“You’ll know her as Kenna,” Lilah cut in, “because my brother can’t be easy about anything.”
Caleb enveloped my hand in his, his eyes scrutinizing. After a long moment, he said, “So, you’re Kenna.”
He said it with such familiarity, my stomach fluttered. Familiarity from this man I’d never met before could only mean one thing—Hudson talked about me. A lot. But instead of focusing on it, I tucked it away, along with everything else today, and saved it for later.
I plastered on the smile that got me a buttload of tips, fake as it was sometimes. “Only to Hudson. I’m Mac to everyone else. Figured you’d have seen me earlier today. You didn’t catch the show?”
He shook his head. “Thought I’d give you guys some privacy.”
I snorted. “When you live in Havenbrook, you don’t get privacy.”
“Speaking of,” Will interjected, leaning forward and thrusting her hand out to Caleb. “I’m Willow Haven, Mac’s sister.”
Caleb took her hand and dipped his head. “Willow.”
No familiarity there, no automatic shortening of her name. Which meant Hudson didn’t talk about Havenbrook in the general sense. Just me.
But I wasn’t thinking about that right now.
“You can ignore her,” I said. “It’s how I’ve spent the past hour.”
“Lord, you’re such a damn grouch tonight,” Will said.
“Just to you, sister dearest.” I batted my eyelashes at Will before tossing coasters down in front of Lilah and Caleb. “Y’all need dinner menus too, or you just in for drinks?”
“Menus, please,” Lilah said.
I plucked them from beneath the bar. “What can I get y’all to drink?”
Lilah pointed to the chalkboard by the register proclaiming Campfire Crush as our featured beverage. “I’ll have the drink of the week, please.”
“You got it. How about you, Caleb?”
“Got any local IPAs on tap?”
“Sure do. Gimme a sec.” With a pat to the bar top, I turned and fell into the familiar movements, mixing and pouring as I ran a scrutinizing eye over the rest of the customers parked up to the bar, making note of who needed refills.
Once I’d placed Caleb’s and Lilah’s drinks in front of them, I made a circle at the bar, refilling drinks for a couple patrons before grabbing a bill to settle it.
I strode toward the cash register, near where my pain-in-the-ass sister sat, chatting with Lilah and Caleb. Or mostly Lilah. Caleb seemed to do a whole lot of watching and listening, especially where Lilah was concerned.
With my back to them as I focused on the POS machine, I asked, “So, where’s Hudson tonight?” And then immediately kicked myself. I didn’t care. Didn’t care at?—
“Miss me, Kenna?” At the sound of his deep voice, my entire body erupted in goose bumps, and I snapped my head toward him.
He slid onto the stool between Lilah and Will, propped his elbows on the bar top, and leaned toward me. “You know, you could’ve saved my ego a whole lot of bruisin’ if you’d told me your plans tonight meant you were workin’. I spent the past two hours—” He abruptly cut himself off, shaking his head and glancing down.
Spent the past two hours…what? Trying to figure out how he was going to walk in and see me wasting my life away behind a bar? How he’d hide his disappointment at all I hadn’t accomplished in my life? At all I’d thrown away after he’d left?
Except…I hadn’t told him I was working here. Hadn’t told him about any of my random jobs over the years to save myself from hearing the long-distance disappointment in his response.
I furrowed my brow, cocking my head to the side. “You knew I worked here?”
He hummed in affirmation. “I hear you’re as much a draw as the atmosphere, booze, and burgers. Can’t talk to Momma without her mentioning whatever cocktail of the week you’ve thought up and how delicious they always are.”
How lovely. He was out dodging bullets and IEDs, and Marianne was jabbering to him about how I tossed a few ingredients together and came up with a catchy name so we could charge a buck more for the drinks.Definitelyin the same realm. I shot Will a pointed look, which my sister studiously ignored.
“That’s…well…” I cleared my throat and tossed a coaster in front of him before grabbing a menu and handing it over. Iwasn’t sure there was anything more humiliating than waiting on your ex-…something, who just so happened to be a real-life superhero, but if there was, I hadn’t yet lived it. “What can I get ya?”
