Page 11 of Fish Out of Water

“Yeah, I know.”

“Okay, vodka soda, coming right up.”

“Oh, and do you serve any food?”

The bartender chuckled, his back turned to Jake as he worked. Jake tried his best to see what he was doing, but it was worryingly difficult. “We’ve got pretzels.”

“Sure, that’s fine.”

The bartender gave Jake his drink and slid a bowl of pretzels over to him. Jake picked one up, bit into it, and set the rest of the pretzel down on his napkin. “How long have these been out?”

The bartender shrugged. “Since yesterday, I guess.”

Jake nodded slowly. “Uh-huh.”

“You want fresh ones?”

“Is the bag unopened?”

“Nope.”

“Then I’m good.”

A gust of cool night air filled the room. Jake glanced back. A man about his age walked in, jeans tight enough to leave little to the imagination, and a hint of his spicy cologne breaking through the musty room. He studied the man for a moment until his gaze met Jake’s. Jake looked back down at his drink, waiting to make his next move only when this man took his turn first.

He sat down next to Jake, offering him a quick, polite smile. Jake looked up again and smiled back, nodding.

“Hey, Nick,” the man said. “Get me the usual.” His voice was deep, and just for a moment, Jake doubted his thoughts. He was getting ahead of himself. But after his week in hell, it was worth a try.

Nick nodded. “Sure thing, Connor.”

Jake took a swig of his drink and turned to face Connor a little more. “You been in Eventide for very long?” he asked.

Connor turned toward him. “What? Oh, yeah, about a decade. You?”

“I just got here a few days ago.”

“Wow, so what brought you here?”

“My aunt.” Jake paused, downing more of his drink. There was truly nothing sexier than bringing family into a conversation he hoped would lead to a hookup. “I’m helping her get her house fixed up.”

“Is she selling?”

“Eventually, yeah. My uncle died a few months back, and she’s ready to leave those memories behind.”

“A few months ago? Your uncle wouldn’t happen to be Mark Haver, would he?”

“Yeah, he was. Did you know him?”

“I worked with him for a few years. He retired when he got sick, but he was a nice guy. So you’re his nephew.” Connor shook his head, still smiling. “What a small world.”

A bitter, slightly rotten taste filled Jake’s mouth. It might’ve been the aftertaste of the vodka, but more likely it was the memory of Robbie saying almost the exact same thing in Sandway earlier that week. He had to get over that encounter.

“It sure is.” Jake held out his hand. “Jake, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Jake. I’m Connor. Tell Isabel I said hi, okay?”

“I’ll do that.” Jake glanced down at his nearly empty glass before flagging Nick over for a refill. This was his chance. It was now or never. “So, uh, you come here often?”