Blame It On The Whiskey (On the Rocks)

“Okay, okay, nothing to see here.”

Haven and I both look at the woman standing next to us as she holds a tray up and arms held wide. “Uh, Haven... you’re literally showing your ass.”

Haven jerks in my arms, and instinctively, my hands go to her ass. The feel of the silky material under my hand has me palming her ass as if I can hide it from everyone that may be looking. Haven’s eyes are wide as she stares down at me. “Uh, Parker...”

I blink, hearing the husky tone of her voice when she says my name. I swallow. “Yeah?”

A small smile forms on her face. “Can you let me down? Briony can’t stand here and hold the tray all night.”

I clear my throat and stare back at her. Right. I should let her down. And I do just that, but I can’t resist letting her body slide down mine. I hold on to her until her feet touch the ground. Our bodies are pressed together, and I can feel the stirring in my loins as she looks up at me in wonder.

I clear my throat again. What the hell am I doing? I’m supposed to be her best friend. I’m not supposed to be mauling her. And what the hell is she even doing here? She lied to me. The sexual frustration I feel switches to something else. I put my hands on her shoulders. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working at the library.”

Guilt crosses her face. I don’t think she’s ever lied to me before, and maybe this isn’t a lie, but it sure as hell is something she’s withholding.

“Truth?” she asks.

I grit my teeth, wondering what kind of bombshell she’s about to drop on me. “Obviously. We don’t lie to each other, Haven.”

The crowd around us starts to clap, and I realize that the band just finished a song. They announce they’re going on break, and people start walking toward the bar. Fuck.

Haven pulls from my arms and points to a seat at the bar. “Here, have a seat.”

Begrudgingly, I do as she asks. Patrons and staff start ordering drinks, and Haven works efficiently filling orders. She keeps sneaking peeks at me, and I sit here and openly stare at her.

Another server comes up and sets her tray on the bar top. “Haven, I need a draft and a shot of whiskey. Wow! It’s crazy out here tonight. And hey, Steven’s pestering me for your number, but don’t worry. I’m not giving it to him.” She starts to laugh. “I mean, unless you want me to.”

I turn to the woman. “She doesn’t.”

I blurt it out before I can think about it. The woman smiles at me and looks at Haven and tilts her head at me. “Uh yeah, if I had one of those, I wouldn’t bother with Steven either.”

Haven is looking at me in surprise as she puts the drink order on the tray. When the other woman walks away, I lean across the bar. “What are you doing here, Haven? What happened at the library?”

She shakes her head. “What if I wanted Steven to have my number?”

I swear I can hear my jaw crack as it tightens. I don’t want to ask, but I have to know. “Do you?”

I’m staring at her as if I’m daring her to say yes. I’ve never wanted to punch someone I’ve never met before, but I would love to punch this Steven in the throat right now. “Do you?” I repeat.

She shakes her head. “No... Look, I wasn’t lying to you. I quit the library a few months ago. I just didn’t mention it to you. My dad left to work in New York and yeah, he left me the house, but now I have to pay the utilities and buy food and stuff. Luckily, college is paid for. I needed to make more money, and I do that here.”

Fuck! Her dad’s never really been involved. I think that’s one of the reasons she loves my family so much. “You should have just talked to me. I would have given you the money.”

She holds her hands up. “No way. I pay my own way, Parker. And don’t be mad at your mom and dad and Tony. I asked them not to tell you until I had a chance to talk to you about it.”

“Two Long Island iced teas, please.”

Haven starts mixing drinks for the next order. I watch her and am amazed at how well she does it. Of course, I shouldn’t be surprised. She’s super smart. Always has been. And she’s a fast learner. She looks like a professional right now as she pours different bottles into the two large cups. All through school, she was the smart one. I’m sure people couldn’t understand why she hung out with me—hell, I didn’t understand it for the longest time. But somehow our differences made us that much closer. I truly believe that Haven and I have a bond that is unbreakable. But as I watch her work, admiring the curves of her body that I’ve tried to put out of my head, I’m hoping that I don’t fuck this up. Because losing Haven’s friendship is not an option.