‘Right.’ I roll my lips together. ‘And you were being areally good friendwhen you pushed me into that racing crowd of people at the roller rink.’
A warm rumble of laughter fills the air. Duke stretches out his legs, letting them lie beside me. ‘It made you learn quickly though, didn’t it? Plus, I think you got me back when you fell on me.’
Copying him, I bring my legs out from underneath me where they’d been crossed and stretch them out beside his.I try to sneer at him, but my smile can’t contain itself. ‘Oh yeah, I mean the minor heart attack it gave me was totally on the same level as being kneed in the balls, I’m sure.’
‘Whatever you say, Baby Hensley.’ Duke rests his arms behind his head, leaning back so he can stare up at the starry sky. ‘But it was worth it. The way your face lit up when you finally got a hold of things was the best part of the evening.’
My body jolts at the words, while Duke’s completely stills. His eyes stay painfully trained on the sky above, but his Adam’s apple bobs. And there I thought he wasn’t watching me at that point.
After a long blink, Duke finally looks down at me. ‘Let’s just sit and watch the stars for a bit, yeah?’
I mimic zipping up my lips, eliciting a quick smile from Duke, before he’s looking up again. But that smile never leaves his face. Not for the long moment I continue watching him until I finally follow suit and bask in the twinkling glow of the stars above.
Boldly, I let one of my sneakers drop to the side and rest against his leg gently, testing the waters I thought were always too dangerous for me to dip my foot into, to see if he’ll move away. But to my surprise, he doesn’t. Instead, he slides his own closer to me, letting the warmth of his calf diffuse into mine. It’s the smallest touch, probably nothing compared to how he touches other girls, but it has my body lighting up brighter than all the stars speckling the dark sky.
10
Duke
Cherry looks bored. She’s looked that way for the past five speed-dates she’s been on, and the drawing I’ve been sketching of her on this napkin only reflects that back to me.
There’s a smile playing on her red lips, yes, but it’s barely there. And her eyes keep wandering – to the drink she’s barely touched in front of her, to the other dates going on beside her, to the bar where I’m working. She idly plays with a lock of her hair, coloured light from all the neon signs cascading off the shiny strands as she twirls it around one finger. She nods and listens, adding the occasional input to whatever conversation she’s having.
I try to pull my attention away and unclench my unexpectedly tight jaw as I screw up the napkin and throw it in the trash behind me. It’s not like I’m qualified to assume I can decipher Cherry’s mood easily anyway. But all I can think about right now is that she doesn’tlookhappy. Not like the bright-eyed, red lips pulled into a soft smile Cherry I’ve grown accustomed to when she’s working at the bar. When she’s with me.
I’m jolted back to reality when Montana rings her bell to signal it’s the end of the date. Though, as Montana then announces to the group, it’s halfway through the night, meaning it’s time for a drink break as opposed to making the guys move on to the next table. It also means the bar is about to get very crowded, which is a needed distraction.
I’ve got to give it to Montana and Cherry, though – as much as I bemoaned the idea of hosting this speed-dating event, it’s gone better than I expected. Everything has run smoothly, no hiccups in sight with Montana handling the logistics like a pro, so that Cherry can focus on her dates. Given the small timeframe they had to pull this together, the turnout is much larger than I expected too – with a few familiar faces like two of Wyatt’s ranch hands, Flynn and Josh. And now all those singles are flocking to the bar with their wallets, so I can’t really complain.
Jeb – my number two who’s worked here since before I took over from my grandfather and covers me anytime I’m not around – is behind the bar, working through all the orders with me. Shaking and stirring all kinds of drinks and creating new concoctions of flavours for people to try always gets my creative juices flowing and my mind calming.
Slowly, the crowd at the bar begins to disperse once they’ve been supplied with plenty of alcohol to calm their nerves, and they move off in clusters to mingle with each other amongst the wooden tables and bar stools.Numbers are already being exchanged, along with hearty laughter and promising smiles. The last few people grab their drinks, leaving one person left to approach the bar – Cherry.
Maybe it’s just the way the lights are angled in the rafters, but I swear all the light in the room seems to pool around her as she shuffles towards the bar. With a sigh, she leans her arms against the bar as she eyes up the liquor bottles behind me.
Jeb places a hand on my shoulder as he passes behind me. ‘Gonna head out back for a break now the crowd’s died down.’
‘Sure thing, take your time,’ I reply.
‘Can I join him?’ Cherry laughs, moving to rest her chin on her fist as she regards me. She hasn’t ordered a drink yet, but I find myself starting on a cocktail for her.
I reach behind me to grab a bottle of vodka and measure out a small amount, trying to keep my hands busy. ‘Not having a good time?’
Her sigh comes out more like a chuckle, but I don’t miss the disappointment that briefly flashes across her face. She shrugs, the movement making her silky hair fall over her shoulder. ‘I can’t figure out if I’m terrible with guys, or guys are just terrible,’ she contemplates. ‘Is it normal for a guy to spend the whole three minutes talking about how they should take money away from creative college courses and put it intomore useful—’ she uses air quotes for the last two words ‘—degrees after I said I was studying interior design?’
My hands still, something oddly akin to rage flickering in my chest. Jesus, don’t guys know how to treat awoman anymore? Don’t they realise that Cherry is solely responsible for bringing this bar to life, for designing and decorating a place that not only pulls on the small town charm of Willow Ridge, but blends the retro with the modern, ensuring every patron of mine feels like they belong?
‘No, Cherry. That isnotnormal. Who the hell said that?’
She waves it off like it’s nothing. ‘Ugh, Dale Callaway. He was a jerk in high school, so I don’t know why I’m surprised. Oh, but he did soften the blow by making sure to tell mewell donefor getting hotter since high school.’ She gives me two sarcastic thumbs up and the snarkiest of smiles, before rolling her eyes and slumping back against the bar.
That makes me snort. Even though thunder rumbles in the back of my mind at the idea someone would disrespect Cherry so brazenly like that, I can’t help but notice the light already shimmering brighter in her eyes by the second since she’s been at the bar with me. Like someone’s finally added some extra kindling to the fire that was dimming inside of her.
‘Yeah, well,’ I begin, adding the remaining juice and flavourings to the shaker, ‘Dale Callaway only says that shit because he’s trying to make himself feel better after his dad handed his business over to his nephew instead of his incompetent son.’
One plus side of being the local bartender – you learneveryone’ssecrets.
Cherry’s lips pop open and she covers her mouth as a laugh squeaks out of her. I flash her a grin and startshaking up her drink, suddenly revelling in the way she watches me with wonder as I work, the way she’s glowing now, any hint of boredom vanished. I’m not normally one for theatrics, not in a small town bar like this, but my heart is suddenly beating faster under Cherry’s shining gaze, so I grab a glass with one hand, giving it a small flip in the air, before pouring her cocktail into it from above me.
