“My first visit,” I said, watching her masterfully pull the beer.
“Then, welcome.” She looked like she was about to say something else, but her attention snapped over to the door as it opened. “Here comes trouble.”
It was said in a playful, teasing way rather than like she dreaded a brawl breaking out any moment. I looked up and was surprised to see it was Nick striding across the bar toward us. He dropped down onto the stool beside me and gave the bartender a look.
“What are you saying about me?” he asked. “Bryn here doesn’t need you spinning tales.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she looked between us. “You two know each other?”
“Not really,” I said.
“This is Bryn Stephens,” I said. “She came to the office to talk to me about an issue she’s having, and I had her meet me here to discuss it. Bryn, this is Lindsey Trewes.”
“This is your best friend?” I asked, then was immediately embarrassed.
He glossed over my awkwardness again and nodded. “Best friend. Bar owner. Brother’s girlfriend. In that order.”
Lindsey shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.” She looked over at me. “It’s very nice to meet you, Bryn. I’ll do my best to keep this one in line.”
I laughed somewhat awkwardly. “Good to know.”
Nick turned to me with a big smile, and for a second, all I could concentrate on was how hot he was. Young and model-attractive, he was too sexy to be an investor. I couldn’t stop looking at him until he spoke again.
“So, I have news,” he said.
I immediately forgot his looks and zeroed in on the possibility I could get my money back.6NickIt was difficult to interpret the look on Bryn’s face. There was some sort of emotion there, something affecting her expression. But I couldn’t quite figure it out. Not right up until the moment when I told her I had news. Then her eyes widened just a little, and I knew what that look was.
Hope.
It was a good thing I was the one who asked her to come out here to the bar and that I had potentially good news for her. It would have made me feel like a serious ass if I had to look into those big eyes, see the hope in them, and totally let her down.
The involuntary sway in her hips and the way she rolled her bottom lip in to bite down slightly on it when she was thinking meant I wasn’t going to fully discount hitting on her. Maybe just a little bit. But that wasn’t why I was there. I actually had good news for her.
“Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat first?” I asked.
Bryn shook her head. “No, I’m fine. What’s the news you have to give me?”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
She looked something between aggravated and confused, squeezed her eyes closed, and then looked over at Lindsey. “Um, sure. Whatever’s good.”
Lindsey looked at me and lifted her eyebrow just enough to silently ask me what was going on. I smiled at her.
“Give us a couple of my favorites,” I told her.
“Sure,” my best friend said, continuing to stare at me for a couple more seconds before she turned and disappeared into the kitchen.
I turned to Bryn. “Alright. So, I went through the papers like you asked me to. You were right; what this guy did was pretty shady. And it was definitely illegal. He shouldn’t have been able to access your account to take the money out. But that’s a different point. The investor losing the money is serious bullshit, so I wanted to look into what kind of investor he was using.” Bryn looked down to conceal a giggle, and I tilted my head to get a better look at her. “What?”
She looked up and shook her head, making her hair bounce around her face and tumble back over her shoulders. “Nothing. It’s just… I like how you just kind of go for it. You’re so straightforward.” She ran her finger around the rim of her glass as she stared at the remnants of her beer, then gave a shrug. “My mother and grandmother would both probably have the vapors if they heard you. All the other people I spoke to were so… delicate. They were so stuffy and formal, almost like they were too afraid to say anything even slightly negative. I think the world I’m looking for is litigious.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is obnoxious. But I understand what you’re saying,” I said.
She laughed and looked over at me. “Like that. You don’t try to sugarcoat things. The words are right there, and you say them. You don’t try to figure out prettier ones or try to make yourself seem smarter or more important. You just say what comes to mind.”
“Well, sometimes I would probably sound smarter if I did take a little time to figure out a better way to say things,” I said. We exchanged a quick smile, and I forced myself to look away. “Anyway, when I was going through the papers looking for the information about the investor, I thought something looked familiar. But it took me a minute to realize it.”