If I’m going to take the night off, I should let her know before she makes the trip here. I glance at the clock. I have no real reason for not showing up at work.
None other than the fact that I can’t stop thinking about Cole and that kiss. The way he grabbed my bum with his big hands … I bite my lip and moan. I knew one day my vow to a life of celibacy was going to catch up with me.
Cole is so fucking fit. I can only imagine what it would be like to have him … okay, no more of that. I squeeze my thighs together before getting my arse up to get dressed.
I’ll be better off at work than sitting here staring at these walls thinking about something that will never happen. I don’t know if I can trust Cole, so it’s best that I keep my distance.
I mean, why doesn’t he know anything about what happened? Does Uncle Finlay not trust him? If his uncle doesn’t trust him, how can I?
“Get it together, D. He’s just another guy. Before yer eighteenth birthday, ya didn’t see him as anything but a brother. Let’s go back to that, yeah?” I chide myself.
Still muttering to myself, I get dressed for work. With a cheeky grin on my face, I dress for a big-tip night. Donavon did mention a few parties coming in this evening.
Maybe it’s time I find myself a fuck buddy. I’m not getting any younger. If a kiss can do all that … yup, I might be needing me a toy. The backless catsuit it is. I know just the shoes to pair with it.
***
I wipemy hands on a towel and count the drinks on my tray. We’re down a waitress, so I’ve been working tables and the bar. Gordon, Donovan’s little brother, has been helping out, but he’s terrible with carrying drinks.
Nodding to myself, I lift the tray and start for the two tables I have orders for. I drop off two pints to the couple who look to be tourists. I then move to a table of regulars.
“Deja, love, why is it ye never take me up on my offers to dinner?” Harold Wilson asks as I place the tray of beers on his table.
“Maybe because ya are a married man, Wilson. I would hate to have to bust Mrs. Wilson upside her head for coming in here trying to put her hands on me like she did Ailia,” I sing and gave him a smile.
“Aye, she’s got ye there,” Odell Griffin croons and laughs.
Seonaid Wilson is crazy about her man. Ailia Campbell learned the hard way to stay away from her husband. Seonaid walked right into the coffee shop where Ailia works and gave a good show to the village.
“Och, she does,” Travis McDonald adds.
I laugh and shake my head. I’ve known these guys for as long as I’ve worked here. Not only are they regulars, but they’ve become like friends and family. If I even look like something isn’t right, they’re the first to get up from their seats.
The big, scary-looking Scots have scared plenty of eejits away. They are also the jokesters of the pub. You can always count on them for a good laugh.
“Och, Ailia has a big mouth. Ye don’t strike me as the type to play and tell,” Harold says to me, ignoring his friends.
“Harold, do I strike ya as one to play at all?”
“The kind of playing I’m talking about … it would be a shame to let all that go to waste,” he says as he looks me over. He pauses and gets serious, then looks around the pub. “I haven’t seen ye dressed like this in a long time.
“Which one of these lads are ye giving ye heart to? I want to meet him. I have some questions for him,” he says like a protective big brother.
“There isn’t anyone. Can’t a lass dress up for herself?”
He snorts. “Ye may have done it for yerself, but it sure does feel like a gift for the rest of us. Aye, the day the divorce comes through, I’ll be at ye door like a proper gentleman,” he says with a sage nod.
“She’ll have that bat ready for ye too,” Travis says.
“Depending on the mood, it might be a pistol. Don’t bring yer arse to my door, Wilson. I don’t want to have to kick it. Ye boys need anything else? I need to get behind the bar.”
“We’re good, love. I’ll save ye the trip the next round and come for it myself,” Odell says.
“Thanks.”
I turn and go to head back behind the bar. Rolling my eyes at myself, I realize I could have passed on the heels tonight. My feet are starting to ache.
“DJ.”
