My mother wrapped her arm around my shoulders and gave me a gentle squeeze. “I know, hon.”
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, the sound snapping me into the moment. Sliding it out, I looked down to see my calendar reminder that I had a shift at the bar tonight. “I gotta go, Mom.”
Her arm slid off my shoulders, and she walked me out to my car. I rolled the window down after I started it. “If Dad takes a turn, you’ll call me, right?”
“Of course. Maybe next time you come over, you can tell me how your trip to Alaska was.”
Three weeks later
“Here you go,” I said quickly as I slid a beer bottle over the bar with one hand.
I was spinning away and already taking another order before I heard, “Thank you, gorgeous. Can I get your number?”
“Absolutely not,” I called in return, flipping the guy my middle finger.
Fortunately, I worked in a bar where the management was entirely supportive of us being as blunt as necessary with rude, pushy, and inappropriate customers. Navigating the frequent comments thrown my way was simply a part of being a bartender and a woman. For the most part, I didn’t even blink. Tonight, I was snappier than usual, my patience on edge. Perhaps because last week I’d told Alex we should stop trying to carry on the charade that we would someday be able to take things to the next level. I’d broken my own damn heart.
He tried to argue, and he kept calling me. I’d finally silenced his number because it hurt to see the record of calls I was ignoring. Silencing, that handy feature of modern technology. It wasn’t quite as harsh as blocking, but it allowed me to ignore him for the time being.
I’d been heartsick ever since. I didn’t like to think of myself as someone who played games, but I couldn’t help but wonder if a subconscious part of me was playing games. Because it hurt me that he hadn’t tried harder to argue the point. His calls had tapered off, and I hated it, which was ridiculous. I felt ashamed for even thinking that.
I kept serving drinks and got through the night. Gobs of tips were pouring in tonight. There was a wedding at the winery, which meant we got a ton of overflow business and people with cash to spend. After closing, I was wiping down the bar when Jade Cole commented, “Girl, you are cranky. What gives? And I say that with all love because you know my general default is cranky.”
I dipped a towel into the bleach mixture and kept wiping down the bar in swift, efficient motions. Jade was a friend and filled in at the bar whenever we needed extra help.
Looking up, I met her eyes. “My schedule is nuts. I’m too busy to stay sane between work and school.” Okay, so that was true. Yet I was also avoiding the truth behind my mood.
Jade was quiet for a beat before asking, “How are things with Alex?”
The minute I looked up really fast, I knew I had given myself away. Jade’s eyes took on a gleam. “I met him that one night when y’all stopped by the bar. Don’t forget I also covered for you when you went to Alaska.”
I finished wiping down the bar and tossed the towel into the laundry bin we kept right behind the bar during the cleanup phase every night. Sliding my hips on the back of a barstool, I leaned my face in my hands. My sigh filtered through my fingers.
I refused to be a coward, so I lifted my head and met her gaze. “I broke things off with him. It made no sense. Not with him there and me here. You know?”
Jade gave me a long considering look as she rinsed her hands under the faucet in the sink on the other side of the bar. “I don’t know. Alex seems like a good guy. You don’t talk much about your family, but is that what’s holding you here? Because why not go to Alaska?”
Chapter Thirty
Alex
I almost threw my phone against the wall. Rex Masters looked at me from across his desk at the police station in Willow Brook. “Woman troubles?” he asked with a wry grin.
I leaned back in the chair where I sat in his office and ran a hand through my hair. “Why is she fucking not answering my calls?” I asked.
Rex gave me a sympathetic look, and I hated it. “Obviously, I can’t answer that. I can only tell you she didn’t actually block your number.” I’d stopped by the police station to ask Rex if there was any way to tell if a number was blocked. He’d done me a favor and checked, only to learn Delilah hadn’t blocked me. That just meant she was doing a fantastic job of ignoring every call and text from me.
“I know, Rex.”
At that moment, there was a knock on his door. Rex called, “Come in!”
Rex’s son and a friend of mine, Cade Masters, stepped into the room. Rex was the police chief here in Willow Brook while Cade was the superintendent for one of the hotshot fire crews stationed in Willow Brook.
“Oh,” Cade said, his brows hitching up when he saw me. “Sorry to interrupt.”
“Hey, it’s no problem,” I said as I stood from my chair.
“Alex is having woman problems,” Rex offered. Unnecessarily, I thought.
Cade divided a look between us and stayed quiet, although his lips twitched slightly. He looked back toward his father. “Just checking to see if you want me to drop you off to pick up your car from the mechanic this afternoon.”
“I’d love a ride over there,” Rex said. “When are you leaving?”
Cade glanced at his watch. “In about five minutes. Will that work?”
“I’ll make it work.” As I turned to leave, Rex called, “Alex?”
“Yeah?” I turned at the doorway to look back at him.
“Fight for her if she means that much to you.”
“I’ll try.”
Cade followed me down the hall. He remained quiet until we stepped out into the parking lot. “I’m trying to figure out why the hell my father’s giving you relationship advice.”
I met his eyes and rolled mine. “I’m just being an idiot. I came to ask him if he could verify if my number was blocked. It’s not.”
Cade started to reply when a truck turned into the parking lot, emblazoned with the label Kick A** Construction. He cracked a wide smile as his wife, Amelia, parked and climbed out quickly. She angled straight for us where we stood beside the doors to the station. Amelia was tall and leggy, and totally in love with her husband. Cade demonstrated just how whipped he still was by her when he jogged a few steps to close the distance between them and pull her in for a kiss.
Amelia’s cheeks were pink when she drew away with a laugh a moment later. “I was just coming to see if you wanted me to take you over to pick up your dad’s truck,” she said, glancing in my direction with a quick smile.
“Funny you mention that,” I called over. “Guess you guys are gonna have to arm wrestle for who takes Rex over to get it. I’d offer to help, but I don’t think it’s necessary at this point.”
Amelia chuckled. “What are you doing here?”
“Asking my dad for relationship advice,” Cade said, his tone dry.
Amelia looked genuinely baffled.
“Ignore him,” I said.
“Is Delilah coming back?” Amelia asked.