Kylie cleared her throat, which was something she only did when she was nervous. “Um ... no. Remember how I told you I already told him to fuck off?”
I knew I didn’t want to hear what was coming, but curiosity always won out in my brain. “Yeah?”
“Please don’t shoot the messenger. I wasn’t going to tell you at all because I don’t think he deserves this, but ... he told me that he only took the job at Doyle to be closer to you.”
My brain glitched, and every time I was close to grasping a word, it slipped away. “Okay.” Okay? That’s all you got, Zepp? Really? “I don’t care.” And I didn’t, mostly. Not one part of me wanted him back, but knowing I hurt all those years for him to just come back when he felt like it made me beyond angry.
“Good. You shouldn’t care. He’s an ass, Zepp. He’s only showing interest now because you left. Just forget him, okay?”
“I have. I mean, obviously I haven’t, but I’m getting there. I thought I was still hung up on him for so damn long and then the second I woke up in a new town, it was like a fog lifted. I could have done this a lot better, especially with you, but I don’t regret it. I can’t.”
“Don’t start regretting it. You deserve to be happy. You don’t need some idiot to make that happen.” She sighed, then clicked her tongue. “Speaking of the idiot, his brother is calling me now. Just call me later, okay? Apparently I have to make sure the whole family fucks all the way off.”
“All the way to Mars. The lot of them,” I joked in a horrible English accent. “Love ya, girl. I’ll let you know where I end up.”
“You better.” She hung up, and I drove to the hotel in a daze. I couldn’t believe he thought getting a job as my boss would somehow get him close to me.
The audacity of that fucker.
I ordered an Uber to the bar the second I put the car in park, because after that conversation, I needed a damn drink.
~
THREE HOURS LATER Irealized I’d had twice as many drinks, and Kapri and I were toasting to the audacity of men. “I mean, can you believe that? ‘We’re good here,’” I said in a mocking deep voice, then giggled like a schoolgirl. “It’s almost laughable he thought he might have a second chance.”
“Especially since he’s married. What kind of asshole goes for a second chance with his ex when he’s got a wife and baby back home? Fuck, humans are terrible.” She rolled her eyes and yelled at a couple of guys at the end of the bar, then refilled my shot glass. “Brace yourself, by the way. This is usually the night the Bishop boys come in to drink and play chess in the corner. Talk about assholes,” she whispered.
“Bishop boys?” I asked, wondering if I should know who the hell they were. “Guess every town has their assholes, huh?”
“Yep. Sterling and Oliver. I guess I shouldn’t bitch too much; I’m honestly just salty Oliver keeps turning me down. He doesn’t date bartenders.” The way she lowered her voice at the end to mock him made me laugh louder than it should’ve, and I held out my drink for a messy cheers.
“And Mr. Sterling Silver? He date bartenders?”
Kapri sipped from a cup of water slowly. “From what I’ve gathered, Sterling doesn’t date anyone. Doesn’t hook up, either. Not like normal people do, anyway.”
“So two prudes, got it. I’ll steer clear.” I took a drink and glanced around. “I think it’s time I have a one-night stand. I mean, It’s been years. I deserve it, right?”
“Oh, neither of them are prudes. Oliver’s just too much of a dick to date anyone who flirts for a living, and Sterling... well, let’s just say I have it on good authority that he’s got very specific tastes. There’s a club he frequents a couple towns over, if you know what I mean. But yes. Other than the Bishop boys, take your pick.”
I honestly had no idea what kind of club she meant, but I wasn’t in the headspace to ask for clarification.
“Hey Pri. Whiskey,” a man’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and when I glanced over I saw it was the roofie guy. I really need to be able to call him something different.
“Hey,” I said confidently. “It’s Mr. Not Roofie.” Not a great start. “Sorry, I’m not good at... peopling.”
He chuckled, holding his hands up in mock defense. “Name’s Caffrey Brannigan. And I promise, I won’t even buy you a drink, let alone do something to it.”
The teasing smile he flashed me made me feel better instantly. To keep the playfulness going, I held up a hand to my chest in mock offense. “You’d let a girl like me go thirsty? Where are your manners, Mr. Brannigan?” I held out my hand for his. “I’m Zeppelin. Yes, it’s after the band, and no, it’s not a fake name.”
“Ahh, I love a woman who cuts straight to the point.” He shook my hand with a wider smile and sat down. “I don’t blame you, by the way, for being careful. World’s full of fucked up people.”
“Sure is. Kapri and I were talking about fucked up people all evening. I think we’ve had our fill of them, and something tells me you have too.” Sure, the fucked-up people we were talking about were different than the ones he meant, but fucked-up people were fucked-up people. No other way to describe them.
Kapri leaned in and tapped the bar in front of me. “Speaking of—” her eyes flicked behind me to the door — “Looks like I have to go serve a couple of prudes.”
I slowly spun, following her with my gaze until I spotted the source of her cryptic little movement: two men, both tall enough they had to duck coming through the door. It was hard to make out the details in the dim light, but from this distance, they could’ve been twins.
Sinfully hot, lady-boner inducing, suited-up twins.