“What?” Vince gasped. “That shit’s like 20 bucks at the store.”
“This ain’t the store,” the waitress snipped.
Nick narrowed his eyes at her rudeness. Maybe she was more accustomed to and hoping for the dope boy or the ballplayer. Well, he and Vince were neither. And judging by her attitude, she was highly disappointed.
“I’ll take a bottle of Crown,” Nick told her. “But from a different waitress. Don’t bring your snooty ass back over here.”
“Okay,” she responded with a roll of her eyes. She turned on her heels and sashayed her crabby ass out of the VIP section.
Nick was a working man, blue collar in fact. He didn’t spend a lot of time in clubs buying bottles. But since he was there, he understood he needed to conform. Even with the exorbitant cost of hospital payments, he could still afford the obscenely priced bottle. But what he wasn’t going to do was allow a waitress with a bad attitude to collect the 25% tip from his frivolous purchase.
He leaned back against the cushions and sipped from his glass. When he reached to place the glass on the table, he spottedher, Rebecca King. She was navigating through the crowd wearing a tight, off-the-shoulder, black dress that fit like a glove. For the first time to his grateful eyes, she’d allowed her auburn hair to fall free. Big curls bounced against her shoulders as she walked. She and her red-headed friend approached a table decorated with red and gold balloons. The woman was beautiful and Nick was enthralled, which apparently didn’t go over Vince’s head. He followed his line of sight.
“The redhead?” he asked.
“Nah.”
“Oooh, the black lady?”
Nick didn’t respond. His fixation on another woman wasn’t a comfortable conversation to have with his brother-in-law.
“Well, sheisbeautiful,” Vince pointed out.
Nick exhaled and relaxed against the cushion. “Vince, I—”
“Nick, it’s sad, but my sister is gone. She’s been gone for nearly six months.” Vince’s tone was laced with sadness.
Nick ran his fingers roughly through his hair and shook his head. “But she’s really not, Vince. She’s not gone,” he refuted sorrowfully.
Vince placed a hand on his shoulder and gazed at him sympathetically. “I know you love—”
Nick tensed. “I don’t wanna talk about it. I can’t.”
“It’s okay, brother. You’re right. Let’s not spoil this $250 bottle of cheap-ass whiskey.”
Nick emptied the contents of his glass just as a different waitress approached with a bucket housing Crown and obnoxious sparklers. She was smiling as she placed the bucket on the table.
“Will you gentlemen be needing any chasers?”
“Just water,” Nick responded.
“You got it. How about some popcorn or nuts?”
“Nah. No, thank you, but do you see that woman?” When Nick pointed, the waitress squinted in the direction of the table with the balloons. “The redhead and the woman in the black dress? You see ‘em?”
“Yeah… oh, yeah, I see ‘em.”
“Please get them both whatever they’re drinking.”
“Will do,” the waitress agreed with a polite smile.
“Thank you.”
She nodded and walked away. He watched as she approached the women. He studied Rebecca’s face as she leaned in to hear the waitress. She smiled and scanned the club. When the waitress pointed in his direction, he offered an informal salute. She tossed her bouncy curls over her shoulder and waved. Her flirtatious smile nearly weakened him. She didn’t seem to smile much, and Nick wanted to be the man who would change that.
“If you’re not ready to move on, what are you doing?” Vince asked.
Nick turned to face his brother-in-law and blew out a nervous breath. “I’m just flirting. It’s innocent.”
