Instead, he firmly guided me up the couple of front stairs and through the old glass doors.
Even though he might not have been nervous, I wasn’t so sure about his general state of mind. I think going to work for Nell was messing with his Zen cool guy guitarist philosophy big-time. Combine that with memorizing prices, cocktail recipes, the location of everything, keeping up with orders, keeping out of any other bartender’s way, restocking, and doing everything else involved in tending a bar and Vaughan had a busy night ahead of him. Hell, I think all of it, being back in town, breathing the northern Idaho air, living in what had once been his childhood home, his parents being gone, it had to be all screwing with his head. Add in the money woes and his band breaking up for extra damage. I couldn’t help but feel for him. We’d both had dreams go lopsided.
All day, he’d kept close, helping me find, then clean and pack, my belongings. We didn’t talk about anything deep and meaningful. Mostly just movies and music and places he’d been. Stories from life on the road. I’d gotten the distinct sensation that he wanted to keep himself occupied.
Understandable. Drama, gah. We’d both had our fill.
When we walked in I didn’t notice any recognizable faces, but I was still a wee bit agitated to be out in public.
“I’m here to be wowed by your bartending skills,” I said, slowly moving through the maze of customers and tables.
“Uh-huh. I’ll be sure to juggle some bottles and shit, light something on fire while I make your espresso martini.” He flicked the word off his tongue like pronouncing it was a trick all its own. “Or are you more of a margarita girl, hmm?”
“Today, I’m more of a water and ice girl. If you feel like getting fancy, Mr. Bartender, I’ll take a slice of lemon on the side. A straw, maybe.”
“Yeah?” Only a small smile curved his lips. Not nervous, my ass. He might be better than me at hiding things, but those things lingered there just beneath the surface nonetheless. Anyone willing to watch and care could see.
“Still feeling the pain from the tequila last night?” he asked.
“A little.”
He looked down at me, gaze softening. “Lydia—”
“There you are!” Nell rushed over, red hair strictly tied back, wearing a professional-looking black apron.
Vaughan frowned and checked his watch. “I’m right on time.”
A brow went up. “Did I say you weren’t?”
“Nice place.” I interrupted the potential argument before the two siblings gained momentum. “All of the dark wood with the raw brickwork and the giant windows. It’s got such a great atmosphere.” It truly did. Brutal might be the best word to describe the style of the place. Though there were traces of luxury and nods to the buildings 1920s origins too. A section of wall covered in ancient band posters had been preserved. A fancy black wrought-iron circle staircase sat in the corner, leading up to the closed-off second level. The wooden-topped metal-legged table-and-chair sets had an edgy industrial feel. But there were also booths with luxurious shiny black leather. It shouldn’t have worked yet it did. The temptation to settle in and order a drink, a plate of something to eat, was huge.
“It’s awesome, Nell.”
The wrinkle lines around Nell’s nose disappeared and her lips spread wide in obvious pleasure. “You like it?”
“I love it.” Chris would have sneered at the place for not being fancy enough, but screw him anyway. The bar felt comfortable, relaxing, despite all of the people turning our way, whispering. No. Okay. That was a lie. I wasn’t okay with this. Never had there been such a crappy idea. I should have stayed hidden away at the house.
Oh, no. Wait. My mistake. They were checking out Vaughan in his tight jeans. Fair enough. His ass was a work of art. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Excellent. Tonight would be good. I’d just blend in, chill out, and chat with Nell.
“Eric and his brother, Joe, did most of the work. Come and meet him. Joe, this is Lydia,” she hollered, snagging the attention of almost everyone in the bar.
Yeah, okay. Now all eyes were definitely turned my way. Bless Nell and her family’s extraordinary lung capacity. If only they’d use it for good instead of evil.
“You know, the one I told you about.” She grabbed my wrist and towed me through the labyrinth of tables toward the bar.
“I know,” the blond bear behind the bar responded, giving me a nod. Then his smiling eyes moved on to Vaughan. “Nice of you to let us know you were back in town, dickface.”
“Yeah, yeah. Nell’s already given me a hard time.” Vaughan reached across the bar, gripping the other guy’s thick shoulder. “Good to see you, man.”
“You too. How long you back for this time?”
“Not sure. Got a few things to sort out.”