“Yes.”
There was a time this was supposed to be my new home, but I try not to think about that now.
“It’s a fun place,” Dirk continues. “I love it. And don’t worry—you’ll get used to the rain. It’s not like it’s a torrential downpour or anything. Just light and nearly constant half the year. Parking is a shitshow everywhere you go, though, so we’ll have to hoof it the rest of the way.” He pulls the car to the curb as another drives away, then flicks his chin toward the street as he shuts the engine off. “If we hurry, we should make it in time to grab a drink before midnight.”
The words might sound innocent, but I hear the impatience in his tone, and I put my hand on the door handle. I’m eager to get inside, too, but for different reasons. I want this night to be over so I can go back to my hotel, fill that gorgeous tub in my room, then sleep for a solid ten hours.
“Careful!” he yells as I push it open, and the warning comes just in time for me to yank it closed again as a car doing well over the speed limit goes sailing by us.
I give him a small smile. “Oops. Sorry again.”
“Chloe…” He laughs lightly, but there’s a tenseness to it that’s hard to miss. “People here drive like morons and think the speed limit is about fifteen miles per hour over what is posted. You’ll get used to that too, but you have to be careful, okay?”
I don’t point out that he was also one of those morons on the drive over here, and this time, I make sure to check my mirror before exiting the car. I meet him on the sidewalk, where he offers me his arm. I pay no attention to the shake to my hand as I take it, linking us together as we quickly make our way to the bar he’s so hellbent on going to.
“It’s awesome. And they have the best drink specials, which the boss will appreciate since it’s on his dime.”
That was his pitch to get me to agree as he flashed me the business credit card for the third time tonight, and since I foolishly allowed him to pick me up from my hotel, I felt like I couldn’t say no.
“We don’t have to stay long,” he promises as we hurry along. “But we can if you want.”
He tosses me a wink, and I tell myself he’s not flirting with me, just being polite.
We show our IDs to the security standing outside, and I wish silently that he’ll find a reason to turn us away. It doesn’t happen, and Dirk pulls the door open. Loud music spills onto the sidewalk, and for the hundredth time tonight, I wish I had insisted on him dropping me back at the hotel.
“Oh, I should have mentioned,” he yells over the music as we step inside, “this is a sports bar, hockey mostly. The Seattle Serpents hang out here often. Maybe we’ll get lucky and spot one or two of the players tonight.”
It’s the last thing he says before we are engulfed by the bass and the crowd, and an overwhelming sense of dread pools low in my belly. WhenSeattle Dailycame knocking on my door, I was more than happy to hear them out, and it wasn’t just becausethey pay so damn well. It was because I had a mission in Seattle. I had a history I needed to face.
A person.Theperson.
And I planned to…eventually. Just not tonight. I wanted time to settle in. I wanted a chance to sort out what it is I need to say, even if I have had years to do it.
He’s not here, Chloe. He can’t be. I’m sure he has other plans, grander plans.
Still, my eyes dart all over the bar, taking in what must be two dozen TVs hanging on the walls, the sports memorabilia taking up the rest of the space, and the people. Definitely the people. Because as much as I tell myself I’m not looking for him, I am.
If Talia were here, she’d give me a knowing look, then remind me for the hundredth time how important it is that I face my fears. I’d likely flip her off and order a double shot of booze, but I’m not much in the mood for drinking right now. Not with the way my stomach is doing somersaults at the idea that I could very well be in the same room as the one person who is capable of undoing me.
“Thirsty?” Dirk says in my ear, and I nearly jump out of my skin at how close he suddenly is. “Shit. Did I scare you?”
He grins down at me, and I return the gesture, though I have no doubt it’s wobbly. “Maybe a little.”
“My bad.” He laughs, obviously not noticing how uncomfortable I am. “It’s loud in here, huh?”
I nod. “Very.”
“Nothing a stiff drink can’t fix.”
Another wink, and I force myself to laugh as he pulls me toward the bar. The whole trek, my body is humming, and it has nothing to do with the bass overpowering the small space. It’s something else I can’t quite place my finger on, but whatever it is, it has me on edge in a way I haven’t been in a long time.
Not since…
I shove that thought away just as quickly as it enters my mind and focus on making my way through the throngs of bodies and trying not to step on anyone’s toes. We force our way to the bar, and I’m relieved when he finally drops my arm, only to rest his hand on my lower back. I try to move away from his touch as subtly as I can, but he just steps closer.
Dirk huffs when his attempt to flag down the bartender goes unnoticed. “I swear it’s never like this,” he explains. “Must be the holiday.”
A busy bar on New Year’s Eve. Who would have thought?
