Trig’s heart was pounding out of his chest. Especially when he heard her say, “I wonder if Hot Bartender is still here?”
“Holy shit!” he gasped again. “Itisher.” And then he nearly passed out when she burst through the bar door, clapped her hands together, and shouted, “Heisstill here!”
Her friend crowded in behind her, all smiles and curly red hair.
“Shit, what was her friend’s name?” Trig asked under his breath.
“Dawn,” Ryan supplied.
“How’d you remember that?”
He shrugged. “I’m good with names. Especially redhead names.”
Pulling himself together, digging deep for any semblance of game he could find, he said, “Hey! It’s Sexy Bar Babe!” while flipping his bar towel over his shoulder. “Welcome back.”
He honestly never thought he’d see Kissie again and seeing her now was like a knee to the balls. Only instead of searing pain stealing his breath, it was complete and utter shock. Her hair had grown longer, swaying over her shoulders when she walked.
He needed to sit down.
Jumping up onto the barstool next to Ryan, Kissie said without preamble, “I just got dumped, so I’m here for two things: to hook up and get messed up.”
When she slammed her hand down on the bar and cried, “Shots!” Trig felt it like a lightning bolt straight to his chest.
Instead of telling her how much he’d enjoy aiding her in both endeavors, he poured two shots of the vodka he remembered she and Dawn liked, slid them across the bar, and said, “Well, Sexy Bar Babe, you’ve come to the right place.”
RULE NUMBER TWO: SUGAR IS HEALTH FOOD
KISSIE
Pouring another four shots, two Grey Goose, two Jameson, Trig said, “Did you say you got dumped? I don’t believe it. Who in their right mind would ever dump you?”
Dawn was an absolute genius to bring her here.
“Oh, Hot Bartender. How I’ve missed you,” she said, her cheek falling into her hand.
“Nowhere near as much as I’ve missed you.” There was a twinkle in those soulful brown eyes of his.
But as much as Kissie wanted to believe him, she knew this wasn’t real. This was bartender magic. Dangerous, powerful, panty-dropping magic that was only one level lower than drummer magic. And everyone knew to stay the hell away from drummers.
The truth was, she hadn’t stopped thinking about Trig for the last two years. Even when she was with Bryan, Trig was always there, like a bearded, amazingly good kisser, small-town Montana dream. But Trig represented the kind of man, the kind of life, she’d been running from since she left home and moved to Missoula. Sure he was gorgeous and remembered what vodka she liked and they already had nicknames for each other, but a man like Trig came with a life of being stuck in a small town where everyone knew everyone else and everything was exactly the same from one day to the next. Comfortable, safe, boring.
She didn’t want that kind of life. She wanted Seattle. She wanted success and opportunity and excitement. She’d already given up that chance once for Bryan and she wasn’t going to risk it again. Especially not with the kind of man who’d inspire a woman to sell all her shit on Craigslist, move to the middle of nowhere, and wear flannel shirts, a braid down her back, and,okay fine, probably a big-ass smile for the rest of her life.
Blech. No thank you.
Trig was someone nice to flirt with and dream about and she needed to leave it at that. There would be no Craigslist ads coming out of this weekend. Trig was many things, but moving-on hookup material was not one of them.
“Asshole left her for a woman named Margaret,” Dawn said, scratching her nose with her left hand, which was a thing she did when she wanted the people around her to notice her engagement ring.
“Not Margaret!” Trig feigned chest pain at the name, making Kissie snort. “What is she, like an accountant or something?”
“Worse!” Kissie cried. “A tax attorney.”
He pretended to gag. “Nothing but missionary for the rest of his life. I guarantee it!”
After barking a laugh, the noise startling her a little because she hadn’t laughed in weeks, Kissie pulled Dawn in for a hug and said, “And my best friend in the whole wide world pulled me out of an epic post-dumped funk, made me take a shower, and drove me up here.”
Trig’s thick, straight brow floated up. “For hooking up and getting messed up, if I remember ten minutes ago correctly.”
