Wasted (17 page)

“
Yeah.” She waved the paper
at me. “She just wanted to stop by and see Mason. Funny that she
just happened to have a shut off notice for her electricity, and
she didn’t have time to stick around until Mason got back home
because she was on her way to see a friend.”

Not knowing what to say, I started wrapping
the cord of the vacuum cleaner up, so that I could put it back in
the closet.

“
Mason’s the worst kind of
enabler.” Haley collapsed on the couch. “Do me a favor.”

I glanced at her. “Of course.”

“
Don’t tell Mason that she
was here.”

It was against my nature to lie, but if
Haley didn’t mention it, there would be no reason for Mason to ask
me about it. Unless his mother called him. Knowing that Haley was
waiting on my response, I reluctantly agreed.

“
My mother needs to hit
rock bottom, and Mason doesn’t have the heart to let her do it. He
has some innate need to take care of the women in his life, even
the ones who don’t deserve it.”

“
What if she calls
him?”

“
Hopefully by then it’ll be
too late. Her electricity will be cut off. Of course, he’ll only
pay to have it cut back on.” She chewed on her thumbnail. “I may as
well pay it. If I don’t, he will. I’d still appreciate it if you
don’t mention it. He worries about us too much as it is. Let me be
the one to help her out this time.

“
She really needs to go to
rehab. He can’t take care of her the rest of her life. At some
point, she needs to be responsible for herself. I’m not sure that
will ever happen, though.” She focused her attention on me. “If you
hear Mason say anything about my mother, let me know, okay? I worry
about her, but I really worry about Mason always trying to take
care of her.”

Before I could agree, the front door opened.
I found myself holding my breath, wondering if their mom had
returned. Once I realized it was Mason, I exhaled.

“
What’s up?” His view
toggled from Haley to me. “Is something wrong?”

Did we look guilty? Haley and I exchanged
glances before she answered Mason. “We were just having a serious
discussion.”

“
What about?”

“
Peanut butter.”

His expression lightened. “Peanut
butter?”

“
Yeah,” she continued.
“Smooth or crunchy?”

“
Smooth.”

“
That’s what she said.”
Haley pointed at me. “Y’all are both wrong. Crunchy is way
better.”

“
While y’all discuss the
merits of smooth and crunchy, I’m going to take a shower. You
ladies want to grab some lunch before we have to go to
work?”

“
I’m going to hit up some
of my friends. Y’all go without me,” Haley said.

“
Your loss,” Mason called,
his voice carrying down the hall.

***

As Mason and I took our places behind the
bar to relieve Stormy, she leaned against the counter, wiping her
hands on a towel. “Did Spanky tell you that he sold the bar?”

“
He did,” Mason said, a
slight frown tugging at his lips.

“
Have you heard anything
about the new owner? Spanky’s being awfully hush-hush about it. I’m
wondering if I should start looking for another job. I’ve got a
daughter to think about, and you know how it is when places get new
owners. He’s subject to come in here and lay us all off, so he can
put his own people in. Or he may get rid of our insurance. I need
my insurance.”

“
I wish I’d been able to
come up with the money before he sold it,” Mason said solemnly. “No
one would’ve had to worry about anything then.”

“
Maybe the new owner will
keep things the same,” I suggested.

“
Yeah, or maybe he’ll be a
total ass,” Stormy said. “I can’t work for an asshole.” She puffed
out a breath. “But I need this job.”

“
No sense worrying about it
today,” Mason told her. He patted her on the shoulder. “Go spend
some time with your daughter.”

“
Spanky told me that the
sale would be final in about a month.” Stormy laid the towel down
and squatted to a bottom shelf to get her purse.

“
I hate to see him go,”
Mason said.

“
We should throw him a
retirement party. You think he would close the bar down early one
night so everyone could come?” I asked Mason.

“
Yeah, I’m sure he would do
that on one of the slower nights.”

“
Will you ask
him?”

“
I’ll take care of it,
love.”

Stormy waved. “See you guys later. Let me
know what I can do for the party. Spanky’s been good to me.”

“
We will,” I assured
her.

Snatching my phone out of my pocket, I
pulled up my calendar and looked at the dates. “So you think the
last Monday in July would be a good day for the party?”

“
Yep. I’ll ask him later
tonight after the rush.”

When the after-work customers had come and
gone, Mason and I busied ourselves stocking everything and cleaning
the bar. Once darkness fell, business slacked off.

“
Have you got the bar?”
Mason asked. “I’ll go run that party date by Spanky.”

“
Got it.”

Mason tugged playfully on a strand of my
hair. “I’ll be back shortly.”

After checking with customers, I delivered a
couple of draft beers and began making a Rusty Nail. Doing a double
take, I noticed the one man that I had no desire to see walking in
the front door. Quickly looking away, I took my customer’s money
from the counter, rang up the drink, and set the change down in
front of him.

“
Here, honey,” the elderly
gentleman said as he pushed a dollar toward me.

I pasted on a bright smile and thanked him,
my insides filling with dread as I watched the unwelcome patron
head in my direction.

He sat down at the end of the bar, away from
everyone else. I knew he would. I glanced around, contemplating
whether I should wait and let Mason serve him.

“
Miss.” He held up his
hand, indicating that he needed service. Some of the other
customers noticed, and I reluctantly approached him.

“
Can I help
you?”

Mason

Spanky and I had a good conversation. As I
suspected, he had no problem closing the bar for a retirement
party. He’d actually been very appreciative. The date was set, and
it made the situation seem all the more real. My shot at owning the
bar was over. It was something I’d dreamed of early on since coming
to work here, but my dream had been nothing more than an ice cube
dropped into an alcoholic drink, slowly melting until it was
absorbed by the whiskey and nothing remained. Sometimes, I felt
like that ice cube, surrounded by a life that wanted to dissolve me
into nothingness, and if I wasn’t at work, I’d sip on a glass of
whiskey right now, welcoming the sweet numbness of oblivion.

Lexi’s brows were drawn up until a tiny
crease implanted itself between them. I could see her face, the way
her lips turned down at the edges, the way her eyes focused on the
man sitting in front of her. From the back, I didn’t recognize him,
and his tailored suit certainly narrowed down the prospects. I knew
my regulars, and he wasn’t one of them.

Her intense focus on him prevented her from
noticing me as I walked around the bar and approached her from
behind.

She mumbled something in a low voice, and I
watched as he grabbed her wrist. She tried to jerk out of his
grasp, but he tightened his hold.

I had no idea who this ass was or what he
wanted, but there was no way in hell I was going to stand by and
let him treat her like that. Approaching Lexi, I laid my hands on
her shoulders, and both she and the guy turned to look at me,
clearly surprised by my intervention.

“
Lexi, why don’t you take a
break? I’ll handle his drink order.”

“
But….”

I gave her a look that let her know that it
wasn’t up for discussion. If a man was going to treat her with
disrespect, it wasn’t going to be while I stood by and watched.

I nodded my head toward the other end of the
bar. She was free to go anywhere she wanted, but she was no longer
going to stand here in front of this prick.

She pulled her hand back, and he released
it. As soon as she stepped back, I filled her spot, squaring myself
in front of him.

“
I was speaking with Lexi,”
he said, his voice low and menacing.

I picked up a coaster and spun it onto the
counter in front of him. “Let me fix you a drink. It’s on me.”
Holding my finger up, I motioned for him to wait while I whipped up
one of the many drink recipes rifling through my brain.

Once I was finished, I set the glass in
front of him. “You know what this drink is called?” I asked,
working hard to keep my voice just as friendly as if he were Hawk
or Cade.

He shook his head.

“
Obituary Cocktail.” I
scooted it closer to him. “And if you mess with Lexi again, that’s
what your momma’s going to be reading—your obituary. Now enjoy the
drink and get the hell out of my bar.”

Wondering who this dude was, I walked over
to where Lexi stood by the cash register with a sour expression on
her face. “You know this guy?”

“
What do you think you’re
doing?”

Astonished, I held my hands, palm side up,
in the air. “Saving your ass. You’re welcome.”

“
I don’t need you to save
my ass.”

“
So I should have stood by
silently while he strong-armed you?”

“
I can handle
him.”

“
And so can I.”

“
It’s not your
place.”

“
It became my place the
night you touched my face.” I pointed at her. “You assured me that
if I would just lie down, everything would be better in the
morning. And dammit, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head
since. So if you want to talk to him, it sure as hell isn’t going
to be with me watching. ’Cause when I see him touch you like that,
I want to throat-punch him.”

She gathered my hands in hers. “I’m
flattered that you feel the need to protect me, but I’m a big
girl.”

“
And he’s a
douchebag.”

“
Yes, he is.”

“
Who is he?”

She pulled her hands away, pursed her lips,
and swallowed as if she were considering her words. “He’s my
ex-fiancé.”

I felt like the air had been sucked from my
lungs. A man that she had obviously been in love with at one time
was sitting at the bar. Had he come to try to get her back? “That’s
the guy who hurt you? What’s he doing here?”

“
I don’t know. He said he
wanted to go somewhere and talk. I told him I was working. That’s
when he grabbed my wrist, and that’s when you showed
up.”

Rubbing my palms across my face, I took a
deep breath and exhaled. My hands itched to ball into fists and
take my frustration out on something. I didn’t want her talking to
him. “So what’s your plan?” I couldn’t hide the distaste from my
voice.

“
I want him to go
away.”

“
I can make him go away for
you.”

“
No.” Her fingertips
brushed my cheek, angling my face. “Look at me.” Her touch was
soothing, and I could feel some of my anger dissipate as I obeyed
her request. “I’m going to take him outside and send him on his
way.”

“
I don’t like the idea of
you going out there with him alone.”

“
I’ll be fine.”

Before I had the chance to argue, she turned
and walked away, and I could do nothing but watch as she collected
him from the bar and led him outside.

What if he talked her into giving him a
second chance?

“
Mason!”

I heard one of my regulars calling my name.
Closing my eyes, I pasted on a smile and turned toward her. There
was a time when I had thought she was lovely with her golden hair
and perfect body, but as I looked at her, I compared her to a
dark-haired beauty with a gentle touch and a soothing voice, a
dark-haired beauty who was probably being wooed by her ex-fiancé
even now.

My fingers curled into my palms as I
attempted to focus on my customer. Regardless of what was happening
outside, I still needed tips—the more generous, the better. “What
can I get you, love?”

“
How about a Cosmo?” She
propped her chin in her hand and gave me a dazzling
smile.

For a guy who was more interested in kicking
ass rather than kissing it, I attempted to add some flair. I tossed
a bottle behind my back, catching it in the opposite hand, and
added the ingredient to the cocktail glass, but my heart wasn’t in
it. I cut the show short and delivered her drink.

“
So what’re you doing after
work? Want to hang out?” She ran her fingers through her blond
curls.

“
I’m busy, love.” I
attempted a smile.

She puckered her lower lip. “Such a shame.”
She tossed her money on the counter, and I picked it up. Turning to
talk to her friend, her attention was immediately elsewhere, and I
was relieved as I rang up her drink and dropped off her change.

I watched the door to see if Lexi was on her
way back to the bar yet. Damn it. What did he want with her?

Pulled away by a server, I fixed her drink
order as quickly as I could, so that I could concentrate on the
door. What if he was forcing her to stay outside with him?