Of course it is. Why else would you still be texting unless it’s to bait me into calling you so I can tell you what a dirty whore you are and listen to you beat it until you’ve added another mess to those gross, crusty bedsheets?
My sister’s “birthday party”is actually a sit-down, professionally catered lunch and it takes an enormous amount of mental energy for me not to spend the entire day replaying last night’s phone call and this morning’s text exchange with Damon. I’m not an expert on propriety, but something tells me it wouldn’t be cool if I whipped my cock out and started jerking it in the middle of lunch. Especially when the guest list consists of five-year-old Izzy, Dad, Dad’s new boyfriend, and my grandma. Although, to be fair, Grandma is pretty cool; she and her friends come to the bar every Tuesday for Wine & Wings night, and those ladies sure know how to let their hair down on a weeknight. Especially if I sing a bunch of songs by female artists like Sheryl Crow, and Melissa Etheridge, and Shania Twain. Not Alannis, though; Grandma’s friend Laurel has a personal vendetta against Alannis Morrisette for some undisclosed reason that’s been intriguing me for years.
In an outcome that I’m sure surprised absolutely no one, Piper said yes when RJ presented her with a ring the size of a small planet. I’m sure the whole loving him thing came into it as well, but the ring sealed it. So I plan to make myself as scarce as possible for the foreseeable future while my sister plans her fairytale wedding.
Fortunately, I’ve found a brand new hobby that I’m expecting will take up quite a bit of my time…
I getto the bar several hours later than I normally would on a Sunday because it took a while for things to wrap up at Piper’s place. You’d think she and RJ would want us all out of there as soon as possible so they could get to some private celebrations, but evidently this was a moment Piper wanted to share with family, and that meant I had to stick around.
My eyes find Damon the moment I enter the bar, but before I can head to his service area I see Gia waving me over.
“Hey, sorry I’m so late. I was hoping to be here hours ago,” I tell her as I approach the bar, shrugging out of my jacket.
“No problem. I actually wasn’t expecting you to be here at all tonight, what with the engagement and everything,” she comments as she starts gathering the ingredients for my whiskey sour without prompting.
My brows shoot up in surprise. “How did you know about the engagement?”
She shrugs. “Piper posted about it on Instagram.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course she did.”
“That ring is seriouslyincredible,” Gia gushes. “What is it—three carats? Four?”
I shrug. “I have no fucking clue. But I’ll be surprised if Piper’s shoulder doesn’t dislocate with that thing weighing her arm down.”
Gia lets out a peal of laughter and slides my drink across the bar.
As requested, all my bartenders are now making Damon’s vegan version. They’re all using the same recipe but for some reason it still always tastes better when Damon makes it. Nodoubt the visual stimulation that accompanies his drinks has something to do with it…
“I’m glad you’re here, actually. I need to talk to you about next weekend,” Gia says, switching into business mode. “People have been asking if you’ll be playing, but?—”
I frown in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I be playing next weekend?”
“Because it’s Thanksgiving,” she reminds me. “Don’t you usually go to Lake Tahoe?”
I wince at the reminder. Needless to say, two weeks hasn’t been long enough for the situation with Cody to magically fix itself, so I’ll be skipping my annual Thanksgiving ski trip this year.
Between the voicemails—which I obviously haven’t listened to—and several text messages yesterday it’s obvious he has no respect for my need for space. And considering one of the messages from yesterday was to forgive me for “cheating” on him he is clearly still having difficulty distinguishing reality from whatever fantasy he had playing out in his head. I’m frankly shocked he hasn’t pulled Jace and Star into the drama yet, but I know it’s only a matter of time before it blows up and my presence in Tahoe is going to make it all the more likely. I’m just not capable of spending my entire holiday weekend walking on eggshells and biting my tongue for the sake of group peace while Cody vacillates from sulky child to bitter ex to wounded puppy and back again.
“Not this year,” I say with a shrug. “I’ll be here.”
She nods and offers a smile. “Cool. And I realize you’re the boss and everything so it’s your call, but it’d be great if you could help behind the bar as well if it gets busy, seeing as Damon won’t be here all weekend.”
My brows shoot up. “He won’t be?”
Gia shakes her head, a fond smile touching her lips. “His kids are coming into town for the holiday. Isn’t that sweet?”
I can’t help the corner of my mouth from curving up as I slide a glance down the bar at the man in question. “Very sweet,” I say wryly.
If only she knew… but then again, I kind of like that dirty boy Damon only comes out for me.
I finish my drink and tug my phone from my pocket to check the time. “It’s nearly eight. I’ll go on then.”
Gia’s eyes widen. “Are you sure you want to go on straight away? Don’t you want time to warm up?” she asks with a pointed look at my left hand.
I open and close my hand a couple times; the familiar stiffness is there, but it’s mild. I’ve played with it far worse than this in the past so there’s no cause for concern now. “No need. I rested it last night so I’m good.”
She shrugs. “Okay, well it’s your call. I’ll get Bree to set up your equipment.”
