“Did you send him an invitation?”
She snorts. “We didn’t have invitations. And that’s not the only reason she’s pissed. I told her—” She stops herself, swiveling her head to face me. “Oh, no. Not this time.”
“What does that mean?” I ask in confusion.
“You’re not getting my secrets out of me this time.”
“Are you talking about when you told me about your dad when we were in high school? I never told anyone, Holly.”
She seems to consider this, then turns her attention to the bartender, who has Holly’s refreshed drink.
“This is the last one I’m serving her,” Maybe-Lori says, holding my gaze. “We don’t serve drunk patrons and this is her fourth drink.”
I nod with a grim look, because I get it. I don’t serve drunk people either. “That’s fine. How about you bring us a carafe of coffee.” I give Holly a sarcastic look. “Or would you prefer something fancier, like a cappuccino?”
“Fuck you.”
I laugh. “Make it a cappuccino and a black coffee.” When the bartender looks confused, I add, “I speak fluent Holly.”
The bartender walks off as Holly sneers, “I’m not drunk. I know how to handle my booze.”
“And your liver must beveryproud, but they have a four drink maximum, and you just hit it.” The maximum is a lie, but she’s been cut off, so technically it’s true. “Besides, you’ll need to sober up if you have any intention of driving home.” Not that I plan on letting her drive home, but maybe it will keep her here longer, because, idiot that I am, now that she’s sitting next to me, I don’t want her to go.
There’s just something about her…even when she’s in her antagonistic mode, which she almost always is around me.
She picks up her drink and takes a sip. “So what made you switch up your modus operandi? This isn’t your usual place, and the pickings seem slim on this side of town.” Her head tilts to the side, and a challenging look fills her eyes. “Unless you’re here after Laura.”
Laura. Damn. At least I was close. “Sometimes a man just wants a good piece of prime rib.”
She nods slowly. “So you decided you wanted to go more upscale. Hard to find high-falutin’ women in Highland Hills. You might want to try a Labelle.” The last part is said in a sneer, but as soon as the words leave her mouth, horror fills her eyes. She knows she’s gone too far.
While I have more reasons than anyone else in Highland Hills to dislike my in-laws, ones that go far beyond them being snooty and rich, my wife was still one of them. Something Holly clearly wasn’t thinking about. Still, I nearly get up and leave, especially since the Labelles are part of the reason I’m here tonight.
My expression must be thunderous because she immediately grimaces.
“Millie. Shit. I’m sorry.”
“What’s there to be sorry about?” I ask as I lift my drink to my lips and take a generous sip. “It’s true. I already got the one goodperson in the Labelle family. The rest of them suck.” Millie wasnothinglike her parents and sisters.
Something deep in my chest stings like it’s been pierced by a knife, and I still consider leaving to go home and deal with the pain in private, but something keeps my ass planted in my chair. Maybe it’s Holly’s regret, which seems genuine. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts.
“So you keep track of where I go?” I ask with a smirk. When her eyes narrow in confusion, I add, “You said you know this isn’t my usual place.”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. People talk.”
“You know what they say about rumors.”
Some of the sparkle returns to her eyes. “That they’re mostly true?”
I laugh but don’t answer. My dating preferences have made me somewhat of a white whale with the local women in our small tourist town—every woman wants to be the one to land me. I see no reason to try to sway anyone’s mind. “When I said I was here for the prime rib, I was being literal.”
She considers this for a moment. “Okay, that’s fair. I’ve heard it’s good. I’d heard all of the food is good.”
“I guess asking if you liked the food is akin to asking Mrs. Lincoln if she enjoyed the play.”
She laughs. “Yeah. Something like that.”
Laura brings over the cappuccino and my coffee. After studying Holly for a moment, she sighs and heads to the end of the bar.
