A tear slipped down my cheek, and I wiped it away, looking up to see a worried Jack.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah,” I lied. “Can I have another drink?”
“You sure?” he asked with a frown. “You were already sick.”
“I’m sure. Make it another shot.” My throat felt too tight to drink much more than that.
Jack nodded, getting started, but his eyes kept shifting to study me.
Sean slipped onto the barstool beside me, rubbing my back. “I’ll keep drinking with you. It’s hard to face an ex, especially when you broke his heart.”
“You heard that?” I sighed, not surprised. He was such an eavesdropper.
“Who wouldn’t have their heart broken losing you?” Jack asked quietly, setting out a couple of kamikaze shots.
I stared at him. His eyes were so warm as he returned my gaze.
Sean lifted his shot, holding it toward me. “To sexy musicians.”
I let out a breath and reached for my own. “To the path not taken,” I said, clinking our glasses together and downing the shot.
Chapter 13
The Seventh Friday
Sean threw back his head, his beard shaking as he laughed.
I smacked his arm. “It’s not funny. I was being serious.” My ‘s’ sounds were slurring into ‘sh’ sounds now that I’d lost track of how many drinks we’d had.
Sean waved his hand, his face turning red from lack of air as he continued to laugh.
My lips twitched despite how rude he was being. “I mean it! Neil is all I have now. That’s why I don’t want to lose him.”
Sean shook his head, clutching at the bar. “She’s still saying it,” he gasped out.
“Stop it, Sean. She just told us about her childhood. I know you get what she’s saying.” Jack leaned toward me, his hand warm where it rested over mine. “Sorry. He’s such a jackass.”
I shrugged, my fingers playing with his hand. “Not his fault. He’s drunk.”
“Only him?” Jack asked with a lifted eyebrow.
“No.” When I shook my head, the fairy lights above me swung a little. “I’m drunk, too.” I’d had enough drinks that I’d barely even noticed when Logan’s band packed up and left.
“More water,” Jack urged, putting another glass in front of me.
Sean and I were the only customers left. Jack had already shut down and locked up. Even Wendy had patted my shoulder when she left with the other work crew.
I’d entered the sad-drunk phase. My eyes filled as I stared at the water. “It’s true. The Millers died. Neil is all I have.”
Sean’s smile died, and he smacked the top of the bar. “No!”
I flinched.
“Quit it,” Jack warned him, his hand tightening on mine when I went to pull away. “What Sean wants to say, if he weren’t so drunk, is that you have us now, too. You have more than just Neil. And as you keep meeting people, your circle will keep getting wider.”
“That’s right.” Sean’s arm was heavy as it settled over my shoulders. “You’re our girl.”
