“You know exactly what I mean!” I spin on my heel, pacing again.
“Nope. Nope, I don’t.” She leans back on the bathroom counter, arms crossed.
“Oh, come on. Like Asher hasn’t done that smoldering, burning-eye thing on you before?” I jab a finger into her chest. “You know the one I’m talking about. The one where he usually carts you off somewhere to do God knows what with you, and he thinks he’s subtle, but he’s not. Those damn burning eyes give him away every time.” I exhale sharply.
Halle chuckles, her eyes lighting up. “Okay… so Hunter gave you the burning eyes. Please tell me he said sorry and explained himself, too.”
“Well, yeah, he said sorry, and I already know he’s sorry. But we didn’t have time for him to explain himself, and now I have to go out there”—I gesture dramatically to the door—“and work a shift with him,with those eyes. Oh my god. How am I going to get through a whole shift with those eyes staring at me?”
“Take a deep breath, girl.” Halle waits, chest rising and falling, and I follow her lead, allowing the tight coil in me to loosen.
“Good. Now… what is it you want?”
I chew the inside of my cheek, my hands twisting together. “I want… I want to know I can be Madison without him.” My voice trembles. “I know he’s sorry. I’m okay being around him now. The shock of him being back has worn off. But I need to know why. I need to know that if—and when—we work our shit out, it’s on my terms, not his.”
I glance at the floor. “All these years of waiting for him,sneaking late nights, it’s been on his terms, and I want—no, Ineedit to be on mine.”
Before I can get a chance to continue down my spiral, Halle hauls me into a hug that squeezes the breath right out of me, and for a second, I let myself melt into the comfort. When she finally pulls back, she tilts her head, eyes glinting.
“You know, I’m here for you, right? Whenever you need me. I’m in your corner, and I say hell yeah to making him wait. Give him hell, babe.”
A laugh slips out before I can stop it. “You’re going to enjoy this entirely too much, aren’t you?”
“Yup.” She pops thepat the end. “He deserves it, though.”
Her smirk fades as she looks at me. “But on a more serious note. You know he’s going to do everything in his power to win you back.” Her voice softens. “Are you ready for that?”
“No. Yes. No.” I twist the ends of my hair. “I guess we’ll find out. Come on.” I loop my arm through hers. “I can’t hide out here all night. I have a job to do, and you have a broody bartender to watch.”
“Actually, I think I’m going to head home. Hang out with Sarah and Remi for the night, keep them company, and catch up on everything. Asher can survive one night without me.”
I snort. “Yeah, right. You know he’s gonna be crawling into your bed when he finishes here.”
Her lips curve into a grin. “Well… I do love it when he crawls.”
“Halle!” I gasp, my jaw hitting the floor. “Where on earth has our timid girl gone?”
“Eh, what can I say? You and Asher are bad influences on me.”
Shaking my head, I push open the door. The warm amber light spills across the wooden floors, catching the reflection on the whiskey bottles lined up behind the bar. The neon bar sign flickers above the booths, and the air carries the scent of fried food and beer. A couple of locals sit at their usual booth near the jukebox, drumming their fingers to the old rock tune playing.
“You know,” I say, glancing around, “I kind of miss having you on shift with me around here.”
Halle scoffs. “No, you don’t. The number of times I forgot to get someone’s drink or couldn’t remember which booth I was taking the chicken wings to was infuriating for both of us.”
I bump my hip against hers, a smile tugging at my lips. “Maybe. But we also had some fun here. Even if it was for a short time.”
“Yeah, like that time we mixed the random leftovers from the pineapple juice carton with half a bottle of peach schnapps and whatever else we could find.”
“Yes! Oh my god, we thought it was going to taste disgusting, but Hank said he’d take one for the team and then shocked everyone by downing the whole thing.”
Halle snickers. “Still can’t believe we named itThe Cove Disasterand put it on the menu permanently.”
“The locals love it. It’s summer in Sunlit Cove, disasters and all.”
“Ladies.”
Connor slides up beside us, twirling his bottle opener around his finger.
