Des tilts his can at Jake. “Should you be drinking? Mid-season and all that?”
“Probably not.” He lifts his glass and takes another swallow. “Extenuating circumstances.”
“Girl troubles?” Des asks, and Jake and Davis nod. Then all threemen start staring at me, like it’s my job to explain why these pricks wound up with the ‘girl troubles’ they’ve all found themselves in. Silence stretches across the booth, but I just sip my drink and smile at nothing. On my life, I swear I’ll listen to every rat trap in this place snap shut before I talk first.
“So,” Davis says at last. “How bad did I fuck up with Cece?”
“A lot.”
“But I was just trying to help her.”
I pin him with a glare. “Give me one example of you helping her.”
“When Lisa was skimming from the till. I caught her and told Cece.”
“Exactly.Youcaught her,thenyou told Cece. This is her bar, you lout. You should have brought it up to her the minute you thought Lisa might be nicking stuff, instead of putting up secret cameras, then dropping the whole mess on her mid-shift.”
Davis has the gall to look offended.
“No time for her to think, or choose how she wanted to handle it. You didn’t trust her to lead; you jumped in and tried to play the hero. But that’s not respect, that’s ego and?—”
“Bullshit,” Davis interrupts. “Cece put me on security, and what happened was a security issue.”
Jake groans. “Bro, do you have any idea what you sound like?”
“Fuck off!” Davis says with a scowl. “You can’t give me shit about being controlling. You literally threw Ada over your shoulder in front of everyone in this bar and walked out with her like a caveman.”
“Ada’s into that!” Jake protests. “It was an established dynamic. If you think I ever had control of that girl outside the bedroom, you’re on one.”
“All that aside,” I say loudly. “If you want to be with Cece, you’ve got to tell her how you feel and respect her decision. She’s a big girl.”
Davis’s forehead contracts. “Aggie, you know she gets overwhelmed. Especially with everything going on around here, and that’s not accounting for her money situati?—”
“You watch your mouth, Davis Sanderson.”
To his credit, heshuts up. He’s got good manners, at least. Not too much sense, but good manners. Maybe he’ll learn. Then again, Des didn’t…
“You want the truth?” I demand. “The real reason you two are in the doghouse with Cece and Ada?”
Davis and Jake nod.
“I wouldn’t mind hearing it too,” Des says, giving me a pathetic look. “You know I’m still sweet on?—”
“Shut up,” I snap, as Jake and Davis hide their smirks behind their drinks. “And you two can wipe those grins off your faces. Seeing as you’ve got nothing but your right hands for company, I don’t know what’s so bloody funny.”
All three men drop their heads like schoolboys caught smoking behind the sheds.
“Jesus.” I take a long pull off my drink and sigh. “Here it is, fellas. No woman likes being treated like a second-rate man, and that’s exactly what you dickheads have done.”
“Bit harsh,” Jake mutters into his whiskey.
“What’d I do?” Des protests.
I ignore them. “Maybe you blokes get it from the movies, maybe it’s just something in the bloody water, but whenever things go to shit, men like you reckon it’s their job to solve everything. Nottalk about it, mind, just decide what the best fix is and run. And wouldn’t you know it? The best fix always seems to wind up being whatever suits you lot best.”
“When have I ever done that with Cece?” Davis says.
“Don’t take that tone with me, young man. You’ve been muscling into Afterglow since the day you punched that dickhead hassling Cece at closing time. Not that you shouldn’t have punched him. You did the right thing. But you stayed on, basically made her hire you and sure, she could use a hand, and sure, you’ve got plenty to offer, but that doesn’t make you her boss, and it sure as hell doesn’t make you her husband.”
