Wasted (24 page)

“
When I was eighteen, I was
very much in need of a job. I wandered into the bar, and I don’t
know whether Spanky thought no one else would hire me, so he took
pity on me, or whether he desperately needed help and he
drastically lowered his qualifications, but either way, this man
gave me a job.” I waved my hand in his direction as I walked toward
him and laid my arm across his shoulders.

Facing the crowd, I continued, “A few months
in, he gave me a shot at being a bartender. I must’ve done
something right because six years later, I’m still serving up
drinks to some of the finest people in Creekview.”

The partygoers broke into cheers and
whistles at the compliment, and as I waited for them to quieten, I
turned toward the man who’d believed in me when no one else
had.

“
Spanky, thank you for
taking a chance on me. You’ve been more than just a boss. In a lot
of ways, you’ve been like a father to me, and before you head out
to chase beautiful women on the sunny beaches of Florida, I want
you to know that you’ve made a difference in my life.”

I scanned the crowd. “So let’s raise our
glasses to Spanky. Thank you for providing us a place to laugh with
friends and a place to drown our sorrows. May you have a long and
happy retirement.”

“
Hear, hear,” the guests
murmured.

We all sipped our beer, and I patted Spanky
on the shoulder. “It won’t be the same without you,” I told him.
“One of these days, I’m going to meet you at the beach, maybe whip
us up a Pina Colada or a Mai-Tai, and we’ll watch the sun set.”

Spanky pointed at me with an arthritic
finger. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

Stormy joined in as did many other guests,
telling funny stories and sharing memorable moments. Rejoining
Lexi, I grabbed her hand and squeezed it as I listened. Spanky had
been an admired citizen of Creekview for decades, and the vast
group of well-wishers here was a testament to that.

Spanky waddled to the middle of the floor.
“I would like to thank everyone for supporting me over the years.
Spanky’s couldn’t have thrived as long as it has without you. I’ve
enjoyed your friendship. You know,” he paused, emotion heavy in his
voice, “I’ve been in business for forty-two years. During that
time, my children have grown.” His eyes flickered to where his
children and their families sat, admiration on their faces. “And I
lost my wife.” He rubbed his jaw with a shaking hand. “Sometimes
when everything is changing around us, it’s nice to have something
that remains constant. And that’s what Spanky’s was for me, my
constant. Y’all gave me a reason to get up every morning, and I
thank you for that.”

He glanced at his daughter who had driven up
from Florida. “Life is a sequence of changes. Some we can control,
and some we can’t. But either way, we have to embrace it because
that’s the only way we can thrive.”

He rubbed his bald crown and ran his fingers
through the short strands of hair that clung stubbornly to the
lower half of his head. “I’ve had a good life in Creekview. And
it’s time for a change. I’m going to enjoy spending time with my
daughter and my grandchildren in Florida, but I’ll dearly miss all
of you. I know you’ve all been wondering about the future of the
bar, and I have an announcement to make. But first, let’s eat!”

Inwardly, I groaned. His announcement would
do nothing more than solidify the fact that I couldn’t raise the
funds to buy the bar myself.

Lexi pulled me toward the food table, and we
piled our plates high with finger foods. I watched her bite into a
chocolate-covered strawberry, her sexy lips planted firmly around
the fruit. Damn, but if that didn’t make me want to drizzle her in
chocolate and lick it off. She forked a bite of the sandcastle cake
and held it out for me to taste.

“
Isn’t that good?” she
asked.

Nodding, I swallowed. “It makes me want to
go home and do a little baking of my own.” Shit. I forgot that she
had made plans to leave after the party. I could bake by myself,
but that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

Her lips twitched upward. “And what would
you bake?”

“
I’m sure I could whip up a
tasty dessert with a little drizzle of chocolate and some whipped
cream.”

“
Oh, really?” She took
another bite of strawberry, and I could feel myself growing hard.
“Maybe you’ll make me one some time.”

I winked at her. “Maybe I will.”

Our playful banter was interrupted when
Spanky took the floor again. He started talking, waving his hands
in front of him as if they somehow helped him speak. “Okay, I know
the suspense is killing you. An old friend of mine and his attorney
walked into the bar.” He paused. “And no, that’s not the intro to a
joke. This is a true story.”

A light rumble of laughter emanated from the
crowd.

“
We were having a
conversation about retirement. My friend had already retired, and I
was contemplating it. He told me that he was interested in buying
the bar, but a few weeks later during our negotiations, he was
diagnosed with cancer. He passed away not long after that, so I was
back at square one in my search for a buyer.

“
You can imagine my
surprise when his grandchild and namesake came into the bar,
wanting to pick up negotiations where he had left off. It didn’t
take us long to reach a deal, so without further ado, I introduce
you to the new owner of Spanky’s….”

The new owner was here? I scanned the crowd,
my gaze fixating on a couple of men whom I had never seen.

“
Alexander
Swafford.”

Neither of the men moved. Lexi laid a hand
on my shoulder as she rose from her seated position. I watched her
walk toward Spanky. What the hell was she doing?

Spanky motioned to her. “Some of you may
know her as Lexi.”

Shit. Lexi Swafford. She had been named
Alexander after her grandfather?

My jaw clenched as I gritted my teeth.

All this time, I had been confiding in her
how much I wanted to buy the bar, and she couldn’t have told me
that she was the one buying it? She snatched it right under my nose
like a thief in the night.

I stood abruptly, the chair legs skittering
across the scarred, wooden floor. Several people turned to stare,
but I didn’t give a shit.

I needed some air.

Chapter
19

Fall from Grace

Lexi

After Spanky’s announcement, he and I were
bombarded with people, people who wanted to wish him a happy
retirement, people who congratulated me on purchasing the bar, and
people who just wanted to chat.

Having seen Mason’s blatant disapproval, my
nerves were on edge, giving me the sensation of my stomach being
filled with hundreds of dancing spiders, their spiny legs jabbing
me with each step.

By the time I managed to escape the throng
of people, I was unsure where he had fled. Taking a deep breath as
I tried to decide my best approach at an explanation, I dropped
into a seat in the corner and buried my head in my hands, squeezing
my temples in an attempt to keep the looming headache away.

“
Do you mind if I have a
seat?”

A lyrical voice penetrated my thoughts, and
I glanced up to see the beautiful blonde who was sporting the
bikini top. Even though I didn’t know her and hadn’t been
officially introduced tonight, I’d noticed her, and I had no doubt
that everyone else had, too. She was one of those women who
demanded attention the minute she entered a room. Like everyone
else, my eyes had drifted to her often, even though I’d had no
conscious thought to look at her.

Pasting on a smile and trying to keep the
uneasiness I was feeling out of my voice, I motioned to the chair
across from me. “Not at all.”

She held her hand out. “Rachel
Cambridge.”

I shook it. “Lexi Swafford.” I released her
hand in slow motion as her name finally filtered to my
consciousness. I’d been on autopilot all night after meeting so
many new people, and as much as I hated to admit it, my wits had
been dulled by the repetition.

“
I see you know who I am.”
She fingered the artificial flowers that dangled around her
neck.

I nodded, realizing that I still didn’t know
why he’d been giving her money. Was it part of a divorce
settlement?

“
Funny,” she said, a smug
glow lighting her exquisite features. “I don’t remember him
mentioning you.”

Her statement didn’t require a response, and
I didn’t offer one.

“
Looks like the two of you
are pretty chummy. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d told you
about us.”

“
I know y’all were married,
if that’s what you mean.”

“
And you know we had a
child together?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“
So he also told you why we
divorced?”

“
No, and it’s really none
of my business.”

“
Actually, it is. If you’re
planning on getting serious with Mason, you might want to know
that….”

“
What the hell are you
doing?” Mason’s voice, filled with anger, came from behind me, and
I turned and looked at him over my shoulder.

“
I was just talking,” I
answered.

“
No,” he said, his eyes
penetrating the beautiful girl sitting across from me. “I was
talking to Rachel.”

“
I was just having a little
chat with….” She paused and turned her attention back to me. “What
did you say your name was again?”

“
Cut the shit, Rachel, and
answer the question.”

“
I did answer the question.
We were just talking. That’s all.”

Mason moved to the edge of the table, the
veins in his neck straining against his skin. “I did what I said I
was going to do where you’re concerned. Don’t come back to
Creekview trying to start a bunch of bullshit.” His voice was low
and dangerous.

“
I came back to Creekview
because Spanky’s retiring. Imagine my surprise when I found out
that you’re apparently serious about this one.”

“
Just let it go,
Rachel.”

“
Did you tell her why we
divorced?”

He stared at her, not flinching, but he
didn’t respond. He hadn’t mentioned the reason for their divorce,
and her behavior definitely piqued my curiosity.

Rachel stood up and placed her hand on my
arm. “I’m just watching out for you. I wouldn’t want Mason to break
your heart the way he broke mine.” She glared at him before she
finally turned and walked away.

He stood akimbo, looking incredibly pissed
off. “Come on,” he said, his voice brimming with anger. “Let’s go
outside.”

I immediately stood and followed him.

We walked around the corner of the red brick
building, hidden in the shadows out of the view of the parking
lot.

“
Why didn’t you tell me you
were the one buying Spanky’s?”

My eyes flickered down toward the ground. I
hated hearing the hurt in his voice. “It wasn’t like I set out to
keep it a secret. It just sort of happened that way.”

He grasped my shoulders. “How are we going
to have a relationship if you didn’t even trust me enough to tell
me?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Didn’t you
trust me enough to tell me what had happened between you and
Rachel? What did you do, Mason?”

“
What happened between
Rachel and me is our business.”

“
Apparently, she thinks
it’s important enough that I should know,” I said softly. “I’m
trying to understand why she felt the need to warn me. Either you
can tell me, or I’ll go ask her.”

“
You’ll stay away from
her,” he ground out between clenched teeth as he pointed at
me.

Brushing past him, I headed back toward the
front door.

“
Lexi!”

If Mason thought he could control my actions
by making demands, then I needed to break him from that habit
immediately if we had any shot at a future together.

“
Shit!” he grumbled. I
heard his footsteps behind me. “Wait!”

Stopping abruptly, I twirled around.

“
She’s just trying to get
between us,” he barked.

“
And why would she do
that?” I needed to know, and I needed to hear it from
Mason.

“
I don’t want to discuss my
relationship with Rachel. I want to discuss my relationship with
you. Why didn’t you tell me? You knew how much I wanted the
bar.”

He was right. I did know how much he wanted
it. I could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. I could see
how much he loved the people that he served, how much they loved
him.

He threaded his fingers through his hair and
squeezed his temples with the heels of his palms. “Didn’t you ever
think that might be something you should’ve told me yourself? Maybe
while we were laying naked in each other’s arms? Or over
breakfast?”

A tiny twinge of guilt blossomed in my
chest.

The betrayal in his eyes was unmistakable.
“Why would you let me find out at the same time as everyone
else?”

I reached out and touched his arm. “I was
afraid,” I whispered. “Buying the bar was something my grandfather
wanted to do, and after he died, I don’t know…. ” I paused. “This
whole thing seems totally insane. Maybe because it is.”

I was starting to have doubts over whether I
could pull this off.

“
My grandfather left me the
money to buy it in his will. He said I was about to graduate with a
business degree, so I should have a business. He knew I wanted to
move back to Creekview. Spanky agreed to let me work in the bar, so
I could get a feel for it, so I could decide whether it was
something I really wanted. I didn’t want any of the employees to
know that I might be their new boss because I didn’t want them to
treat me differently.