AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I didn’t mean to lead you on, Blaze. I’m sorry. Listen, I just need a job so that I don’t lose my apartment. Ryker has hired me, and I’m supposed to start on Monday, but he told me that I had to tell you.”
“So, you stalked me to our friend’s wedding and have decided to ruin my night?” he asked.
“That’s not how this all happened. I had no idea that you were even going to be here. I was going to call you this weekend and talk to you about all of this,” she insisted.
“Gee, that’s big of you,” he taunted, “and you’re just expecting my blessing. That’s my club, Blair. Where am I supposed to go?”
“You can still come to the club, I promise not to get in your business,” she assured.
“You bartending at my club is getting into my business,” he grumbled, “but, I won’t stop you from taking the job. At least promise me that you’ll look for something better.”
“Something better?” she asked.
“Yeah—take the job to pay your rent but promise me that you’ll look for something else. Eventually, I’m going to want my club back.”
She sighed, “I’m not taking your club away from you, Blaze. I’m just bartending. I promise to stay out of your way and if it makes you feel any better, I’ll look for another job.”
“Thanks,” he said, “you want to finish our dance?” he asked.
She crinkled her nose, “Um, I think that I’d like to just call it a night if you don’t mind. I’m tired and have a ton to do before I start at the bar on Monday.” The hurt was back in his hazel eyes, and she hated seeing it again. When would any of this get easier? Blair had a feeling that it wouldn’t be any time soon. She was going to be seeing a lot more of Blaze and that was sure to bring out all the feelings that she was so desperately trying to repress.
Blaze
Blaze said his goodbyes and left his friend’s wedding as soon as Blair pulled out of the parking lot. There was no way that he wanted to stick around and answer questions about why they had broken up and if they’d ever get back together. He didn’t have any of those answers. Hell, he was still trying to figure out why she had broken his damn heart. He didn’t need to discuss any of it with their well-meaning friends.
He was just about home when he decided to head into the Smokey Bandits. It pissed him off that Ryker was keeping shit from him now, not that his club’s Prez needed to run any of his decisions about the bar past him. It would have still been nice to have had a head’s up in this mess and not been blindsided by his ex tonight.
The place was pretty packed, but he knew just where to find Ryker—either in the kitchen with Joker or back in his office. Blaze checked the kitchen first and Joker said that Ryker was back in his office, but that he was already in a foul mood, and not to piss him off any more than absolutely necessary. Blaze assured him that it was going to be necessary as he left the kitchen and walked back down the hallway to Ryker’s office.
He knocked on the door and when Ryker barked at him to “Come in,” he worried that not heeding Joker’s advice and steering clear of their club’s Prez might be a mistake. He walked into the small office and found Ryker sitting behind his desk.
“You okay, man?” Blaze asked.
“No, but it’s nothing you can fix,” Ryker insisted. “What can I do for you?”
Blaze thought about telling him to forget it, but he was already there, and he wanted answers.
“For starters, you can tell me what the hell is going on with Blair,” Blaze spat.
“How the hell should I know what’s going on with your ex?” Ryker asked.
“So, she told you that we broke up then?” Blaze questioned.
“Yeah, she might have mentioned it,” Ryker said. “So what?”
“She told you that we broke up and you still hired her?” Blaze asked.
“Yes,” Ryker admitted, “listen, I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I needed a bartender, and Blair has experience.”
“She does?” Blaze asked. He had no idea that Blair had experience as a bartender. Hell, they had been together for six months and he felt as though he didn’t know much about her at all. He never thought that she’d break his heart the way that he did, or that she was just using him to kill time. That was all he was to her and, God, that still gutted him.
“She does,” Ryker said. “She bartended while she was in college.”
“In college,” Blaze repeated. He had no idea that she had gone to college. What the hell was wrong with him?
“You don’t seem to know much about your ex, man,” Ryker said. “Not that I’m judging. I just thought that you two were serious.”
“Yeah, I thought so too, but apparently, I was wrong. I had no idea she went to college or that she bartended. I guess I didn’t know much about Blair at all.”
