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I nodded. “They should be here soon. Getcha something to drink?”
She glanced at the taps. “How about your favorite IPA.”
I slung a little cocktail napkin onto the bar in front of her. “Comin’ right up.”
She took a seat and checked her phone while I poured, and I watched her, wondering who she was. One of Cass’s friends, maybe? I certainly couldn’t place her.
Before her beer was full, the party finally arrived, streaming in through the door. She turned on her barstool and watched along with me, jumping off her stool at the same moment my heart jumped back into my throat. This time it stuck there.
Jessa walked through the threshold under Henry’s arm.
Her eyes locked to mine like she knew she’d find me right there, and her smile hit me in a thousand places at once, nearly knocking the wind out of me.
The beer spilled over, soaking my hand.
“Well, shit.” I set the pint down and pulled the towel out of my back pocket to wipe up.
In the split second that took, the girl had run across the bar and launched herself into Henry’s arms. But I wasn’t looking at them. My eyes were on Jessa, who had stepped aside to give them room and was watching them say their hellos with a strange look all over her. The girl was holding Henry’s face—they were kissing on each other and laughing while everyone tried not to stare at them.
But Jessa stared, hurt. And the cut was deep.
I left the beer under the tap and strode around the bar, through the tables until I was standing next to her.
“Annie, darling, I’m so glad you made it,” Henry was saying, turning to everyone with his arm around the beaming girl. “For those of you who haven’t met her, this is Annie, a friend of mine from grad school.”
She waved.
It was then that I noticed Cass, who was in a hissing match with her fiancé. By the look of it, she was fucking pissed.
“What do you mean his plus one? He doesn’t have a plus one,” she snapped, turning to Henry and Annie. Her cheeks were cherry red and steaming, the hold on her tone tenuous and her smile tight. “It’s nice to meet you, Annie. Henry—you didn’t RSVP with a plus one.”
Henry blinked. “Davis said it was okay.”
Davis groaned as Cass whipped around on him and let ‘er rip.
Annie looked miserable. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Henry, you idiot.”
“What? Davis said it was fine. I thought she knew!”
I stepped into the fray to defuse the situation with everybody’s favorite pastime. “Who’s ready to drink?” As expected, I earned a few whoops and hollers. “Y’all head on over to the bar. Leo’ll get you whatever you need. Pitchers are on the house!”
With some more happy cheering, the crowd made for the bar with the exception of Cass and Davis, who were busy fighting on the other side of the room. Henry and Annie were all googly and stupid, touching each other in as many places as they could at once. I half expected them to twist up like a pretzel and roll to the bar.
Jessa just stood there, watching them with an unreadable expression. Not because it was enigmatic, but because there were too many emotions to decipher just one.
“You look like you could use a drink,” I said.
She blinked and looked up at me. “I...I’m sorry. I don’t know...” Her gaze drifted in Henry’s direction again. “I didn’t know he was bringing a date.”
“Yeah, I don’t think you were alone.” I jerked my chin in Cass’s direction, and Jessa’s face fell.
“Oh, no.”
“Looks like Hank ruined everybody’s night.”
“Except hers.”
“Who is she?” I asked.
