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The bartender, who had cleaned up her spill and wiped her hands, offered me a nod. Her look wasn’t shocked, but something else I couldn’t name. It made a place between my shoulder blades itch uncomfortably.
“So, what’s good here?” I asked the two, who stared at me like I was an exhibit in the zoo. The Realtor with mild dislike, and the bartender like she wanted to divine my deepest, darkest secrets.
The silence felt heavy, the twang of an old country song playing on the jukebox not loud enough to fill the void.
“I need to pee. Come with me. Now.” Lara grabbed Cameron’s hand over the top of the bar and dragged her down the length, abandoning her thirsty customers without a second thought. Jude and I watched them go. Their heads were bent close as they talked. Cameron’s loud denial about something Lara asked reached my ears as they walked into the ladies’ room.
“I’d pay good money to know what they are talking about in there.”
Jude sighed and slapped me on the back. “Those two are thick as thieves. You’re going to need this.” He pushed over his untouched and overfilled cocktail. “Lara makes the best martini in Texas. Icy cold perfection.”
His cool glass glistened with condensation, and when I closed my hand around the stem, I decided to forget beer—it was a vodka night. I took a sip. The liquid tingled on my tongue and slid down my throat with an ease that didn’t prepare me for the unexpected hellfire that followed. The liquid heat and cold vodka combination made me cough and sputter like a kid doing his first shot.
“What the fuck—“ The profanity barely made it past my burning throat.
“The Pub’s homemade jalapeño vodka.” Jude pointed at the drink. “It’s got a nice kick, right?” The sly smile on Jude’s lips told me he’d enjoyed my pain.
This time, I took a more cautious sip. When you anticipated the heat, it was snappy and good. A lovely contrast to the cold vodka.
“I like it.” I smacked my lips in loud appreciation.
Jude crossed his arms over his chest, taking my measure. I should have taken off the stage makeup before coming out. A man like Jude would judge me for wearing foundation. Hell, I judged myself for it. Even in LA, this level of male grooming would have stood out anywhere but on a TV or movie set.
“How is house hunting going?” he asked.
“The first house was a dud. But we are just getting started.”
“We?” Jude’s eyebrow raised, and a heavy significance weighed down his gaze as he glared at me. It was predatory or possessive.
“Cameron and I...”
“Your real estate agent,” he corrected me with an edge to his tone.
Reality dawned. Jude was her boss and her dead husband’s brother. I had forgotten. He was warning me off. He had nothing to worry about. I did not mix business and pleasure. Nor did I welcome the dangerous sensations she caused to flare in my chest. Cameron was my real estate agent. End of story.
“Best one in Texas!” I took another sip of his drink and smiled at him like we were old pals.
Jude drummed his fingers on the bar top and kept looking toward the bathroom, waiting for the ladies to return. I sipped his drink. Leaning back, I rested my elbows on the bar behind me and took in the details of The Pub.
A man old enough to be my father reclined in a wingback chair, with his feet propped up on a needlepoint footstool. He sat in front of a TV playing a baseball game. His eyes were closed, and his can of beer balanced dangerously on his belly. Based on the rise and fall of his chest, he was asleep.
Nearby, a medium-sized pile of mottled brown fur occupied a battered foosball table. It moved, and I jumped a little. It was alive. In the dim light, all I could be sure of was the malevolent gleam in the golden eyes that were locked on me.
“Is that a, a—cat?”
Jude followed my gaze.
“Yeah, that’s Chuck. He bites. Usually, he’ll vacate the foosball table by nine so people can play.”
“Chuck, like Chucky, that scary-ass doll in the horror movies?” The matted fur and evil eyes fit the name perfectly.
“No. Believe it or not, like the prince, or, I guess now, King Charles of England.”
“Of course. He looks very noble.” I was going to love this bar; I could already tell.
Chapter 8
Cameron
