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“You’re a sweetie. Thank you.”
“Bartenderrrrr.”
I turned toward the slurred voice at the end of the bar to find its owner pointing to his empty glass, asking for another refill. The guy had been parked on that stool for the past two hours, with one brief break to go out and take a smoke on the patio. Not a local, which I would’ve known even if he hadn’t shared his girlfriend woes with me in great detail over the course of way too many drinks. They’d had a fight, and she’d stormed off, taking the car. He’d wandered in to soothe his bruised ego. I’d been keeping an eye on him, and it was clear he’d had enough. I knew what he was going to ask, and I knew how he was going to react when I said no.
Bracing myself for confrontation, I filled a glass with water and moved on down the bar to set it in front of him.
The guy stared at the water with bleary, unfocused eyes before lifting his gaze to mine. “That’sssss not what I ordered.”
“Nope, but you’ve had enough for tonight.”
“What? No, I’m good. Just one more.”
“We’re just one more’d out. I can’t serve you any more alcohol, for your safety and everybody else’s.” I nudged the water closer to his hand. “Time to sober up a bit so you can get safely back to your rental.”
His face reddened, and he banged his fist on the bar hard enough that the utensils on an uncleared plate further down the bar rattled. “This is bullshit! I know when I’ve had enough. Give me another bourbon!”
The remaining handful of patrons went so silent, I could hear my own quickened breathing.
Threat.
I felt the scream of it in my head as adrenaline dumped into my system, but I knew I had to stay calm. Dealing with intoxicated customers was always a dicey proposition, and I really freaking wished Ed were here or that Jasper weighed more than a buck fifty.
“I’m sorry, sir. I really can’t. It’s our policy. Why don’t you work on that water while I cash out your tab?”
His anger simmered just below the surface, his glare fixed on me. I kept my gaze on his, aware of every minute movement in my peripheral vision. This kind of situation could turn in an instant, and the last thing I wanted was trouble, especially as I was the thing keeping everyone in the bar safe right now.
“I. Said. Another. Bourbon,” he repeated, his voice rising with every syllable.
This was not going to go well.
Shifting to the balls of my feet in case I had to move fast, I kept my own voice steady. “I’m really sorry, but I can’t do that. And if you don’t calm down, I’ll have no choice but to call the police.”
He stood up so fast, his stool clattered to the floor. “You can’t tell me what to do!”
In an ideal world, Hoyt would’ve chosen this moment to come through the door. But I wasn’t expecting him for another half hour or more. I was in this on my own. My hand inched down the bar toward the phone.
“You need to leave. Now.” Despite how shaky I felt, my tone was firm.
His hands balled into fists, and he took a step closer. “You’re just a little girl playing bartender. What are you gonna do about it, huh?”
I didn’t have a choice. This was likely to get ugly. Grabbing the phone, I held it up so he could see. “You have a choice. You can take yourself out of here on your own, under your own steam. Or you can continue to act like a jackass until the police arrive and they escort you off the property. You don’t have to go back to your rental, but you can’t stay here.”
The air crackled with tension. I had no idea what he would do, and my finger hovered over the keypad, ready to dial 911, even as my muscles tensed, ready to move if he lunged at me.
At last, he spat out a curse and staggered toward the exit, pushing open the door so hard it slammed against the outer wall. I flinched at the crash.
Silence reigned for a few more moments, but the asshole didn’t come barreling back in. I exhaled a slow sigh of relief, setting down the phone with shaking hands. I glanced at the last table of customers, offering a weak smile to reassure them and myself that all was well. But my heart still thundered in my chest.
Look at that. A shit situation and you handled it. You didn’t need Hoyt.
But damn, I’d wanted him. It had been nice having a big, strong man step in a few times, so I didn’t have to.
“That could have gone very badly,” Willa murmured.
“Yep.”
“What about his tab?”
