But after I finished the entire drink, I still didn’t say a word. At least Mom was there. She could be somewhere worse. Hell, if it wasn’t for Mason, we could be living on the side of the road with no money to our name.
I tapped my fingers on my glass, watching Mason text on his phone from the corner of my eye. So much for going out on a nice date. I glanced up and—
Mr. Bryne sat with a young woman across the bar. His body was turned toward hers, his arm around the back of her chair. He leaned in and smiled.
Something inside of me stirred, and I tightened my palm around my glass until my knuckles turned white. Mr. Bryne said something to her, and she laughed, her nose scrunching up, her fingers brushing against his chest.
I pursed my lips together. Who was—
No, no … I didn’t care. I didn’t care who she was. What had happened between Mr. Bryne and me was a one-time thing, never to be mentioned or thought about again.
“Mason,” I said, trying so desperately to pull my attention away from Mr. Bryne and whoever he was out on a date with. “Do you want to …”
“To?” he asked, barely looking in my direction. The waitress sauntered over again, and he looked up from his phone with a big smile. “Two more, and let’s do a side of chicken tacos.”
She took our menus away, and he went back to texting on his damn phone. I slumped down in my seat, kept my eyes on the table, and frowned. He had asked me out on a date and then wasn’t paying attention to me at all.Great.
I was stuck with him on a stale date while Mr. Bryne was over there with some pretty girl, laughing and having the time of his life.
“Mason!” someone shouted from across the bar.
I glanced up to see one of his friends. I didn’t know his name. Mason knew way too many people for me to keep track of. They did that weird guy hug, clapping their hands together. After giving him my best smile, I watched him slide into the seat next to Mason and listened to them start talking about the party the other night.
My gaze drifted to Mr. Bryne. His arm was still around the woman’s chair, but he was sipping his drink and gazing over atme.
CHAPTER9
MIA
As soon as I made eye contact with him, I pulled my gaze away, my heart pounding against my chest.
God, I hated this. What was wrong with me? Why was I feeling this way about my best friend’s dad when I was sitting next to Mason, my boyfriend who had done everything for me? Why was I … jealous?
The woman stood up, leaving her purse on the bar next to him, and walked toward the restroom. When she disappeared, he glanced back at me, and I looked away. Maybe I felt jealous because unlikeme, she was at least getting some attention from a man.
The slutty bartender—yes, I’d decided she was slutty—placed a glass of wine on the bar in front of me.
Mason looked over, scowling. “What’s this?” he asked her. “She didn’t order wine.”
“Compliments of the gentleman over there.”
Mason glanced over across the bar with his jaw taut, but when he saw Melissa’s father, his hard expression fell. “It’s just Melissa’s dad,” he said, nodding to him, then turning back to his friend.
That was all this man had to fucking say? “It’s just Melissa’s dad.” Not,Why is Melissa’s dad trying to get you drunk? Why is Melissa’s dad ordering you a drink? Why is Melissa’s dad staring at you with those deep, gray eyes?
I took a deep breath and looked back at Mr. Bryne, picking up my glass and sipping it. He leaned forward, forearms on the bar, and parted his lips, as if he would say something, but then that stupid brunette came back and sat next to him, her fingers dipping to his forearm.
He leaned closer to her and whispered something into her ear, and she nodded to him. He stood up, glanced at me from over her shoulder, and headed toward the restroom.
Instead of sitting next to Mason and listening to him rave about Saturday night, I told him that I needed to use the restroom and followed Mr. Bryne down the hallway.
“Following me, Mia?” he asked, turning around, brow arched.
“How’s your date?” I asked him through gritted teeth, waiting by the restroom door.
“Better than yours.”
I pursed my lips and peered back into the bar to see that waitress leaning over the counter and talking to Mason again. My heart ached, and I shook my head.
