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“Lost my brother,” Rick says with a heavy sigh.

“Oh no,” I gasp, quickly moving closer and giving him a sideways hug. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“It was bound to happen. He didn’t stick to our deal of one beer a day, got drunk, and drove his car into a tree.”

Rick finishes the rest of his beer in one go, then slams the glass down on the counter and says, “Last beer for the dumb fuck.” He gets up off the stool and walks to the door, calling out, “Won’t be coming around anymore. Bye, guys.”

“Well, damn,” Harlan mutters. “He was only drinking because he had a deal with his brother.”

I feel a pang of sadness for Rick, and know I will miss seeing him around.

Slowly, more regulars trickle in, and soon I’m busy taking orders.

When Derek grabs a booth, he says, “Hi, Annie girl. Looking pretty as always.”

“Thanks.” I smile while asking, “What will it be tonight?”

“A double order of buffalo wings.”

“Coming right up.” I head toward the kitchen, but the next second, something flies right past my face. My eyes bug out of my head, and letting out a bloodcurdling scream, I duck for my life.

“How the hell did the pigeon get in?” I hear Miles shout.

The feathered monstrosity lands on my hair, and I start shrieking while aimlessly running around, my arms flailing. “Get it off! Get it off me!”

My heart beats out of my chest, and fear makes my tongue go numb.

As the beast takes off, flapping its wings right in my face, my eyes go cross eyed and I feel faint. Then an arm shoots past me, and I watch as the pigeon is grabbed right out of midair.

Gasping, I press a hand to my thundering heart while I watch as Owen throws the bird out of the bar. He wipes his palm off on his thigh and stalks toward me.

I realize I’m shaking like a leaf when he places an arm around me, leading me to the kitchen.

“Just take a moment to work through the panic and adrenaline,” he says, as if he’s dealt with something like this before.

“Sorry.” I suck in deep breaths while glancing around me to make sure there aren’t any other flying demons. “Birds terrify me.”

“I knew a guy who lost it every time a bird got near him,” Owen says. “It scared him to—”

His sentence cuts off, and he instantly looks uncomfortable, as if he didn’t mean to share the memory with me.

I swallow hard on the waning panic and say, “Thank you for getting rid of it.”

Owen steps closer, and lifting his hand, he fixes my hair, which is probably all over the place from the bird sitting on my head. His eyes meet mine, and instantly it feels as if we’re sucked into a world where no one else exists.

The corner of his mouth lifts while he brushes his palm over the side of my head, then I hear Harlan’s loud laughter, and it rips me out of the bubble that formed around us.

The food order pops into my mind. “I need a double order of buffalo wings for Derek.”

Owen pulls away from me, getting back to work, and it takes me a couple of seconds before I leave the safety of the kitchen.

It doesn’t escape my attention that while everyone else just watched me lose my shit over the bird, Owen was there in a flash to save me.

Again.

I have to admire his speed, plucking the bird right out of the air like it was nothing.

Vanessa comes in, wearing her signature low-hanging jeans, crop top, and boots. “I hear you were attacked by a bird.”