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“You and me both. You’re just lucky you had your pants on or else I would’ve tried my hand at some buckshot. Chloe has a gun over there in that closet,” Mr. Adams jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
“Daddy, stop it. I’m an adult. We’re consenting.”
“We’re hell of a lot more than consenting, we’re goddamn marr—”
Chloe hurtled to her feet and pushed Michael toward the door. “Go save your car. I’ll talk to you soon.”
A moment later, he stepped onto the stoop into a dozen flashbulbs and questions being pelted from every direction.
Normally, he tried to play nice with the paparazzi. Not anymore. He just swung right and left to make himself a path and booked for the street.
He might not be able to save his marriage, but he could save his damn car.
Chapter 18
“You’re late, Chloe.”
She scrunched up her shoulders. “I know. I called Wanda.” She tossed her light jacket and purse into her locker, trading it for her apron.
Lou, the owner and her boss, slapped the doorway to the piece of shit backroom they called a break room. “Yeah, well, Wanda is shit at drinks. Get behind the bar. Now.”
“The tips are decent, the tips are decent, the tips are decent. Diapers are expensive, Chloe,” she said under her breath as she tucked her black T-shirt into her tight black jeans. She tied her black apron around her hips and grabbed a new towel from their stash in the back. She tucked it into her back pocket as she threaded her way through the tables.
She waved to three of the half-dozen waitresses on for the night. Thursday was always a little crazy at Rafferty’s. People had their paychecks and they wanted to drink. The bar was also a block down from the strip, so they got the overflow when people were out and about for concerts.
Chloe ducked under the little crawl-space at the end of the bar.
“Thank God. If one more person gave me shit for how I build a Guinness I was going to start swinging.”
Chloe took the Guinness glass from Wanda. “Yeah, it’s a pain in the butt. Thanks for covering.”
Wanda grabbed a bottle of whiskey and splashed some in a glass before unhooking the soda tap. “What happened with your super?” She set the Jack and Coke in front of another one of their regulars with a smile and scooped up the five for the register.
Chloe sighed and held the glass at the perfect 45 degree angle then stopped to let it settle. “He’s gotten a few complaints from the other tenants in the complex.”
“Your kid is the sweetest on the planet.”
Chloe laughed. She wished it was just from Axl being too loud. “Not about my kid. Just some stuff I have to deal with.” Oh, just a hoard of reporters shuffling in zombie packs like they were trying out for The Walking Dead. Her life was the suck.
“Did I see you on TV, Chloe?”
She winced. The usual programming at the bar ran to ball games of all different types, not the lifestyle channels. As far as she knew they’d only been mentioned on Entertainment Tonight once today. Didn’t they have anything else to report on?
“US Weekly had a spread on hot rockstars. I saw you in my email.” Amber slapped the bar and bounced with a giddy smile. “Michael Shawcross? No way.” She waggled her brows. “He’s a rockstar in bed too, right? I mean wow, he’s got to be. Those jeans he wears? It’s not right.”
“Who?” Wanda whirled around and put her hands on her hips.
Chloe widened her eyes at Amber. “Can we not talk about it please?”
“Hmm. Too late.” Amber flipped her blond ponytail over her shoulder. “There was some guy outside asking questions. I didn’t know it was a secret.”
Chloe sighed. “You have got to be kidding.” How the hell did they find her? She’d taken three different busses to get to work.
“Can I have my beer?” A guy at the bar drummed his fingers.
“Crap.” Chloe backed up to the tap and finished off the pour. She cleaned up the glass and set it in front of one of her regulars with a distracted smile before going back to Amber. “Look, people might start asking—”
“Start? Girl, that’s the third person that’s come in here asking about you two. The first one was a reporter from Music Life. I mean wow.” Amber tugged on the perfect curl at the end of her ponytail. “You and another rockstar? Do you have a special pheromone or something?”
