Chapter 4 Josie #2
“Oof, rough night,” she grinned.
“Exactly.” Once I was at the bar, I waved down the bartender, who was at the other end, busy getting drinks for someone else.
“Did you see the new bartender?”
“Who is he?” I called over the music. “I didn’t know Lizzy was hiring anyone.”
“Neither did I. Ooh! There’s Bailey!”
Glancing over my shoulder, I grinned when I saw her pulling Liam onto the dance floor. “Aww. Their second dance. That’s so sweet.”
“It’s nice to see him with some clothes on,” she smirked.
Laughing, I wondered what that had been like. I’d heard about their impromptu wedding, but I hadn’t seen it for myself.
“What can I get you?”
The rough, masculine voice slid over me in that familiar way that left me confused as I turned and faced the broody male that was my neighbor. My smile brightened instantly.
“It’s Tennessee!”
He didn’t answer. Instead, his eyebrow slid just a scant centimeter higher as he locked eyes with me.
He really was a very handsome man, even if he did remind me of the grumpiest man on earth. Maybe he just had some bad sushi and didn’t know how to recover.
“Are you going to order anything or just stand there all night?”
“Well, I’m going to have a second of this delicious drink,” I said, shaking the glass in my hand. “And Sawyer…” Craning my neck, I found my brother brooding in the corner at a table by himself. “Get me the best whiskey you’ve got.”
His eyes followed where I’d just been looking. “You sure about that?”
“Positive. If I’m going to make it through this night, I’m going to need the hard stuff.”
“Rough date?”
Surprised that he actually engaged with me, it took a moment to respond. “You have no idea.”
“So, leave him.”
“Ha!” I barked out. “That would not be fair to the rest of the female population.”
I leaned heavily on the bar as he mixed my drink, watching every step of the process. “So, when did you start working here? Does this mean you’re going to be in town for a while? Ooh, does this mean we’re going to be neighbors for a while?”
A heavy sigh left him as he finished my drink and slid it across the bar. Clearly, he was never going to be a great talker.
“So, are you going to tell me your name, or should I continue to call you Tennessee?”
“Call me whatever you want,” he muttered.
“Ooh, that could be interesting. I’ll have to think of something really good to go with all…” I waved my hand in a circle, motioning to his face. “That.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know, broody and sexy. Deep, thinking eyes. Scruffy jaw with that don’t give a care attitude.”
He just stared at me.
“Well, if you’re really not going to give me a name, I can come up with plenty.” Thinking about it, I went with my first instinct. “Daniel.”
He didn’t say anything.
“Okay, then, Roger.”
“Roger?” he scoffed.
“Well, you’re not giving me any hints.”
“It’s not Roger.”
I took a small sip of my cocktail as I drank in those gray eyes. They were just so damn beautiful. “You must be a Theo then.”
“Are we done here?”
“Is that your name?”
Sighing, he caught someone flagging him down and walked away.
“See ya later, Tennessee!”
Cheyenne came bouncing over to me, a grin on her face. “Is that his name? Tennessee?”
“No idea,” I shrugged. “He’s staying at the rental next to me.”
“Ooh, eye candy every day. You’re so lucky.”
“Yeah?” I nudged her as I nodded across the bar. “There’s Archer. Maybe you should go say hi.”
“Ha! He’s made it perfectly clear that he won’t look twice at me.”
“Then Mav,” I said, giving a pointed look to the sheriff. “You’ve always had a thing for him.”
“Hmm, a man with cuffs. Not sure you can go wrong with that.”
“So, you want to help me cheer up my brother?”
“Ugh, do I have to?”
“I can’t stay with him another night if he’s going to mope like this. It’s so sad and pathetic.”
“He needs a new girlfriend, not his sister.”
“Yes, but until he finds that girlfriend, he’s going to drive me crazy.”
I started weaving through the crowd, but the moment I saw the table he was at, I knew this was going to be a long night. He was surrounded by women.
And they were all giving him a pitying look.
“Does that mean we don’t have to cheer him up?” Cheyenne hissed.
“It means this night just got a whole lot worse.”
“Then I’m going to put in a song for us.”
“Sister Sledge!” I called out.
“Not a chance in hell!”
Well, that sucked. “I got you a drink,” I said, sliding the glass across the table to Sawyer.
His shoulders sagged as he reached for it, and his lips quivered as tears filled his eyes. I was going to have to turn this around fast, or no woman in the world would dare come near him.
“Ladies, give me a minute.”
Ellie May gripped his hand in a tight squeeze before getting up from her stool and leaning in to whisper in my ear. “One drink is not going to be enough.”
Unfortunately, I was already well aware of that.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I appreciated the offer. Ellie May was one of the nicest people around town, despite what the gossips said.
“Alright, Sawyer, we need to change this, and fast. You cannot cry on the shoulder of every woman who sits beside you. You’ll never find anyone new that way.”
“I don’t want anyone new. I just want her.”
Slipping into the booth beside him, I wrapped my arm around him and pulled him close. “Oh, sweetie, I know you do, but she left.”
“It just sucks.”
“I know,” I sighed, leaning my head against his. “Will it make you feel better if I get drunk with you?”
“Maybe.”
For the first time, I saw the slightest hint of a smile, but it was forced at best.
“Come on. Let’s get plastered. We’ll get good and drunk, then sing and dance the night away.”
“And eat Cheerios in the morning?”
I grimaced at the thought, but for my brother, I would do almost anything. “Sure. We’ll eat Cheerios in the morning.”
I lifted my glass and clinked it against his. “To getting over Pearl.”