Digging into the details of her reaction to the door slam and the resulting panic attack, didn’t seem like the best idea. I waved it away. “And after I got someone to finish my shift, I brought you your coat and somehow fell into yourbed.”
This smile was softer, and when she licked her lips, I could almost feel the wet heat of her tongue on my own. “And it obviously went well enough to replace all our schoolmemories.”
“We became friends,” I offered. Even all these years later, I didn’t know what we were to each other. Neither of us would admit to more than friends, but neither of us wanted anythingless.
Someone yelled from the back, and she nodded her head, telling me to go. I locked eyes with her a beat longer than necessary, hoping it told her I didn’t want to leave her side for asecond.
She took a swig of her beer to cut the eye contact, and I went to the back to help Jake load a keg. Even from my current angle, I kept her in my line of sight. Like if I looked away, she might disappear on me again. I didn’t think I could recover a secondtime.
I hoisted the keg, and Jake hooked it up. Movement caught my eye, and I almost dropped the keg as Kent Bridges sidled up to the bar and began to size upMara.
Revulsion rolled through me at the sight. Why was he even in my bar? He preferred the city club life. This hick town had never been good enough for him. That suit could probably pay my rent. Once Jake finished, I hightailed it back out front and clapped Kent on the shoulder with more than too muchforce.
To his credit, he didn’twince.
“Kent, what are you doinghere?”
He adjusted his shoulders and glanced up. “Just meeting a few friends, and then I saw this beauty sitting allalone.”
Kent was the high school star, who, unfortunately, never got karmic justice for his misdeeds. His school boy antics led him to his father’s law firm as well as a string of DUIs that meant he better not have driven himself tonight. The scent of vodka drifted from his breath, even though he clutched a bottle tight in one hand. The other inched closer and closer to Mara on the bartop.
“You alright?” I askedher.
She did nothing more than meet my eyes and gave me the tiniest nod. So I stepped back and let her handle herself. She was about to start talking, when Kent stumbled forward, catching himself on her chair, but not without copping afeel.
Everything happened in a flash. Kent grazed her boob. I surged forward about to knock the shit out of him, while Mara jerked up and slammed the peanut bowl against hisface.
An arc of nuts littered the floor, and Kent stood hunched, holding his cheek. The bowl was still clutched tight in Mara’s hand, her eyes wide, and she shivered from head totoe.
I came around the bar and gently peeled the bowl from her fingers and set it on thebar.
The music had cut off, and the crowd gathered as Kent huffed and curled a protective hand around his cheek. When he straightened again, he faced us both. “Oh look, if it isn’t Saint Murphy sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. Asusual.”
“Don’t call him that,” Mara said, even and slow. The kind of slow many would recognize as a forewarning. Kent was never verysmart.
“You dumb bitch, I was only trying to talk to you. I’m pressingcharges.”
He removed his hand to reveal a red circle just below his eye. Nice shot she got inthere.
I called out loud to everyone. “Since you’re all done drinking, bar’s closed. Getout.”
They grumbled but grabbed coats and started toward the door. Except William, the old man who rented the corner booth two days a week. “Even you, Willy. Gottago.”
He waved at me, and I gestured to Jake. He’d make sure Willy got home safely after he finished hisbeer.
Turning back to Jake and two friends who lingered by the door, I finally stepped forward, and she moved no more than an inch to put herself behind my right shoulder. “Here’s what’s going to happen, Kent. You and your friends are going to leave my bar and never comeback.”
He drew himself up, trying to lord his two extra inches of height over me. “And if Idon’t?”
“Then I’m going to call the police and report a sexual assault on my friend here. Being the sober one of us, and the only one of us without a criminal record, who do you think they willbelieve?”
He glared, and Mara interlaced her fingers over my curled up fist. I’d spoken to him levelly. I didn’t realize how pissed I felt until she gently uncurled my fingers and placed her own betweenthem.
He spent a minute staring between us. “What the fuck ever. No one likes this shit holeanyway.”
Mara’s words came back to me. Now confirmed from two of my patrons. He left with his friends, and I laughed outloud.
“What about this isfunny?”
