"As a heart attack."
My hands shook a little, from the adrenaline or the whiskey or probably the shock. "I’d rather we do it together," I said. "The bar, I mean. I like working with you."
He grinned so wide it was almost comical. "I was hoping you’d say that."
I sat, the air going out of me all at once. "Does Kenneth know?"
"He’s getting promoted to partner next month. His face when I told him." He paused to laugh. "He looked like he wanted to either quit or hug me."
I laughed, picturing it. "He’ll never quit."
"Nope." Zaden glanced at the clock, then at me. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I said, and meant it. "I’m just trying to figure out what it means. To have a future, I guess."
He set his hand over mine, fingers warm and grounding. "Means we can take Bryce anywhere. Means we can take care of your mom when she’s older. Means you get to paint the house any color you want, even that green you liked." He leaned back. "Would you like a new house, or to add on to your cottage? It's yours. Whatever you want."
The sense of possibility opened up, bright and dizzying. I’d spent so long living day to day, measuring every expense and every risk, that the idea of just being, of having a life not built on fear, felt both dangerous and wild.
I squeezed his hand. "Can I pick the music on Saturdays?"
"You can pick the music every day."
I leaned in, brushing his hair back behind his ear. "Then let’s make it a real bar. With live music and trivia nights and maybe even karaoke."
His face lit up. "You want to sing?"
"Not in public," I said. "But I want to hear you play piano. You promised."
He looked like he wanted to kiss me, but the clatter of trays in the hall reminded us both that we still had a job to do. I may not need the money anymore, but the people out there whodidneed the money from tonight's business depended on us to keep the night flowing. He stood, then helped me up, hand lingering a second too long.
As we stepped into the light of the main room, he whispered, "One more thing. Once Bryce’s magic is under control, we’re taking a trip."
"Where?"
"Wherever you want. Europe, Australia, Brazil. All three. Name it."
I thought of Bryce, cheeks red from kickball, eyes bright with freedom. I thought of myself, tired but not broken, standing at the edge of a new life.
I said, "He’d love Australia. The animals are all weirder than him."
Zaden laughed, deep and pure. "Australia it is."
The rest of the shift passed in a blur of orders and laughter.
The spell of easy Friday night camaraderie broke when Vivienne walked in.
She always picked her moment. Not at the crush of the rush, but just after, when the regulars were deep into their rounds, and the late crowd had settled into their predictable orbits. She wore a velvet blazer over tailored pants and a top with enough shimmerto catch the bar’s stained-glass lights. Even her walk, the measured click of her heels across the tile, seemed engineered to draw the right kind of attention.
I was behind the bar, lining up two trays of beers and arguing with Kenneth about the merits of soccer versus baseball, when I spotted her in the mirror. She looked straight at me, her expression half-smile, half-dare, and then took her time winding through the tables to the bar.
"Krystal," she said, perching on a stool with an elegance that made everyone else’s posture look borrowed. "Can I get a Manhattan, heavy on the cherry, please?"
"Of course," I said evenly. I wasn't quite on the same level as Zaden about Vivienne. He really disliked her. I wasn't her biggest fan, but I thought she had Bryce's best interests at heart. My hands moved to the whiskey and bitters automatically, but inside, my chest tightened. The mate bond ran cold, then hot, in the space of a single breath. Zaden had spotted her.
Vivienne made a show of scanning the room, fingers drumming the bar top. "Busy night," she observed. "You seem to be doing well."
"We are," I said, then dropped a single cherry in the glass and slid it to her. "You want a tab, or…?"
