“I hear the little blue pill is a wondrous friend,” I said, making him laugh and turn red around the ears.Yeah, I still liked that sound.I shoved that thought aside real fast. It was a path I didn’t need to go down.
Just lunch. That’s all this was.
Our laughter died down when Eduardo brought over food, way more than either of us ordered. That was a common issue with him. How he kept his business running was beyond me. He stood there for a good five minutes just talking and asking Harley questions, which somehow led to a round of desserts being added to our order.
“Is he always this nice to everyone?” Harley asked when Eduardo finally left us alone. Not that I didn’t like the guy, but I also had a very short window in which to eat.And if I was being really honest, I did want to spend time with Harley.
“Ehh,” I said around a large bite from my sandwich. “He’s overall a nice guy. He and I go way back.”
Mostly, I was the only one who talked to him when shit hit the fan years ago. It was easy to hang out with him. He was the only person who didn’t know my history and didn’t give a fuck when he learned a fraction of my bullshit. He was the first real friend I’d had since Harley—if I could call our café gossip sessions as us being friends.
“You grew your hair out,” Harley commented to fill the quiet that settled between us.
“Mostly, I just don’t cut it,” I replied. I ran a hand over my unruly hair. It was out of control, but there wasn’t much time in my schedule to get it cut. Not that I had a driving urge to do so. Pulling it back in some sort of way was just easier. “I should probably cut it.”
“It looks good on you. I like it,” he said. I stopped mid-bite to stare at him.What?The words were barely audible, but I sure as hell knew I wasn’t dreaming it. I just didn’t have a clue how to handle a compliment from Harley.
“Thanks,” I muttered and took a sip from my water bottle, welcoming the familiar burn of the alcohol I kept in there. I never drank much while I worked on cars—I couldn’t do that toFrank—but I kept it close in case I needed to take the edge off during the day.And fuck me, I needed to take off the goddamn edge right now as something uncomfortable clawed its way through my chest.
As if the universe was throwing me a bone, Eduardo showed back up with more food and another story for Harley. I made every effort to keep him there until my time was up because that was a hell of a lot easier than facing whatever weird thing was going on between the two of us.
CHAPTER 22
harley
He drank.A lot.I had a feeling he didn’t think I’d notice—or anyone else for that matter—but I did. At lunch, it’d been the water bottle he kept with him. And honestly, he’d probably been drinking on and off all day, considering the glassy look in his eyes and flushed cheeks.
I knew that look all too well.I’d grown up with it. I’d watched it blur the edges of who my father and grandfather were until there was nothing left but something unpredictable.
That evening, when I showed up at the bar, he was already doing shots with a few tourists. The same stainless steel water bottle sat behind the bar, and he never let anyone touch it.
They were all little things, but they added up quickly. Enough to make my stomach twist uncomfortably. I tried to tell myself that I was overthinking it—that this was just what some bartenders did, that this wasn’t the same, that he wasn’t them. But deep down, I knew I wasn’t.
It made me wonder how bad things had gotten for him, but I wasn’t sure I could ask. It wasn’t my place. Instead, I just nursed a drink as I watched him.
He moved between customers with ease in this way that was utterly charming and magnetic. He laughed, leaned in close, and brushed hands with strangers. He did it like it meant nothing. Like they meant nothing. And maybe they didn’t. Maybe that was just the job.
I kept telling myself that.But that didn’t stop the tightness in my chest. It didn’t stop my thoughts from spiraling. Underneath all of that, jealousy crawled its way through me with every interaction I witnessed. It was stupid, and I knew that.
Unfortunately, that didn’t stop me from moping.
“Hey,” Maverick began as he leaned on the bar in front of me. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Sitting here,” I replied dryly, “talking to you.”
“Yeah, I got that, but what about after that?”
“I don’t know. Probably going home.”I didn’t want to go home.I should’ve gone home hours ago, but I just kept sitting at the bar as if it would magically solve all the problems I had with my mother. Well, maybe it would if she fell asleep before I got home.
“Do you like s’mores?” Maverick asked. The question made me falter.
“Do I like s’mores?” I repeated with a frown.
“It’s not that difficult a question, princess.” He chuckled, and the sound was liquid silk against my nerves.Would there ever be a day when he didn’t affect me like this?“It’s a simple yes or no.”
“I’ve never had them.”
“You—what?” he exclaimed, genuinely flabbergasted. “How in the hell have you never had a goddamn s’more?”
