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Oh, no. Wait. My mistake. They were checking out Vaughan in his tight jeans. Fair enough. His ass was a work of art. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Excellent. Tonight would be good. I'd just blend in, chill out, and chat with Nell.
"Eric and his brother, Joe, did most of the work. Come and meet him. Joe, this is Lydia," she hollered, snagging the attention of almost everyone in the bar.
Yeah, okay. Now all eyes were definitely turned my way. Bless Nell and her family's extraordinary lung capacity. If only they'd use it for good instead of evil.
"You know, the one I told you about." She grabbed my wrist and towed me through the labyrinth of tables toward the bar.
"I know," the blond bear behind the bar responded, giving me a nod. Then his smiling eyes moved on to Vaughan. "Nice of you to let us know you were back in town, dickface."
"Yeah, yeah. Nell's already given me a hard time." Vaughan reached across the bar, gripping the other guy's thick shoulder. "Good to see you, man."
"You too. How long you back for this time?"
"Not sure. Got a few things to sort out."
Joe grunted understanding.
Joe appeared to be a mountain-man-bartender crossbreed. A Viking throwback, maybe. He was a big guy with big shoulders and a big blond beard. Clearly, there were far more northern Idaho sex gods than I'd given the region credit for. Further classifications were going to be required. If Vaughan topped the super-cool category, then maybe this new guy should win on the lumbersexual front. Given my abrupt return to singledom, I'd have to give this important man-classification system more thought.
Disclaimer: Objectifying people is wrong and stuff.
"Hear you're hired," said Joe to Vaughan.
"Yep."
"Get on the right side of the bar, then."
Vaughan laughed and did as told. Obviously, the bar itself was old and original. Names, dates, and every other marking imaginable had been scratched into the polished wood over god knows how many years of service. This place had real history. It was a decent-size bar, running alongside one of the interior walls. Behind it were shelves full of liquor. Every kind imaginable. Hidden down lights lit up the glass bottles beautifully. Below this sat a long row of beer taps; all the options were mind-boggling.
Clearly, the Dive Bar took its booze seriously.
"Hey, sis," said Vaughan, lowering his voice.
"What?"
"Be nice."
"I'm always nice." Nell patted me on the arm, before turning back to her brother. "Don't worry, your new girlfriend is safe with me. Right, let me quickly run you through the price list."
"I'm not his girlfriend," I said for the sake of anyone listening. "We're just friends."
"Yeah?" Joe scratched at his chin. "I'm single too."
"Really?" I asked, immediately feeling embarrassed by how shocked I was.
The big guy shrugged, giving me a what-can-you-do look. "Working nights, place like this..."
Huh. "Are you trying to tell me you don't meet a lot of women tending bar?"
Swear to god, there was a dimple hidden in that there beard. "I meet a lot of women. Not necessarily the kind you want to take home to Mom, you know? Not necessarily the kind looking to meet Mom either."
"Not that there is anything wrong with that."
"Absolutely not, ma'am." Joe started checking me out with renewed interest, dark gaze lingering over my lady bumps. But as brawny and manly as the dude was, his being Vaughan's friend and coworker made him a complication. Whatever happened between now and me putting this town in my rearview mirror, it would not involve complications.
Over my dead curvy unwed body.
"Sorry," I said. "I'm not looking to meet, or not meet, your mother right now. Just got out of a bad relationship."
"Heard about that," he reported matter-of-factly.
"Yeah." Ugh. "Awesome."
"Did you really climb an eight-foot-high fence in heels and a wedding dress?"
"It was closer to six."
The man puffed out his lips. "Still ... impressive."
"Thanks."
The Beatles changed into the Arctic Monkeys and the scents coming from the kitchen were making my mouth water. Garlic, beef, food in general, all good things. Despite the music, I was reasonably certain everyone in a two-block radius heard my stomach rumble.
"Joe will be with you all night, ask him anything you need," said Nell, wrapping up her brief tutorial.
"Right. Thanks."
The two shared a smile.
"Remember what I told you about Lydia." Vaughan gave his sister a serious look. "Don't get her wet or feed her after midnight. She turns into this weird growly psycho animal. It's not good."
"I'm not a Gremlin," I said.
"Wait." With great drama, Vaughan smacked himself in the forehead. "My bad. It was tequila that did that. You can get her wet and feed her as much as you like, Nell. Just keep her away from tequila."
I subtly scratched my cheek with my middle finger.
The jerk grinned while Joe snickered. Honestly, Nell was right. The sooner all men were sent to colonize the moon, the better for everyone.
"Anyone actually working here tonight?" A short dark-skinned woman dressed in a black Dive Bar T-shirt stood farther down the bar, tapping her talons on the stonework. She and Vaughan nodded to one another with familiarity.
"Any sign of Stella?" Nell asked her.
"No," the woman answered. "My fellow waitress is still M.I.A."
"That girl's about to be out on her ass. I don't care how great Eric thinks she is with the customers. Oh, Rosie, this is Lydia," said Nell. "Lydia, this is Rosie, one of our waitresses. She's been with us from the start. She was also in the same year at school as Vaughan. Say hi."
"Hi."
"Delaney's runaway bride?" Rosie's eyes lit up with interest. "I've been hearing about you all day. Is it true you climbed a ten-foot-high fence topped with barbwire?"
"She said it was closer to six," answered Joe in his gravelly voice. "Didn't hear anything about barbwire."
The shine in the waitress's eyes dimmed a little. "Still. Not bad for a woman in a wedding dress. Mine was so tight I couldn't even get out of the limo without help. Did you know the groom and his best man took off to Hawaii?"
"No way," said Nell.
My stomach sunk. "They went on the honeymoon?"
It made sense. Otherwise, the tickets would have gone to waste. Well, Chris's tickets, at least. They would have had to buy new ones for the best man. Mine were nontransferable and I highly doubted travel insurance covered cancellation of wedding due to a scandalous sex tape. And yet, Chris and Paul were right now enjoying my romantic beach honeymoon. The effort I'd put into finding the right resort for us, the best room to start our wedding life off together perfectly. Wonder what they'd think of the massages and candle-lit dinners I'd booked. Suddenly my face felt swollen, my eyes hard and sore. No more crying.
It didn't matter. It didn't.
"I heard they'd gone too," said a woman at a nearby table.
Too many people. There were too many people all up in my business. It gave me hives. Suddenly, all of the big windows, polished stone, and glossy worn-old-wood loveliness of the bar felt more like a trap. A stage with bright lights. My shoulders inched up, hiding me from view. Such a shit storm of titillation. I'd never given it much thought before, what it'd be like to be one of those people on the pages of magazines. Trailed around by paparazzi, having your life spread across the pages and dissected at every turn. And this was just a scandal in a small(ish) town. My aversion to attention, especially over something as embarrassing as this, made the Delaneys's need to buy my silence all the more ridiculous. Those people didn't know me at all.
I wanted my privacy back. To be just one more face in the crowd, doing my thing, living my life. Coeur d'Alene and I were done. Through. Kaput.
Amid the madness came a voice. "Hey."
Vaughan's eyes caught me, calming me. Gossip was not the end of
my world. A few more days and I'd be out of here. The thought of leaving Vaughan bit, though he'd soon be on his way too. Back to the West Coast and the music biz. I'd make other friends. One day, I might even meet a man I could trust, someone I could make plans with.
"You okay?"
"Sure," I lied. "Why wouldn't I be?"
He leaned over the bar, getting closer, making a safe space just for me and him. "Asshole stole your honeymoon."
"Meh. Bet he catches crabs."
"Bet he gets sunburn on his balls."
"Bet he accidentally gets fed to the sharks," I said with great venom. "And there'll be nothing left but this red froth in the churning water, just like in Jaws."
"Nice." Vaughan nodded in appreciation. "How do you see that happening?"
I bit my lip, pondering. "Maybe he'll go out on one of those charter fishing boats and fall overboard. I don't have all the details together yet."
