Her mention of Ava puts a big smile on my face and makes me forget momentarily what we were talking about.
“Tell you what, I’ll introduce you to Ava when you tell me what’s going on with you-know-who.”
She sticks her tongue out at me, and I flick a wet rag in her direction before dropping all the ingredients in the shaker to finish off the cocktail.
The evening gets busier as people spill in from the town meeting for a drink and gossip before calling it a night.
I notice a few looks in my direction, but I ignore them.
“They don’t really mean it, you know?” Penny says when we’re cleaning up after closing.
The kitchen closed earlier, so everyone else has finished up and gone home. It’s just us, so we’ve taken our aprons off and changed the stereo to play old rock ballads.
“Yes, they do, but I don’t care what they say or their opinion. As long as their stupid gossip doesn’t get to Ava, then they can fill their boots with whatever theory they have about why I’m back.”
“Why are you back?” she asks.
I gasp and clutch the rag in my hand to my chest. “I can’t believe you forgot our promise to each other.”
Penny laughs. “I’m not marrying you.”
In one swift move, I jump over the bar to the other side and wrap my arms around her waist, tickling her until she squeals. “You said if we were still single at the grand old age of twenty-seven, you’d marry me.”
“Twenty-seven isn’t old, and we were jerks back then. Besides, I’m not single.”
I let her go. “Of course. Asher Martin.”
She laughs again. “You keep saying his name like it’s a curse.”
I raise a brow and start stacking the chairs on the tables to help the overnight cleaner. “Isn’t it?”
“We all make mistakes, especially when we’re young. I’m not saying what Jayden did was right, but—”
“Let’s not talk about it,” I say, interrupting the conversation before we go somewhere we shouldn’t. “It’s in the past. Now I just want to finish up here so I can go home to my girl.”
Penny shakes her head, but her big brown eyes are soft, “She really has you wrapped around her little finger, doesn’t she?”
“Just wait till you meet her.” I wink and go back behind the bar.
Thirty minutes later, we’re done.
“Hey, Pen,” I say as she’s locking the door to the staff entrance. “I know I’ve already said it, but I really do appreciate you speaking up for me and helping me get this job.”
She shrugs. “It’s not totally selfless. Your cocktails are the best, and I love working with you. It’s like the old days. Me and you against the world. I know it’s not your ideal job, but it pays the bills, right?”
“Right.”
I give her a kiss on the cheek and start walking home.
It’s way past midnight, so I’m not surprised to see very few lights on in the houses as I walk the roads I know so well, even though they feel so different.
Maybe they’ve changed. Maybe I’ve changed.
The lights are off as I get home, so I head straight to my room, the old guest room, to grab a shower.
Even though we had a quiet night, I still feel wired. The shower does a good job of relaxing my body, but I know I still have another forty-five minutes until I’m ready to sleep.
This isn’t even a late finish for me.
