“Drink-wise or…” Laurie trailed off suggestively.
Despite the fact that our brief fling ended more than two years ago, Laurie never stopped trying to rekindle. She was tenacious, I’d give her that.
“Drinks,” I said firmly, taking their orders.
And of course, because I couldn’t catch a break where Mae was concerned, she strode toward the bar at that moment. Ignoring Mason’s low whistle, I shot him the middle finger behind my back and greeted her.
“Hey, sexy,” I whispered, since Mae was walking right past me. Couldn’t waste the opportunity.
“You’re a nut.” She headed over to the guys.
I shook, poured and served the women.
“We’re off to The Grapevine Bistro for dinner,” Laurie said. “Have you been recently?”
She was as subtle as a Mack truck driving through my living room. It was where we went on our first date. As with all of my exes, it was only one of a few. Unfortunately I seemed to have left an impression on Laurie.
“Not in a while,” I said, immediately turning away. Courting the line between appearing flirtatious and rude was never a strong suit of mine. I had a lot more practice with the former, but flirting with pretty women was firmly off the “to do” list.
Unfortunately, Mae didn’t know that. She was trying to be subtle, but she’d noticed.
“How’s the inventory going?” I asked.
“About as fresh as the guy who tried to sell us strawberries with mold on ’em.”
“Ouch. The festival kicked my ass,” I admitted. “But I didn’t think it was that bad.”
“No one to blame but yourself, boss,” Parker teased. A reminder of why the gang was all here. It felt good. Really good. Sharing it with Mae? Even better.
“Fuck off,” I said, nodding to his glass. “Big talk from someone whose glass is empty.”
“I got you, Park.” Mae grabbed it for him.
“Traitor,” I muttered to her as she slid behind me. Hissing in a breath, certain that slight ass swipe was intentional, I caught Mason’s gaze. He’d noticed and was grinning like a man who’d been there. Because he had.
We continued to chat for a bit until a voice I’d once thought was sweet but now grated through me called out, “Hey, Beck. Cosmos are running low over here.”
Mae and I exchanged a look. I held my breath, wanting my good luck to continue until we could finally be alone. I couldn’t wait to talk about last night, and what it might mean for us, but Laurie was a glaring stop sign for Mae, a reminder of why she’d put the brakes on us in the first place.
With a smile that could only be described as devious, she laid a hand on my arm, as if to excuse herself past me. But it would be hard not to notice how long she left it there.
“I got her,” she said sweetly.
Mason barked out a laugh.
Parker grinned.
Even Cole smiled.
But as much as I loved these guys, and was grateful Cole had come up for the weekend to help me celebrate, the only thing I wanted at the moment was to kick them, and every other customer, out of the place and get Mae alone.
32
MAE
Closed, finally.
If I’d ever second-guessed my decisionnotto take over the bar, co-managing it with Beck would have pushed me over the edge. I didn’t mind hard work, or the customers (most of the time) but late nights would be the death of me. Unlike Beck, I wasn’t a night owl most days. Unless the girls and I were out, of course. Or when I needed to be.
