“You boys need a refill?”
Before he could answer, Troy nodded. “Let's have two more beers.” His gaze drifted to the shelves behind her. “And two shots of whiskey each. My tab.”
Alyssa raised an eyebrow. “You celebrating something?”
“Surviving another day, honey.” Troy flashed a lopsided grin. “Hell, join us.”
She laughed. “Not with whiskey. I'm a tequila girl.”
“Then tequila it is.”
She gathered the empty bottles, grabbed two fresh long-necks from the cooler, and set one in front of each of them. Then she lined up five shot glasses on the bar, filled four with whiskey, reached for a tequila bottle, and poured herself a shot.
Seth hid a smirk behind his beer. He knew the “tequila” bottle actually held water—something Lou had come up with years ago when she first started tending the bar when her father had owned the place. Customers enjoyed buying the bartenders a drink. By swapping out the liquor for water, the bartender stayed sober enough to work, and everyone left happy. And of course, the customer paid nothing for the complimentary drink.
Troy picked up one of his shots. “Cheers.”
Alyssa tapped her “tequila” shot glass against each of theirs before tossing it back with the same convincing wince she always put on for customers. Seth and Troy downed their whiskey a second later.
“Need anything else?” she asked, grabbing the empty glasses. “Maybe something from the kitchen?”
Troy looked at Seth. “You hungry?”
He wasn't, but food probably wasn't a bad idea if he was going to keep drinking like that. “Sure.”
“How are the wings?” Troy asked Alyssa.
“Best in the county. Mild, hot, or barbecue?”
“Hot's the only way to go.”
“I'll put an order in.”
As Alyssa headed toward the kitchen, Seth picked up the remaining shot glass and glanced at Troy. “Thanks for the drinks.”
“Don't mention it.”
They clinked glasses again and tossed back the second whiskeys. This time, Seth welcomed the burn sliding down his throat and the warmth that spread through his chest a few seconds later. The knot inside him loosened another notch, the alcohol finally delivering the buzz he'd been chasing since he walked through the door.
A few minutes later, the wings arrived, giving them something to pick at while the conversation drifted along as easily as it had all evening. Seth barely noticed what they were talking about anymore. The whiskey dulled his defenses, and keeping everything bottled up no longer seemed worth the effort.
Troy wiped his hands on a napkin before taking another drink. “So, you came in here looking like you wanted to punch somebody earlier. Someone pissed on your parade?”
Seth stared at the label on his beer, slowly turning the bottle between his palms. “That obvious?”
“To somebody paying attention.”
A dry laugh escaped before he could stop it. “Good thing nobody else is.” He lowered his voice anyway, making sure the conversation couldn't travel beyond the next barstool. “One of them hears something, and half the town knows it by breakfast.”
Troy picked up another wing, seeming more interested in eating than waiting for an answer.
The silence stretched between them. Seth told himself to let it end there, to finish his beer, pay his tab, and head home. Instead, he heard himself say, “I've been seeing someone.”
Troy glanced over but said nothing.
“I thought I had her figured out.” Seth shook his head, his gaze never leaving the bottle in front of him. “Turns out I didn't know her at all.”
He took another swallow of beer, hoping it'd wash away the bitterness rising in his throat. “She lied to me.”
