyed I’m blowing him off to plan some unnecessary party.
I give him a small but cheerful smile. “It’s a dating mixer. We'll be hosting here at Stingers in less than two weeks.”
“Dating mixer? As in speed dating?” He sounds baffled by the idea, like three single girls looking to find love is unheard of.
I roll my eyes, finally feeling more like myself now that the conversation has shifted to something I’m more comfortable with. “Yes, Nash. If you hadn’t noticed, we have slim pickings around here. Crossroads isn’t the dating pot it once used to be and you are looking at three extremely single girls who refuse to solely look at dating apps to find love.”
I surprise myself with what I say. Since when am I looking for love or a date?? I haven’t gone out with someone in nearly two years. Actually dated longer than that. Every guy I ever dated, I self-sabotaged, finding every flaw and reason as to why it wasn’t right or wouldn’t work. Most of the excuses being they weren’t the man standing right in front of me. Nash was there, in the back of my mind, every time I tried to put myself out there.
“You mean like actual speed dating?”
Okay, now I’m pissed. Why is he acting like it’s unheard of? Like this is some idiotic plan three desperate women have come up with. “Is there fake speed dating I don’t know about?”
Nash lets out a low rumble, a smile teasing his lips as he shakes his head in disbelief. His eyes are low and suddenly radiating a burning desire as they zero in on my chest and the dip of cleavage showing. “That’s definitely not something I don’t want any part of.” He leans in forward, his lips so close to my ear as a firm hand falls to my waist. A jolt of electricity hits me as his fingers dig into the skin showing above my jeans, calloused fingertips tracing soft circles along my heated skin. Goosebumps cover my arms and chest, a sharp zing creeping up my spine at his closeness. He whispers so only I can hear. “I’ll meet you upstairs when you’re done planning your dating party.”
I search his eyes for something, any hint of what he’s thinking, but all I’m met with is an intense need that leaves me breathless. I swallow hard, regaining whatever bit of composure I can manage, but how can I when I’m not thinking clearly? Hating that I’m so out of my element and no longer the confident woman I usually am whenever I’m around anyone else who doesn’t have the name Nash Bishop, I give him a little taste of his own medicine. “Might be a long night. I wouldn’t wait up, Angel.”