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I’m still trying to calm my racing heart from seeing the one man I dared to hope I wouldn’t have to cross again as I angrily wipe the bar where a customer spilled a few drops of tequila. Which is when I notice Tate Marks walking my way. He has the appearance of a man on a mission. I meet him at the end of the bar as Zander flashes me a quick glance while drying a glass.
“Is everything okay?” I ask quickly.
He hands me money to pay for their meal. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Do me a favor and be careful around Taylor Rich.” I glance in the direction of where he was seated last.
“He’s never caused a problem for me. He hits on some of the other girls who work here. Heard he’s cheated on Lucy a lot over the years. Are they over?” I ask angrily. Venom rises to the tip of my tongue when I think about someone being cheated on. My thoughts turn to a certain dark-haired man with dark tanned skin and green eyes. He wasn’t who I thought he was. I shake him from my mind. But Lucy is such a sweet person and she’shot.If someone cheats on the likes of her, none of us mere mortals stand a chance.
Tate gazes up at me with fury swirling in his blue eyes. “Yep, they’re over. Listen, if he does anything out of the ordinary while he’s here, let me know.”
I nod. “I’m glad she wised up. She deserves better. Maybebetter,is you?” I flash him a smile.
He counters with his own grin before leaning over the bar on his elbows. “And maybe you’ll tell me why Hawk Abbott rattled you.”
I pinch my lips together and lift my chin.Touché, sir.“All right, I won’t pry if you don’t pry. I’ll let you know if anything…unusualhappens tonight.”
He raps his knuckles on the bar before walking toward Taylor. He stops but doesn’t speak, and then heads to the exit. Once he’s gone, Taylor glances up at me and smiles as he brings his beer to his lips. It chills me to the bone. Something is wrong with him…very wrong.
Zander falls in behind me to put a few bottles back on the shelf. “You sure you’re okay, Britt? You’ve been acting strange since Tate Marks and Hawk Abbott were here.”
I glare at Taylor, and he finally turns his attention to a few girls who recently arrived. I roll my eyes. Zander waves his hand in front of my face. “Earth to Brittney.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s…it’s nothing…” I trail off.
Zander narrows his eyes at me. “You know I don’t believe you, right?”
I let out a little huff of air as a customer signals he needs another beer. “Look, it’s nothing. I knew Hawk a long time ago. End of story. I was simply surprised to see him tonight is all,” I admit.
Zander slings the towel he’d been holding over his shoulder and crosses his arms. “I doubt that’s the end of the story.”
I tap my foot in frustration. “I have customers.”
He chuckles. “So go check on them and come back so you can finish the end of the story,” he says with his hands stretched out in front of him.
“You can be a pain, you know that?” I ask as I stalk toward the customers needing refills.
He winks as I turn my attention to the patrons. The rest of the night stays busy, so much so, it takes me and Zander both along with one of the other waitresses to keep up. When the crowd finally starts to dwindle down and it’s time for last call, I start wiping down tables and sweeping. Zander moves to mop where I’ve swept. “You’re not off the hook because we got busy,” he says.
I stand straight, facing the wall as I close my eyes to fight off frustrated tears I hadn’t realized were right beneath the surface. I’ll be damned if I open these wounds again, not after fighting so hard to heal and move on with my life after my innocence was destroyed and I was betrayed so badly.
I turn and notice the kind way Zander is watching me. Some of my bitterness is swallowed down. “I don’t want to talk about Hawk, okay? I get it, you’re concerned. I appreciate the gesture, but really, it’s all in the past and that’s where it’s gonna stay. All I’ll give you is, I knew him a long time ago—or I thought I knew him. Words were said, things were done, and he left town. He taught me to be careful with my heart because people aren’t always who they seem to be. And I have every day since.”
“Britt…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
I hold up a hand to stop him from saying more. “It’s fine, truly. It was a long time ago and it was nothing. I was young and naïve.”
He walks over to me and drops a kiss on my forehead. “I’m still sorry, babe.”
I nod, and then continue wiping down tables and sweeping as he trails behind me with the mop. Gabby, the other waitress, has finally closed out the last customer and locked up. It takes us all about thirty more minutes to finish cleaning and close. Danny, Zander’s dad, cooks most nights. After he wraps up in the kitchen, he joins us as we divide out the tips for the night.
Zander saves mine for last. When he hands it to me, I have to tug to get him to release it. “Can I do anything?” he asks gently.
“You can walk me to my car like you do every night and never speak of this again,” I throw at him, but this time, I’m smiling.
He locks up all the cash in the safe and grabs his coat before following me to the door. I stand and wait as he sets the alarm and locks up. Everyone else has already left. He throws an arm around me as we make the trek to our parked vehicles. I lean over on his shoulder, silently seeking the comfort I didn’t realize I needed. A quick glance to the twenty-four-hour convenience store reveals a black Chevy sitting idle. It appears to be running but the headlights are off. I can almost make out someone sitting in the driver’s seat. I squint, but it’s too dark to see.
“You good, Britt?” Zander asks as we reach my driver door.
I smile. “I’m good.” I unlock my car and pull my door open. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
