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“You worry too much.”
“I don’t think so.” His expression hardened, something violent and protective flashing across it. “I know it’s quieted down but you’re still afraid—I can see it in your eyes—and I think your instincts are telling you the same thing mine are.”
“It’s not over.”
“Exactly.”
She mulled that over, now blind to the view that passed by, until the car slowed, and he turned off the road and into a gravel parking lot. Dylan’s bar was set back on the property, nearly concealed behind a line of thick trees. Neon signs, pale and unlit in the daylight, filled the windows, advertising beer and liquors of various kinds. Above the entrance, a sign with chipped paint that had been dulled by years in the sun proclaimed it the Tough Break Bar and Grill.
Beside the name was an 8 ball with a crack down the center, an odd logo that was still familiar to her somehow, though she couldn’t seem to recall where she’d seen it. She puzzled over it while Ethan parked the car before finally deciding she must have seen it on one of his T-shirts or something. As much time as he’d spent here, surely he had some kind of merchandise or promotional material. It made sense, but it didn’t quell the unease that settled like a stone in the pit of her stomach.
Ethan parked the car and reached over to grab her hand, rubbing a thumb over her knuckles. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to soothe her or himself, but she thought they both probably needed it. “Ready?”
She wasn’t—Ethan had secrets and this was the place where most of them seemed to be buried—but she was here now so there was no turning back. Her pasted-on smile barely trembled as she reached for the door handle. “Ready.”
Twenty-One
Ethan figured he’d made a lot of mistakes in his life but bringing Eloise with him to the bar was probably in the top five.
It wasn’t just that she stuck out like a sore thumb with her expensive shoes and perfectly manicured nails—though that was absolutely part of it—it was the sinking realization that she could never really be part of the life he had made for himself. It was watching her tiptoe her way to the bathroom with her nose scrunched in distaste. It was the way Dylan’s eyes moved to follow her as she went and the too sharp edges on Sunny’s smile.
Bringing Eloise around not just Dylan but also a woman he’d slept with—one that was still clearly holding a grudge—was unfair to her. She wasn’t cut out for handling these situations and watching her try made a cold knot of dread tighten in his gut. He might as well have thrown her to the wolves, and it was too late to do one single thing about it.
“I can’t believe you would do something this stupid.” Myles turned to him as soon as she disappeared into the bathrooms at the back. His expression was skeptical and he whistled low under his breath. “She doesn’t seem too happy to be here and Sunny hasn’t even gotten her claws into her yet.”
“I wasn’t thinking,” Ethan said, struggling not to sound ashamed of himself. He could admit that now, with Eloise out of the room and Dylan grabbing drinks from Sunny at the bar. It was only him and Myles at the table in the corner and the first time he’d been able to relax since he’d walked in the door with her behind him. “She wanted to come and there’s been some shit happening at her house … It doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have brought her.”
Myles leaned in, casting a quick glance toward Dylan at the bar before speaking quickly in hushed tones. “I see the way you look at her and if you love her as much as I think you do, you’ll get her the hell out of here as soon as you can. Not just the bar, but away from Dylan and the house and the whole mess he’s made of our lives. You know how he is, Ethan. You know exactly the kind of bullshit he keeps us mixed up in and you want her around? Involved in that?”
“I’m not in love with her.” It was reflexive, an automatic response that sounded flat to his ears and had no effect at all on Myles. “Besides, I know Sunny’s not thrilled to see me bringing someone else around but she’s not a serious threat. She’s barely even a serious bartender.”
“This isn’t about Sunny …” There was no time to say more. Myles smiled blandly and let the warning hang as Dylan came back from the bar with several beers in his hand.
“If you wanted to set Sunny off, you’ve done a great job.” He put the beers down, then patted Ethan on the back and grinned. “I haven’t seen her this pissed since you broke things off with her.”
“That’s not why Eloise is with me.” He honestly couldn’t say why the hell he’d brought her. Had he really thought it could go any differently? That somehow he might be able to keep her as part of his life if he could figure out how to integrate her into the world he lived in? It seemed foolish and he was embarrassed now that he had ever let the idea cross his mind, however briefly. “She wanted to see the bar.”
“And you let her.” Dylan’s grin became less friendly. “I’ve warned you about getting too involved with this girl, but I think living in that house again after all these years has fucked with your head. Maybe you should sell it and get out from under the house and the bitch next door.”
“Maybe I like being under her.” Ethan said it quietly as she came back into view, still tiptoeing but he could see the determined set to her jaw even in the dim light of the bar. Sunny said something to her as she passed, and he was half out of his seat before he could think better of it. He was too far away to hear the exchange between them, but Eloise tossed her hair over shoulder as she walked, and Sunny didn’t follow. “She’s something special.”
“There’s no such thing,” Dylan said with a bitter laugh. “And even if there was, is this the life you want to drag her into? Does she know how you really got that gunshot wound? Maybe I should have a talk with her and find out?—”
“Leave her alone.” Ethan sat forward, his beer rocking in its bottle as it hit the tabletop.
“I didn’t think so.” Dylan didn’t move, his confidence never wavering even in the face of Ethan’s cold anger. “Take her home, do what you have to do to get rid of her, and come back on Saturday ready to start thinking about the next job. You’re healed up and enough time’s gone by that the heat should be off anyway.”
Ethan pinned Dylan with a cold look as Eloise returned to the table. She gave him a quizzical glance, obviously picking up on some of the tension in the air, but he couldn't do anything more than squeeze her leg under the table and hope she took the hint to be quiet.
He’d been prepared to give his loyalty to Dylan for the rest of his life—if his grandfather’s mistakes had taught him anything, it was the importance of unshakable loyalty—but he’d never actually expected Dylan to threaten him that way. If Eloise knew the truth, she’d leave him, and despite what he’d said to Myles about not loving her, he wasn’t sure he was ready to see her walk out of his life.
He needed time and space to think, to plan his next moves and make sure that whatever he decided to do would keep her safe. She’d never said anything about her feelings for him, but he could see the way her face softened when she looked his way. If she wasn’t in love with him yet, it was only a matter of time. The thought should have made him nervous, but he was starting to suspect he felt the same way about her.
He wanted her safe. Happy. And he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure that became the reality.
Twenty-Two
The next handful of days passed slowly, each one long and uneventful. The air hung hot and sticky as the summer dragged on. The sun rose early and stayed in the sky until well after Eloise had returned from work, baking the ground until the heat rose in waves and leaving all the hours in between as a time for sweat and short tempers.
