AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You want a drink?” he asks a little louder over the music and I nod, showing him my ID before returning my attention to the band still playing.
He slides a drink to me, and I turn and give the man a smile. “Thank you,” I say, sliding the money across the bar, but he waves it off.
“On the house. You look like you’ve had a hard night.” He eyes the smudge marks on my clothes from my climbing adventure and my mess of hair.
I put a hand to my hair. “You have no idea.”
“Well,” he says, shrugging, looking around at the now vacant bar stools around us, “we got time. Usually when the band is playing, people don’t come to the bar unless it’s between a song, then we get hammered.”
I give him a thankful smile. “This is your place?”
He smiles, offering me his hand. “Yeah, my name’s Danny.”
I shake his hand. “Mia.”
“Nice to meet you, Mia.” He pulls his hand away, cocking his head. “Now, how did you get dirt all over you, if you don’t mind me asking.”
I roll my eyes, taking another sip. “Bad date. I had to escape out of a window.”
He blinks at me several times, trying to process what I just said. “You had to do what?”
I shrug. “A guy with a foot fetish. I had to get out of there.”
Danny laughs, shaking his head. “Can’t say I have experienced that. I was with the same woman for twenty years.”
The mood turns serious, and sadness takes residence in my chest when I catch the word ‘was’. But before I can ask any further questions, he smacks a hand on the bar top and puts a smile on his face when he says, “Well, the boys are done with their song, so I guess it’s back to work. It really is good to meet you, Mia. It’s been interesting.”
I smile as he moves on to start serving the people that have gathered around the bar, the live music now replaced with the chaotic hum of the crowd around me. The place is still amazing, but not the same, not as magical. But I continue to sip my drink at the bar, ready to order another one.
CHAPTER 3
RILEY
After what felt like the shortest break ever, I return to the bar with some of the guys in tow.
The boys and I quickly get into work at dispersing this crowd by quickly getting people their drinks. It doesn’t take long, but the crowd starts to die down enough for me to take a breath.
I run my hands through my hair when Danny comes up with a rag flung over his shoulder, and I ask, “How was the bar while I was away?”
He shrugs. “Fine. You know how it is, the calm before the storm. Plus, I made a friend.”
“A what?” I ask, furrowing my brow as I look back to see Danny nodding to the other end of the bar, telling me, “She’s had a rough night, so I gave her a drink on the house.”
I follow Danny’s nod until my eyes land on her. A small blonde woman with bright blue eyes that shine in the lights from the bar, her shoulders slumped in defeat, her clothes dirty and her blonde hair wild and unkempt. Everything about her brings questions to my mind and makes me curious as to what her "rough night" entailed. I also notice the Long Island iced tea sitting before her, already finished, and her eyes looking a little too dazed and tired now.
I drag a hand down my face. “Fuck.” Before I look back at Danny, I ask, “How many did you give her?”
He raises his hands in surrender. “I gave her one. The other guys must’ve given her the other two.”
I then see the other two empty glasses before her and instantly want to curse out the boys, always doing shit like this. But they don't work here regularly, only on nights when we were busy and our usual guys aren’t enough. These boys don’t have anything on the line, so of course they will keep serving drinks, despite someone being drunk off of their face.
I shake my head, hating how this night is turning out.
I should just turn away and continue my work, but I’ve done that once before and now I have to live with the guilt. I cannot do that again; turn away from someone who needs help.
I sigh, grumbling as I push past Danny. “I’ll fix this.”
Her eyes quickly go from dazed to alight when she sees me approach, as if we are the best of friends. That’s what alcohol will do to you. “Hey, you! Can I have another?!”
