Like I said, they weren’t choir boys.
“That Miss Skylar sure is somethin’ else,” Ray commented.
I agreed, not that I’d voice it out loud. As I watched Skylar talk and laugh with the customers as she served drinks, I had a sense of belonging that I hadn’t felt in a long time. It made no damn sense considering she just moved here, and this was her first night working here. I couldn’t explain it, but for whatever reason, seeing her in my family bar, working and laughing, made me feel like I belonged.
“She definitely classes the up the joint,” Ray commented.
“Hey!” Billy appeared out of nowhere. “Are you sayin’ I’m not classy?”
Ray pfftd. “Ya streaked through here butt-assed nekkid on more than one occasion.”
My brother smiled unashamed. “Who doesn’t love a show with their drinks?”
“And then there were those shirts.” Ray shook his head in dismay.
Billy had gone through a stage of wearing risquè pun-related shirts in his early twenties. Thankfully, he’d matured and grown out of that particular fashion choice. Well, grown out of it anyway, the jury was still out on the maturing. Although, Reagan coming into his life was a step in that direction.
“My shirts made people happy. They were conversation starters.”
“Seems not everyone needs a shirt to start a conversation.” Ray inclined his head toward Skylar who was holding court behind the bar. He handed me the container of cut-up citrus before heading to the back hall and up the stairs to his apartment. “You boys behave, now.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Billy called out after him before his hand landed on my shoulder. “She’s a natural, everybody loves her.”
Southern Comfort regulars could be a prickly bunch. They didn’t accept outsiders easily. We’d lost more than a few new recruits thanks to bad tips and outright rude behavior. Locals made up over fifty percent of our business which meant that we needed someone that they accepted but who could also make vacationers feel at home.
It was a delicate balance and it didn’t surprise me that Skylar was handling it with grace and ease.
“Wouldn’t you agree?” Billy asked.
“What?”
“That everyone loves her,” my brother repeated as he squeezed my shoulder.
I knew exactly what he was implying, and I wasn’t going to bite. My feelings for Skylar were not something that I planned on advertising, even if they were obvious.
“Jimmy stopped by earlier. He tried throwin’ her a curveball but she knocked it out of the park.”
“Curveball?” My eyes shot to him and I felt my nostrils flare as my jaw tensed. If my idiot little brother had given her a bad time, he would be answering to me.
“Whoa.” Billy lifted his hand off my shoulder and took a step back from me, his eyes wide. “Down boy. He just ordered some drinks to try and fluster her. No harm no foul.” Before I could respond he nodded her direction. “Looks like it’s meet the family night.”
I glanced back and saw that Cheyenne, Reagan, and Isabella had just arrived and they were headed straight to Skylar.
A funny sensation spread through me as I saw the four women greet each other. There was a warmth, and…connection. I loved seeing Skylar with my sister and soon-to-be SILs. It felt right.
“You gonna carry that around all night or go say hi?” Billy swatted my arm with his white towel before he headed straight for his fiancée, picked her up, and spun her around.
I watched Skylar smile at the show my brother was putting on and I had to admit, I wanted to be the one to put that smile on her face. On a mission, I carried the white plastic tub of sliced lemons behind the bar and sat it down next to her.
“Oh, hi.” Her eyes widened behind her black-framed glasses that sat atop her freckled turned-up nose. When our eyes met, a wide smile spread on her face and all was right in my world once again.
I could feel the prying stares of not just my brother, sister, and sisters-to-be, but also the entire bar. Besides the music playing from the jukebox, you could hear a pin drop. There was no way I was going to talk to her with an audience.
“Can I borrow you for a sec?”
“Oh, um…” She glanced around the bar then back at me. “Sure. Yes. Okay. Of course.”
As we walked to the back I could feel nervousness rolling off of her in waves, not that her four responses hadn’t given me a clue to how she was feeling. I wasn’t sure if her anxiousness was because of me showing up, or if it was because of the attention that had been directed our way.
When we stepped into the office, I closed the door. It was the first time we’d been alone. At least, without Luna in the next room. It changed the energy in the atmosphere. The air was thick with a tension that I could only describe as crackling with energy.
“Is everything okay?” She turned so she was facing me, her eyes wide with concern.
“Yeah, I just…” Staring down at her I lost my train of thought. She was just so beautiful. Breathtakingly stunning.
“Hank?” Her brows furrowed.
I somehow managed to pull my thoughts together. “I just wanted to know if it would be okay if I worked on the house when you were at work. I’d need to have a copy of the key.”
She shook her head. “No. You don’t have to do that. You’ve already done too much. I can’t let you do th—”
“I am going to do it.” I cut her off gruffly. I didn’t mean for my response to sound so harsh and overbearing. But she brought that out in me.
I was going to apologize for my delivery when I saw her cheeks flush. She sucked in a shaky breath as she asked, “So this is just an FYI situation?”
“Yes.” I smiled down at her, happy that she wasn’t going to fight me on this. It would make both of our lives a lot easier, and that’s all I wanted to do, make her life easier.
CHAPTER 20
Skylar
I opened the back door in the kitchen and noticed that Hank had repaired all of the screens in the sunroom and the flooring.
It seemed like every time I walked into a room, I found something else he’d repaired or upgraded. I couldn’t believe how much he’d done in such a short amount of time. Especially since he was doing it in the evenings and over the weekend during his free time.
On the nights that I worked, I’d come home and find little notes on the fridge saying things like he hoped I had a good day and asking me to choose paint colors or varnish finishes.
Part of me felt guilty for all he’d done. But there was another part that was honestly just grateful. He’d made this place safe and comfortable for me and Luna. I wasn’t sure how I’d repay him, but I knew that I’d find a way.
I noticed some of his tools sitting in the corner of the sunroom and the sight made my heart and lower belly flutter. Hank was sexy without the added layer of being handy, but that bonus trait was what made him irresistible.
That wasn’t hyperbole, either. I honestly had no idea how I was going to resist him. The only reason nothing had happened was because he hadn’t made a move and didn’t seem to be interested.
I’d been working a lot, but on the nights I had off, he was here and we fell right back into the rhythm of our routine. He worked while I made dinner. Then we all ate dinner, sans Sherlock much to Luna’s dismay. I’d help Luna with her bath while Hank worked. He was on bedtime story duty. Then, I’d walk him to the door, we’d say goodnight and he’d leave much to my dismay.