Kevin chuckles as he walks backward to the door. "See you tomorrow, baby."
A hand grabs my wrist as I throw the bottle, and it smashes onto the floor in front of the bar instead of on that douchebag's head.
"Addie, what the fuck?" I say.
"Jade, you can't kill the customers."
I turn to look at her. "Why the hell not?"
She sighs and piles her long blonde hair into a messy bun on top of her head. "Because then I'd have to work with someone else. Also, murder is bad."
I roll my eyes. "Only if I get caught."
"You're in a mood tonight," she says. "I mean, you're always in a mood, but tonight was kind of brutal."
"Coop's with my mom," I say.
Her lips form a small O, and she cracks two beers, handing me one.
I pull my phone out of my back pocket, checking for any missed calls or texts. None. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad, but I slide it onto the counter in case Coop calls.
We walk around the bar and take residence on two stools, dumping the jars of tips on the counter. A penny bounces in front of me, spins, and then rolls off the bar.
Fucking Kevin.
It's always fucking Kevin.
Addie downs her beer and leans over the counter to snag another out of the cooler.
"Wow, what's eating your ass?" I ask.
She drops her head into her hands. "Do you ever feel like a failure?"
"Girl, my life is one big fuck-up."
"My brother's home."
I rack my brain trying to remember what she told me about him. He's a lot older, I remember that, and I've seen pictures of him around her house. For a middle-aged man, he's attractive. Helooks like a younger, larger version of Addie's dad—tall, shaggy blonde hair, and a nice smile. Typical boy next door. Well, man.
"You know how Mom convinced him to have surgery here and we'd all chip in to help him?" she asks.
I must look as dumbfounded as I feel because she throws me a bone and shrugs. "Anyway, the rental he had lined up fucking caught fire and now he's home. As in home home. Mom and dad let him take over their bedroom. And I love my brother. He's actually pretty amazing, even if Mateo is an adult-adult, not like a—"
My phone vibrates on the counter, the screen lighting up with Cooper's face. I offer Addie an apologetic smile, but don't hesitate to answer the video call.
He rubs his eyes, the only light coming from his phone.
"You're late," he says.
I check the time. "Not yet."
"You're still at work, which is ten minutes away, and it's 11:07, which means you'll be late."
"How'd you get so smart?"
He shrugs.
"You're supposed to say you get it from your mom," Addie yells so he can hear her.
