True to form, he didn’t bother looking at me. “Crown and Coke.”
“Sure thing.”
I whipped up his drink of choice in no time, adding a little extra crown in his glass as I did. Deena appeared from the back room just as I placed the drink in front of him. I could tell she was expecting some smart-ass comment about how rude he was, or how much it grossed me out to see yet another stain on his otherwise pristine white T-shirt, but I didn’t. Nope, I was seeing things through entirely different eyes now.
“You okay?” She frowned at me when she didn’t get my usual tirade.
“Absolutely.” I smiled and strode past her when another patron strolled up, indicating he was ready for another round.
It had been a week since I’d gone to see Jennifer, but it seemed a lot shorter. I’d decided to take Deena up on her offer to crash at her place when I told her I needed a change of scenery—avoiding Disco, Goose and Paine at all costs. Of course, I knew the time would come when the avoidance wouldn’t be accepted. It was cool, though, since I had my head on straight and my heart right where it was supposed to be. I was done being the idiot, the lovelorn fool, the stupid girl who forgot her mistakes and was therefore prone to repeat them.
“I need a double shot of Wild Turkey.” The man shoved his glass at me, and I took it without comment. So what if my world now revolved around assholes and hours spent studying in the New York Public Library?
It could be worse.
I filled his drink as requested, accepted his cash, and made my way to the ancient cash register that would nail you in the gut unless you knew to get the hell out of the way when you hit the proper button. Once I’d stuffed the remainder in the tip jar, I went for the cloth under the counter to clean the bar. It was a fast-moving night—a Saturday—and if I didn’t keep the counter clean, it would be laden with sloppy messes from alcohol-impaired drunks in no time flat.
“Rhiannon!” Deena yelled and I looked up. “We need another keg of Samuel Adams from the back.”
“I’m on it!” I tossed the cloth back to its proper place and headed for the back.
My cell vibrated in my back pocket, and I pulled it out to see it was Disco calling—again. The fluttering in my belly was something I couldn’t control, but what I decided to do next was. I didn’t answer, which had become commonplace. I’d speak to him when I was ready, in my own good time. We had issues to sort out, sure, but only after he’d had time to think about what he’d done.
I found the keg and hoisted it with ease. The pendant made things like that a lot easier. I knew I shouldn’t wear it as often as I did, but I figured as long as I didn’t willingly call on its power, it was all good.
As I placed the keg under the counter and attached it to the spout, I heard someone clear their throat. Glancing up, I came face to face with a good-looking man about my age. He was looking at me in a way I was used to, like a piece of candy that was ripe for the tasting.
“Need help with that, darlin’?”
“Nope.” I returned to the task at hand. “I’ve got it.”
I knew to avoid eye contact until he took the hint, and waited until he was no longer waiting around before I surfaced from beneath the bar. I breathed a deep sigh of relief when I was asked for a refill on a beer and a shot of Hennessy.