His brother Cash leans in and looks at me with that intense blue-eyed stare so like his father’s. “Planning on bankrupting your father before he forces you to take over the place?” he asks and then laughs. “If I had known tonight was free, I would have better prepared. How’ve you been, Cade? Alex tells me your father is pulling hard on the reins lately.”
I shake my head at him and roll my eyes. “Everyone in this family is like fucking hens. All you do is gossip.” Turning to look at my cousin Liam, I say, “Let me guess. You know all my goddamned business too, right?”
My uncle Kane’s older son, he’s quiet like his father, something I appreciate since it usually means he’s not interested in the family bullshit. But tonight, it seems even Liam is here to bust my balls.
With a shit-eating grin, he answers, “You know how fast word travels in this family. Don’t worry, though. Looks like you got yourself a job, so your father will get off your back. Speaking of that, do you serve drinks at this job, or do you just talk to people dying of thirst?”
All three of them laugh, but I get it. As close as we’ve all been all our lives, it’s not surprising they think they should ride me about my father’s latest scheme to get me to run this place. I should have expected them to show up and act like they are.
“Fuck you guys, and if you aren’t careful, I’ll let the twins handle you.”
My cousins turn their heads and look down the bar at the two gorgeous bartenders I get to work with tonight. Both have their blond hair up in ponytails, and both are wearing shirts that I’m pretty sure defy the laws of nature, or at least fabric, and show off as much of their tits without being naked.
“Christ, what is the tensile strength of those buttons?” Cash asks as the three of them stare at exactly what both twins hope male customers will notice and pay nicely to see as they get their drinks tonight. “They have to be super glued because there’s no way that one little button is holding back all of that.”
Liam smiles, and Alex taps me on the arm to get my attention. “I think you misunderstand the idea of punishment, man. There’s no reason for us not to bust your ass all night long if we get them instead of you.”
“Fuck off. Now you get whatever I decide to pour you three.”
I leave them staring at the twins’ assets and return a minute later with three whiskeys. When Alex doesn’t see one for me, he stops his brother and Liam from taking a drink.
“First drink, you have to join us. It’s a tradition.”
“I can’t get hammered tonight. There are like a million fucking people here. This job gets hard when your head is up your ass.”
“One drink,” Cash says, egging me on like he usually does. “You won’t even feel it.”
Grabbing the bottle off the shelf, I give in and pour myself a glass of whiskey. “One, but then I have to get back to work. What are we toasting to?” I ask as I lift my glass.
The four of us clink our glasses together, and Alex says with a grin, “To new beginnings.”
“To new beginnings,” the three of us repeat and then each of us takes a drink.
I know that’s Alex’s way of saying he’s sorry for giving me a hard time about Hailey. I can forgive him. I have to. He’s my best friend, and even if I didn’t want to let things go, this family isn’t going to let that continue on for long.
“We’re going to go see what’s happening, but we’ll check back. Don’t work too hard,” he says with a laugh.
Since it’s better to ignore him as he’s just being a bust ass, I head off to get drinks for paying customers. I’ll catch up with them later, assuming my father doesn’t have me giving interviews to some lame online magazine about how great working at Club X is.
That is definitely not what he wants to happen. I hope he knows that.
An hour later, one of the twins looks like she needs a break from all the adoration the male customers are giving her. Her smile seems forced, so I head down to her end of the bar to check that she’s okay.
Over the music, which has gotten so loud in the past few minutes that I can barely hear myself think, I say into her ear, “Everything okay? You need a couple minutes away?”
I don’t use her name because I’m not sure if it’s Katelyn or Kylie, but whichever one she is nods and leans in toward me. “Thanks! I just need a minute or two to get some fresh air and maybe splash some water on my face. I won’t be long.”
“We’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Thanks, Cade. Kylie still looks like she’s going strong, so she’ll be good if you get a huge rush, but I promise I won’t be long. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Good to know this is Katelyn. Okay. I quickly scan her face and see she’s wearing gold hoop earrings. Turning to look at her sister, I see no hoops. Good. Katelyn is hoops and Kylie isn’t. That works.
Not thirty seconds after she walks out from behind the bar, all hell breaks loose. That media person my father said remembered me pushes her way to the front of the bar, and I instantly have a flashback as to why she knows me.
Easter weekend two years ago. Too much tequila. Way too much. A brunette and a redhead, sisters home from college. Or maybe they were on vacation. I didn’t pay attention to their story much at the time. I actually wondered if somewhere nearby there was a blonde to round out the look we had going on.
Now the redhead stands in front of me, all smiles with some guy with a camera behind her. How did that weekend turn out? I can’t remember, but I don’t think anyone left with hurt feelings. Why would they? We were just three people having a good time.
“Cade March, baby, you are a sight for sore eyes. When your father told my producer that his son was going to be the star of this party tonight, I thought he meant you. Seeing you now brings all those memories back of that weekend my sister and I spent with you at the beach. Remember?”
I flash the smile I know I have to and nod like I’m happy to see her. Except I don’t know her name.
“How’ve you been?” I ask, leaving my question hanging in mid-air in the hopes that she’ll fill in her name.
She smiles, like she has my ploy all figured out, and leans over the bar to grab my shirt by the collar. Pulling me toward her, she plants a kiss full on my lips.
“Taryn. And I’m great, honey. I’m working with Tampa Scene and we’re here to cover this anniversary party that’s kicking. I was going to have my guy focus on those gorgeous girls that have been flanking you all night, but now I’m thinking all three of you are better. Sort of like bringing back old memories, right?”
“Great!” I yell over the music and look for anyone needing a drink. “Just let me know what you need.”
A minute later, Katelyn returns and I hear over the sound system someone announce that something’s happening at the main bar. What the fuck is going on?
I look at the twins, but they shake their heads like they don’t have a clue either. I see Alex coming toward me like he needs to talk to me, but before he can reach me, Taryn and her camera guy are making their way around to behind the bar.
“Okay, let’s get a shot of you three gorgeous people in your native environment,” Taryn says as she directs her guy to stand a few feet back from her.