Guy Hater (Fisher Brothers 2)

He was going to make me say the names out loud . . . in front of everyone. Sometimes I really hated my brother. I frowned, but Ryan wasn’t deterred.

“I need to know which pages to show you. Just tell me which drinks?”

“Jazz Hands and Awkward Moment,” I all but growled out under my breath, and he cracked up.

Ryan grabbed the small black book from his back pocket and flipped through it. “Here and here,” he said as he dog-eared two pages for me.

Focusing on the list of ingredients that was barely legible, my mind found itself on a temporary Claudia reprieve. Her presence consumed me, and I wasn’t the type of man to be consumed by any woman. For a moment, I was thankful that trying to read Ryan’s handwriting was a feat in itself. That didn’t last long, because I made the mistake of glancing back toward the girls and found Claudia watching me.

I was going to royally fuck up these drinks.

“Want a little help?”

Nick appeared at my side, and I breathed out in relief.

“I can’t read half of this,” I complained, and he took over.

“I was here when Ryan first made them. I know how he did it,” Nick said.

I wasn’t sure if he meant it or if he was only trying to make me feel better. Either way, I didn’t care. Nick was making the drinks, which meant they’d be drinkable.

I busied myself with a few beer orders, a whiskey sour, and a vodka cranberry. Those were the kinds of drinks I could handle. No frills.

“Here you go,” Nick said as he slid the finished concoctions toward me.

“Thank you.” I shot him a smile, then grabbed the drinks and headed toward the other end of the bar. The girls hadn’t moved.

“Sorry that took so long,” I said before handing them each a fresh drink.

“Don’t apologize,” Claudia said as she sipped it. “Thank you for this.”

“Yeah, Frank, thank you,” Britney added.

“It’s no problem. Have fun, okay? Don’t leave without saying good-bye.” I directed the last part to Claudia. I wasn’t even sure where that had come from, but it slipped out before I could stop it.

“Never,” she said back, her tone confident, flirty even.

I needed to get away.

Berating myself, I went back behind the bar and handled more orders. The place was packed, which was great for business, but seemed to wreak some kind of havoc on my mind. I found myself needing to know where Claudia was at all times. I scanned the bar several times throughout the evening, looking for her in all the chaos. And each time I found her, just like that, I felt centered again.

Nick sidled up next to me and tilted his head in Claudia’s direction. “Just go talk to her.”

“I’ve already talked to her,” I said, trying to sound cool.

“You watch her,” he said, and I turned my head quick to shut him up, my jaw flexing. “I just meant that you watch her the same way I watch Jess when she’s here, making sure she’s safe. Just an observation, bro.”

He made a face at me before his gaze shifted and his entire expression changed, brightening in an instant. I knew that look.

“Speaking of,” he said, his focus not wavering, “my reason for existing has now entered the bar!”

People cheered and laughed, but everyone—and I mean everyone, guys included—watched as Nick romanced Jess.

Ryan stepped next to me. “Think he’ll ever stop doing that?”

“Think you’ll ever stop taking your damn shirt off?” I snarled at him a little, but he just grinned.

“Touché.”