“Me?” Sarah gasps. “What did I do?”
“You’re breathing,” Ramsey mutters under her breath, and if I wasn’t so in tune with her, I probably would have missed it. “Hitting on my man.”
Something happens to me with those four words. I sit a little taller on my stool and my chest does this crazy tightening thing. “I was just telling Sarah I wasn’t interested.” I ignore Sarah altogether and keep my eyes on Ramsey.
“Yeah?” Her smile does things to me, and I’m glad that I’m sitting down.
“Yep.” I reach for my water and take a long pull, wishing it was beer.
“Why didn’t I know about this?” Sarah asks.
“Because what we do is none of your concern,” Ramsey says, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Whatever. When you want a real woman, you know where to find me.” With that, she stands, and turns on her heel and walks away.
“I’m so sorry,” Ramsey blurts.
“What are you sorry for? You saved me just now.”
“I just- You looked uncomfortable, and I’ve seen her charade one too many times, and I-I just reacted.”
Her hands are now braced on the bar, so I reach out and slide one of mine over hers. “Thank you, Ramsey. You read the situation correctly. I wasn’t the least bit interested.” She flinches at my touch, and I curse myself for not warning her. I knew I was supposed to warn her.
Quickly, I pull my hand from hers. “I’m sorry. I know you like to be warned.” I nod to where her hand still rests on the bar.
My mouth falls open in shock when she reaches across the bar and places her soft hand over mine. “I’m okay, Deacon.”
“Why?” The word falls from my lips before I have a chance to stop it.
“I think-” She looks down, and I don’t push her. I give her the time that she needs to process what she wants to say. When she looks up, her beautiful blue eyes lock with mine. “-because it’s you. You’ve shown me kindness.” She shrugs. “I know I can trust you.” She pauses. “I can trust you, right?” She chuckles nervously.
I swallow the words I want to say. The ones that tell her that I feel this connection to her that I’ve never felt before and that it’s slowly driving me insane. I want to tell her I can’t stop thinking about her, her floral scent, or the taste and feel of her lips. Instead, I go with the words that I’m hoping won’t scare her away. “Yes, Ramsey. You can trust me. Always,” I add, my eyes boring into hers, willing her to believe the conviction in my voice.
“Hey, cutie, can I get a beer?” some drunk asshole calls out.
Ramsey removes her hand from mine and stands to her full height. She doesn’t spare me a single glance as she makes her way down the bar to fill orders. I wait patiently for her attention while she does her job. It’s as if nothing else exists for me when she’s around. I know she’s working, and I need to stop monopolizing her time.
I need something to do other than stare at her, so I pull my phone out of my pocket and scroll through my calendar. Just as I’m about to switch over to my email, I get a text message from my sister.
Palmer: The images are ready! I want to reveal these to both of you at the same time.
That’s when I notice she’s sent a group message. It’s Palmer, me, and one other person who can only be Ramsey. I glance in her direction and see she’s also looking at her phone, and there is a small smile playing on her lips.
Me: When and where?
Palmer: How is your place? Tomorrow?
Palmer: Ramsey, what time do you have to be at work?
I turn to look at Ramsey again, and she’s looking at me instead of her phone. I motion for her to come to me, and she does without question. “You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, I just need to double-check the schedule to make sure I have my shift right for tomorrow.”
“What’s going on tomorrow?” Hank Morrison, the owner of Willow Tavern, asks.
“Oh, uh, I was just telling Deacon that I need to double-check the time I’m scheduled tomorrow.”
“You got plans?” he asks.
“Yeah, we uh, kind of. We helped Palmer with a photo shoot, and she wants to show us the images tomorrow.” She’s not telling him the whole truth, but she’s not lying either. I wonder if there’s a reason she doesn’t want him to know.
Does she like him? Do they have a thing going on? No, he’s too old for her. Fuck. I sit up a little straighter as I watch the two of them together, looking for signs. He can’t have her. She’s mine.
“I was actually coming out here to see if anyone wanted the night off tomorrow. It’s dead tonight, and tomorrow is going to be worse. The music festival is going on over in Harris, and the headliner is a big up-and-coming artist. I don’t expect us to have much business other than a few hard-core regulars.” Hank glances at a small table of four older gentlemen who have been a staple at the Tavern for as long as I can remember. Two are widowed, and the other two have never been married. They made their life about partying and look at where that got them. Here drinking with their buddies on a Friday night, and no one to keep them warm at night. I might not get out much, but Willow River is a small town, and word travels fast.
“Oh,” Ramsey replies.
“I know you work a million jobs. I was going to offer it to you first. Why don’t you take the night off?” Hank suggests.
“Are you sure?”
“Ramsey?” I wait for her to turn and look at me. “Say yes.” She studies me like she can’t quite figure out why I’m asking her to take the night off work. “Palmer wants to meet together. We can throw some burgers on the grill at my place,” I suggest. I’d much rather have her all to myself, but being around her will have to do. I’ll take anything I can get when it comes to Ramsey.
“It’s settled then. You’re off tomorrow night. I’ll see you for your shift on Sunday.” With that, Hank turns and walks back through the door he emerged from.
“Did that just happen? Maybe I should go talk to him?”
“Why?” I blurt.
“Because that doesn’t happen.”
“Did the two of you have a fight or something?” I’m digging for information. I’m dying to know if the two of them have something. I know she’s single, but they’re way too familiar with each other. I realize this could be all in my head because that’s where she lives. In my head. I can’t stop thinking about her, and the thought of another man having her, in any way, causes a possessive side I wasn’t aware I had to make itself known.
“No. Of course not. Hank is a great guy. I just… wasn’t expecting that conversation.”
Our phones both go off again.
Palmer: Hello? You can’t ignore me, you know?
I smile at my sister. “Why don’t you want to take the night off work?” I ask Ramsey.
“I just- It’s nothing.”
“Is it Hank?” I have no claim to her, but the thought of her with him has my blood boiling. “Is that why you work so many hours? To spend time with him?”