What am I doing? I'm the bartender, not his therapist. I have my own mess to deal with.
But he looks up, and his eyes are the kind of brown that reminds me of melted chocolate ice cream.
"Probably not. But thanks for asking. Most people don't."
I don't know what to say to that, so I just nod and go back to work.
Well,pretendingto work.
I refill his coffee without him asking, and he thanks me again with that same tired half-smile.
"I'm Samuel," he says eventually.
"Jade."
"Nice to meet you, Jade." He takes a sip of coffee. "This isn’t where I planned to end up tonight."
I study him. "Where did you plan to end up?"
He considers this. "Home. Except home doesn't feel much like home anymore."
Holy shit. I knowthatfeeling. Walking through our house, seeing Devon's things, smelling his cologne on the pillows, and feeling like a stranger in my own life.
"I get that," I murmur.
Samuel looks at me then and I feel like he can see inside me. Like he can see past the tired bartender act to the woman underneath who's barely holding herself together.
"You look like you've had one of those weeks," he points out.
I laugh because he’s got no idea how right he is. "Try one of those months."
"Yeah." He nods slowly. “I hear ya.”
I should end the conversation here, but I don't.
"My wife left me," Samuel finally confides. "Eight months ago. I'm still not used to saying it out loud."
Yikes.
"I'm sorry." I wince.
“It happens.” He shrugs one shoulder.
I think about Devon and the reasons we're in therapy, and how I still flinch when he reaches for me sometimes. The reasons I've been staying at Katrina's half the week because our house feels like it’s haunted by fuckingMila.
“Are you okay?” Samuel asks, watching me like he actually cares.
Devon cares, I know he does, but every conversation between us is different now.
With Samuel, there's nothing. No history, no betrayal, no baggage. Just two strangers who owe each other nothing.
"Yeah," I manage.
He finishes his coffee and reaches for his wallet. I wave him off.
"On the house."
"You don't have to?—"
