“Liam.” Benson likewise faced another pale countenance when Tom approached.He knows all about our drama.Some of it had played out in this lounge! Yet Tom coolly stood in front of Benson, waiting for his order. “It’s been a while.”
“Oh, you guys know each other?” Jana glanced at Liam before putting her attention back on Benson. “What a small town!”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Benson said while Tom began making his drink.
“You’re not,” Liam said, but it did not have the intended effect. Jana hopped off her stool, biting her lip as she gave the tall man soft bedroom eyes.Crap.
“I’m gonna hit the little girl’s room,” she said with a giggle. “You boys catch up and wait for me, huh?” She sent them a wink over her shoulder as she took her time heading toward the bathroom.
Liam barely had time to breathe before Benson said, “She seems fun.”
“Just met her.” It was better to keep talking instead of letting words simmer in his head.Because then I’ll say the wrong ones.“Online, I mean.”
Benson shook his head. “What the hell are you doing here?”
It definitely wasn’t a question. It was a demand, as if this were Benson’s turf and Liam had transgressed it. Tom stood a few inches behind the bar, looking like he kept an eye out for new customers, but really, he was watching them. Liam shot him a glare to make him shuffle away.
“I thought you moved to LA.”
“Well!” Liam plopped his glass onto the bartop. “I moved back. Business is over here again, so I got Wyatt to agree tomove everything back to New England. LA is so… not my scene, anyway.”
“Why are you calling my office?”
“I dunno, man, maybe I need some financial advice these days.”
Liam’s sarcastic tone wasn’t doing it for Benson. “Come off it. What did you want?”
“I should be askingyouthat. I was here in this lounge first. What are you doing here?”
Benson sighed.Oh, is he going to talk to me?Liam finally relaxed when the man he used to know leaned against the bartop, his winter coat hanging from both of his hands, while Tom had left his cocktail glass nearby.
“Just got done having dinner with Drew. Thought I’d have a drink in one ofmyfavorite spots before going home.”
“Drew? How’s she doing?”
“None of your business.”
“Oh, come on. I was the one who taught her how to arm wrestle. I need to know how that’s panning out now that she’s in high school.”
Benson narrowed his eyes. “She’s in college.”
“College! What the fuck?” The last time Liam saw Benson’s daughter, she had only come up to his chest and had barely been hit with the puberty stick.Sydney had her doing so many skin treatments that I barely saw her sometimes.This was a kid who had missed a chunk of middle school for remote learning and didn’t have to worry about classmates making fun of her for having acne. “How can she be in college? Early admission?”
“She’s twenty.”
“I’ll fucking be.”
“Yes. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
“Oh, don’t be in a hurry. She’s not coming back.”
Benson snorted. “Glad you can acknowledge that.”
“She didn’t leave anything behind, so she’s probably waiting to scope you out elsewhere in the lounge. The moment you sit in that back corner with your phone and drink, she’ll be aallll over you. Hey, stop stealing my chicks.”
“I did you a favor. A woman who would ditch you for another man she literally just met isn’t good enough for you at all.”
“Oh, so you care if someone’s good enough for me?”