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“Hey, ladies. Whatcha having tonight?” Damien asks as the three of us approach the bar.
“Vodka soda, two Jack and Cokes, and three tequila shots,” I respond, setting my card on the counter. “Start us a tab, please.”
He smiles wide as he grabs it, then makes our drinks. Lexie, Heidi, and I find a tabletop near the back of the bar and wait for them to be delivered.
“So, I told Heidi what Dana said and how weird she’s been acting. She has a theory,” Lexie says.
“Ooh, tell me,” I blurt out. While I shouldn’t be gossiping about one of my employees, I’m making an exception this time. Considering what’s happened to me, I’d rather be in the know.
“So last week, she mentioned driving her roommate to the airport and then had to pick her up the next day. She stumbled to come up with a reason when I asked about the quick trip, which made me think she was lying. She said her roommate had to meet a lawyer and that she wanted to only stay one night.”
“Couldn’t she just have met with him on FaceTime or over the phone? That seems excessive to have to fly back and forth?” Lexie states.
“Yeah, unless she had to sign papers or make a cash payment. Plausible if her intentions are to stay on the down low,” I suggest.
“Maybe she’s in the witness protection program,” Heidi says. “And maybe Dana’s hosting her until she goes to her final destination.”
“Oh my God, we’ve all been watching too much Crime TV.” I burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Damien asks with our drinks in hand.
“You don’t even wanna know,” Lexie tells him, grabbing her vodka soda.
“Thanks,” I say, reaching for the shots and handing them out.
Once Damien leaves, we hold up our glasses. “Alright, what should we drink to?”
“To Dana’s roommate,” Lexie cheers.
Heidi giggles and adds, “To Blair, then.”
Lexie and I snap our gazes to Heidi. “Her name is Blair?” I ask.
“Yeah, that’s what she told me anyway.” Heidi shrugs.
“Now I’m convinced she’s a witch,” Lexie says.
The three of us laugh, clink our glasses, and shoot back the tequila.
For the next few hours, we talk about the boutique, creative display ideas, and upcoming launches. I love adding jewelry and accessories from other small businesses too. I’d much rather buy from them than a corporation.
“Oh my gosh, you look like my man,” I slur when Archer appears at the table. “You comin’ to give me a ride?”
He fights back a grin and keeps his stance. “Yep. You ready?”
“Archer!” Lexie and Heidi cheer loudly when they realize it’s him.
“Shhh…he’s in the witness protection program,” I whisper-shout.
Archer gives me a funny look as the girls giggle.
“Huh?”
“You need a new identity,” I tell him seriously. “Hmm…how about Fabio Bigg Schlong.”
He pops a brow, confused, then just shakes his head. “Alright, sure. It’s time to go home, baby.”
I frown, then finish my drink. “Fine.”
“Do you ladies need a ride home?” Archer asks.
“No, Brett should be here any minute. He’s taking Heidi home too,” Lexie slurs.
The moment I try to stand and miss Archer’s hand, then nearly face-plant on the floor, is when I realize I’ve had too much.
“Jesus. You okay?” Archer grabs my waist, holding me up.
I blink hard, waiting for the ground to stop moving. “Perfectly great.”
Archer chuckles. I say good night to everyone, then wait while Archer closes the tab.
“Bye, Damien!” I shout. “Thanks for the booze.”
He flashes a small smirk, then waves, keeping his attention on Archer.
“Is there a beef between you two?” I ask after he buckles me in.
“No, why?”
“He had a look.”
Archer furrows his brows, then walks around the car, and into the driver’s seat. “Well, he came in for a session last week. First and last.”
“What happened?”
Archer drives us home, and the realization that I haven’t eaten hits me.
“Nothing.”
“Archer,” I slur, fighting to keep my eyes open. “Tell me.”
“He made an offhanded comment, and when we were training, I swung a little too hard.”
I gasp at the realization. “You gave him that black eye!”
I hadn’t noticed until he gave us our second round. Lexie asked about it, and he shrugged with a smug grin.
“Trust me, it was well-deserved.”
“What’d he say?” I demand. “Don’t lie to me either.”
He flashes me a look that says he doesn’t want to tell me, then inhales sharply as his shoulders slump. “He made a sexual comment about Gemma.”
My jaw drops. “No way! How stupid are you to do that about the owner’s wife?”
“Exactly. I told him as much too. He kept going, and when he mentioned her ass, I lost it. Whipped off my gloves and punched him in the face.”
Archer parks in the driveway and turns off the car. “Tyler freaked out, but once I told him why, he understood, then banned Damien from the gym.”
“Good. Geez. But wait, how come you didn’t tell me about that?”
