What the hell was I doing?
I tried looking away, but it was too late. The way Olivia’s lips curled told me she’d caught me staring. I was seconds away from apologizing when she cut me off. “Well, Duke? Since when has that been a rule?”
The way she said my name, accentuating the K in that flirty fucking tone of hers, had my dick twitching behind my jeans, which took me by surprise. Since Sarah left, I hadn’t so much aslooked at another woman. I was too jaded and too goddamn tired to even entertain the thought of hooking up with someone. Besides, it wasn’t like I couldn’t scratch that particular itch myself. My hand worked perfectly fine and it didn’t come with expectations.
“Since I took over and got sick of drunks trying to dip out on tabs and get behind the wheel,” I gritted out. It wasn’t a total lie. Johnny had nearly taken out the big ass neon sign out front on more than one occasion. But I’d never needed to use the jar for anyone else.
“Are you worried I’ll leave you with the bill?” she asked, quirking a brow.
“No, but?—”
“What about drunk driving? Does that seem like something I’d do?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, letting my eyes slide closed for one blissful moment of silence. “Always a pain in my fucking ass.” When I glanced back at Olivia, she was waiting patiently for a response as though she didn’t have a care in the world. This morning, I would’ve believed the lie. Would’ve let her keep the façade going. Seeing her drunk in my bar at three in the afternoon told another story, though.
“Well?” she asked.
“I’ll let you keep your keys if you tell me why you’re here,” I countered, widening my stance. There was no point answering her previous question because no, I didn’t think she’d drive drunk. Especially not after what happened with her dad. It may have been over twenty years ago, but I knew how his death affected both of his kids.
There was a brief flash of surprise before Olivia masked it with sarcasm. She picked up her empty cup, ice rattling against the glass as she shook it slightly. “It’s a bar. Why do youthinkI’m here?”
I wasn’t sure if she was looking for honesty, but I was going to give it to her anyway. “Seems to me like you’ve had a shit day and are trying to drown out the noise in your head.” I looked around the room. An old country ballad came from the jukebox, breaking up the silence save for the soft hum of conversations at the bar. “You knew we’d be slow. That people would be too preoccupied to notice you slipping into the back booth. Your back’s turned to the bar, signaling you don’t want to be bothered except for the occasional refill. And you seemed specifically bothered by seeing me standing in my own damned establishment, which makes me believe Lukas either doesn’t know you’re here or doesn’t like that you are.”
If my best friend knew his little sister was getting drunk in the afternoon, he would’ve tagged along so that she wasn’t alone. Unless something had happened between them. Was he the reason she was here? Had they gotten into a fight?
Olivia’s face screwed up so tightly, I almost thought she swallowed something sour—not that I really wanted to think about her swallowing anything. If I did, I might just embarrass myself in my own bar. I couldn’t seem to keep my head on straight around her.
“I didn’t realize you were a fucking therapist,” she said.
“I tend a bar. Of course, I’m a therapist.”
That was something I’d had to get used to when I started here. I wasn’t the type of guy people normally spilled their secrets to. Sarah always said I had “RBF,” whatever the fuck that meant. But once I stepped behind that bar and poured their drinks, people couldn’t help but tell me all their problems. Sometimes I’d try and help them work it out. Sometimes I just listened.
Olivia snorted. “Well, I pay top dollar for a professional to tell me how fucked I am. I don’t need you piling it on for free.”
“Is this your way of saying I’m not getting a tip?”
The tiniest twitch of her lips was enough to not make me feel like a complete asshole. What the hell did she mean she paid someone to tell her she was fucked up? Was that truly what she thought? Granted I didn’t know her like I used to, but Olivia gave off the impression of having her shit together. I never would’ve assumed anything less.
“The other bartender was better company and quicker with the refills.”
“Well, she’s gone for the day. If you’re planning on sticking around, you’re stuck with me.”
Olivia turned around as though to verify that Sawyer was, in fact, not behind the bar. With a huff, she faced me once again. “Well, where is she? I promised her a tip when I sat down. I don’t want her to think I was lying just to keep the liquor flowing.”
I could’ve easily told her some bullshit about Sawyer going home or her shift being over. Instead, I found myself saying, “She watches Harper in the evenings while I work.”
“Really?”
I shrugged. “It isn’t an ideal arrangement, but it’s what I’ve got for now. Sometimes Lukas watches her when Sawyer can’t.”
“My Lukas?” Olivia asked, shock coloring her features. “As in the bachelor extraordinaire?”
“Being single doesn’t make someone incapable of watching kids. You trust him with Charlie, don’t you?”
“In a pinch, sure, but she’s normally with Grady or Cleo.” The way she was staring was unnerving. Like she was trying to unearth all my secrets and figure me out. It made my skin crawl.
As she opened her mouth to speak, I cut her off. “Give me your keys and I’ll get you another drink.” I held out my hand, waiting for her to hand them over.