FIVE
”Lilly?” A familiar voice pulled her from her sleep. She smiled. Then she realized that she was lying down alone and there was a hand on her shoulder, pushing gently to wake her up.
“Lilly, wake up.”
Opening her eyes, she saw Scott standing above her. The look on her face must have given her away because Scott’s face shifted to confusion.
“What?” he asked.
“You . . . wait . . . Why are you here? I thought you finished working on the road yesterday.” She shook her head and tried to wake up enough to form full, understandable sentences.
“I’m working on remodeling the interior, too. I have a key,” he said, looking at her as if she were a science experiment.
“Oh. Where is Cass?” she mumbled, trying to focus her eyes on her surroundings.
“Who?” he asked.
“Cass. He was here with me.”
“Lilly, no one was in here but you.”
“Unbelievable!” Lilly shouted, throwing her hands up. “You’re fucking kidding me. Again? I can’t believe this shit!” she said, more to herself than Scott.
“What?” he asked.
“Let me break it down for you. I met Cass in Houston about two weeks ago, and we spent two great fucking nights together, then he just up and disappears!”
Scott had an intrigued look on his face. “Okay. And?”
Lilly was fuming. “And then he ends up being the new owner of the bar I work at! So, he comes in last night after I get shit-faced drunk and pass out, carries me to the couch, we wake up and have a conversation, he lays on the couch with me, and then I wake up and the son of a bitch is gone again!”
“What’s got you all worked up this morning? And damn, girl, don’t you know what a brush is?” Mindy said as she rounded the corner with a smile on her face.
Scott turned to Mindy. “I’m going to let you have this one.” He laughed as he walked back to the front of the bar.
“Looks like someone got a little drunk,” Mindy said, eyeballing Lilly’s clothes.
“Yeah, just a little.”
“By yourself, or with the son of a bitch that’s gone again?” Mindy asked.
Lilly gave Mindy a fake laugh. “By myself. You are not going to believe this shit.”
“What? Spit it out! Tell me.”
“I met Caine Sonnier, drunker than Cooter Brown at five thirty this morning.”
“You’re joking. What did he say?”
“Initially he carried my drunk ass from the bathroom floor to the couch. Then when I woke up, I found him sleeping in the chair next to me. Evidently, although his name is Caine, when he introduces himself to people outside of business, he uses the name Cass.”
Mindy looked at Lilly, waiting for her to get to the point. “Lilly, you’re losing me. What?”
“Cass would be the mystery biker I met in Houston.”
As Lilly’s words registered in Mindy’s head, her jaw dropped. “Wait. Mystery biker is now our boss? No fucking way! How is that even possible?”
“I don’t know. But the son of a bitch disappeared again. I woke up and he was gone again. I don’t get it! He’s a sweetheart and he’s amazing to me, then he pulls a Houdini and disappears into thin fucking air again. Why? I don’t understand.” Lilly paced the room and ran her hands through her long mess of hair. She stopped pacing, though, because the more she walked, the more her head thumped.
“So, I guess I was wrong when I said that the owner would make you forget about mystery biker, seeing as the new owner is mystery biker.” Mindy started laughing.
“It is not funny!”
“Yeah, it is. Lilly, this is hilarious. It’s crazy, and no one would ever believe it,” Mindy said through laughs.
“Ugh. Fine!” Lilly stormed off to the bathroom.
She stepped into the shower, hoping to get her head together. She was confused and angry. How could he disappear like that all the time? If he wasn’t interested, then why stay until she woke up? What the fuck was he trying to do? Was this something he was into, some kind of mind game? Lilly didn’t understand it. Shaking her head under the water, the only thing she could do was laugh. Her feelings were hurt, and she didn’t know how else to deal with Cass’s odd behavior, so laughter it was.
Soon, laughter turned into crying, and she realized how angry she truly was. Struggling to shake it off, Lilly turned off the water and stepped out. Shivering, Lilly dried off as quickly as possible and got dressed. She felt a million times better.
Something about a hot shower after a drunken night made everything okay. Even if Cass was a disappearing asshole, and even though he was her new boss, everything was okay in this moment. She heard a knock on the door.
“Lilly, hurry up. You’re going to miss breakfast if you take forever trying to cover up the zombie you resemble,” Mindy said through the door.
“Can’t I have a moment of peace?” Lilly yelled back, laughing.
“No. This is what friends are for.”
Lilly heard footsteps fading as Mindy walked away. Fucking Mindy. I love her.
Rushing to put on her clothes and makeup, Lilly made her way to the front of the bar. The smell of coffee, paint, fresh-cut wood, and sweet breakfast pastries hit Lilly all at once. The smell was nauseating, and there were twenty-five men in the bar, all of them staring at her.
“What?” she asked, looking at Scott.
“You look like you need a hug,” he said with his arms open.
“I don’t know about all that. I need something, all right, but I’m not sure it’s a hug. A sit down with my car doesn’t sound half bad right about now.”
He didn’t budge. She walked over to him and jumped a little to put her arms around the back of his neck.
“I figured you’d change your mind,” he said as he lifted her off her feet and squeezed her. Her back cracked from the bottom of her spine up to her neck.
“Holy shit. That felt good,” Lilly said as Scott placed her feet back on the ground.
He gave her a smug smile. “You’re welcome.”
Mindy walked up next to Lilly, and Scott took that as his cue to walk off. “Well, he’s a big, burly guy, and he doesn’t seem like the Houdini type,” Mindy said.
“Fuck you, Mindy,” Lilly said with a smile. “I’m leaving. My head is pounding, it smells like death in here, and everyone seems to think it’s just the thing to do to pick on Lilly today. So, with that being said, fuck y’all. I’m out.” Lilly flipped Mindy the bird.
She walked to the door, and, as she went to push it open, she missed the handle and slammed directly into the door. The whole bar went quiet then everyone erupted in laughter.
“Hey, Lilly, there’s a door there,” Scott said, trying to stifle his laughter.
Lilly looked down where her hand had missed a handle to find that there wasn’t one. “Scott. Let. Me. Out!” Lilly yelled, now really annoyed.
“Why, what’s the rush? You can stay and help me.” He laughed at her slowly growing impatience.
Tapping her foot now, she looked up at him. “You may be six feet tall, but I am perfectly capable of kicking your ever-loving ass. Let me out. Now,” she said semi-playfully through gritted teeth.
Scott was nearly in tears. “Here.” He unlocked the top of the door where they had put a slide bolt to hold it in place.
“Seriously?” Lilly said, looking at him through squinted eyes. Sometimes it amazed her that things were so easy and she just didn’t realize it. She grunted and pushed past him.
Standing in the sunlight next to Betty, she covered her eyes. Ow. The sun hurts. It’s so bright. Today was not going to be a good day. Plopping down in the driver’s seat, Lilly cranked up Betty and turned the AC on. She ran a hand through her hair. Why me? Why? I’m the runner. I turn people down. Not the other way around. Who in the hell does he think he is? I don’t give a damn if he is some big shot business owner. He doesn’t get to treat people like this. How do we go from having one of the best nights ever in Houston to him just up and leaving me, multiple times? What did I do that was so wrong?
She was confused, she was upset over her financial situation, and more than all of that, she was upset that she had let her guard down so quickly with a man that didn’t give two fucks about how she felt. Before she knew it, she had tears streaming down her face. There were few things in this world that could piss Lilly off, and someone making her cry was one of them. Her sad tears quickly turned to angry tears as she made up her mind. She was going to find him, one way or another. Facebook.
Pulling out her phone, she logged in to Facebook. After twenty minutes of intense searching, she came up empty handed. “How does someone in this day and age not have a damn Facebook page? This asshole really is Houdini.” At that moment, she had a realization. Scott.
Running back inside, Lilly tapped Scott on the shoulder. “Hey,” she said, probably a little louder than she intended.
“Yes?”
“Who hired you?”
“My boss.”
“No fucking shit. What company? Who? Caine Sonnier?”
“I think so, why?”
“Because I need to find him. Where is his office?”
“Umm. That way”—he pointed to the back of the bar—“We just re-did it.”
Lilly huffed in frustration. “Are you always a smart ass or just an ass in general?” She hung her head in defeat. “Okay, let me try this again. Can you tell me where I can find Caine Sonnier on a normal day before this bar existed?”
“Probably in his dad’s nut sack. Lilly, this bar has been around since the early seventies,” Scott said, somehow managing to keep a straight face.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Today, of all days, is the day you choose to have some witty reply to everything I say? I’ll find him myself.” She turned on her heel and walked into the office. She was going to search through any and every piece of paper she could find in that bar room. Surely, the name of his company was on at least one of them.
Tearing through the office, Lilly searched for anything connected to Cass’s name. Nothing.
Finally, after she had papers strung from one end of the desk to the other, she came across the blueprints for the remodel. In the bottom-right corner was a logo with the name of an engineering company. Lilly started typing away into Cass’s new computer. Finding the address of the engineering company and realizing a drive would do her some good, Lilly wrote it down and headed to the front of the bar to leave.
“Where you headed?” Scott asked when Lilly walked to the door.
“I’m going to Highway 30 to find some answers,” Lilly said. Scott reached over and unlocked the door, letting a very impatient Lilly out.
“I hope you find what you’re looking for!” Lilly heard Scott holler just as she slammed the door on Betty.
The drive to Highway 30 was short lived. Lilly pulled up in front of a small tan building with a metal shop attached to the back of it. She heard grinding and loud machines making tinkering noises.
“There is no way this is an engineering company. It looks like a mechanic shop. Am I even in the right place?” Lilly double-checked the address she had written down. The address matched. “This must be it.”
Lilly parked and slowly walked over to the glass door in the front of the building. A bearded man dressed in blue jeans and a collared black polo sat behind the counter. In one hand, he held a cigar, and the other held a phone to his ear. “Yeah. Let me call you back. Someone just walked through the door.” He hung up the phone. “Yes ma’am. Can I help you?”
“Yes, your company is the one that’s working on the remodel at Creek’s, correct?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. How is it any of your concern? And why?” His words were harsh and without emotion. Lilly was taken aback. Why the fuck is he being a dick? All I did was ask a question.
“Is there a manager here I can speak with?” Lilly asked, frustrated.
The man behind the counter laughed. “Of course there is. Would you like me to get him for you?”
“Yes, please.”
He crossed his arms on the desk in front of him. “How can I help you?”
If she were a cartoon character, steam would have blasted from both of her ears. Voices came from the door that was at the end of the hallway next to the counter. Lilly didn’t give it a second thought before she broke out into a sprint for the door at the end of the hallway.
“Hey! You can’t go back there!” she heard the man yell, but she was through the door and it was closing by the time he made it around the counter.
Entering the room in the back, everything was loud, and there was grease and machines in every direction she looked. Her eyes scanned the room for any sign of engineering before she came to the conclusion that this was most definitely not the engineering department. The door swung open behind her and the big, bearded man grabbed her arm.
“Lady, what the hell are you trying to accomplish?” he asked, trying to lead her back to the front of the building.
“You wouldn’t give me an answer when I was up there trying to talk to you. I already told you what I’m looking for.” She sighed.
“Well, now you have my undivided attention. How can I be of assistance?” he asked.
“I need to get in touch with a Caine Sonnier.”
“For what?”
“I’m one of his bartenders, and there is a problem with the blueprints. I need to speak with him about them,” she said, hoping she sounded convincing.
The man looked at her, defeated. “Here, let’s discuss this in the conference room.” He directed her to a door down the hall.
To Lilly’s surprise, when the door opened, she saw Cass sitting at a long table in the center of the room. Eight rolling chairs were positioned around the mahogany surface, and there was one small window that had a purple and gold flag hanging over it as the curtain. Cass sat at the head of the table in blue jeans that had grease stains all over them, along with a plain black T-shirt. His hands were stained with grease spots, and there were black spots on his cheeks and nose. It was clear that he was hands-on in the shop here, and it was working for him.
Stop. Do not let him get you all hot and horny. You’re pissed off right now. Lilly wanted to calm the thoughts of tearing his clothes off him, but her mind had other plans.
Cass smiled when he noticed Lilly standing in the doorway. “She’s a persistent woman, brother. I think you got a good employee,” the man said.
“No doubt about that, brother,” Cass said as the man walked out of the room.
Lilly took a seat at the opposite end of the table without any invitation from Cass. Not that she needed one. She was here to get answers, and she didn’t really care what he thought about it.
“You look like you’re feeling better,” Cass said with a smirk.
“You’re an asshole, for the record.”
“Is this where you want to be when Jesus comes back? Calling me an asshole? It’s nice to see you too, beautiful.” Cass smiled the smile that made Lilly’s stomach do flips.
“Abso-fuckin’-lutely.”
“You tracked me down, Miss Summers. Are you part hound dog? I figure everyone from Livingston Parish is part something.” His words didn’t have an edge to them, and the playful glimmer in his eyes made Lilly smile without her permission.
Dammit. “No, you don’t get to make me smile or laugh or even think about being the least bit happy for that matter. I’m mad at you. Why the fuck do you play Houdini and disappear all the time? Why? What makes you think you can be so rude to people? Who the hell are you to go around hurting feelings, and then fixing them and then hurting them all over again? What the fuck is your problem?” All thoughts of ripping Cass’s clothes off faded as Lilly let her emotions take over. She stood up from the table and started walking toward Cass, never missing a beat. “I know I made you wait for a few hours, but you made me wait for a solid fucking week, one in which I got absolutely no sleep because all I could think of was some gorgeous asshole that stood me up. Why would you walk away from me like that? You were the one that wrote that stupid fucking note on a napkin and wanted to spend time with me and get to know me better! You didn’t even take enough time to get to know me. So, I’m here because I need to know when you’re going to be at the bar so that I can make damn sure I’m not there. I can’t even look at you, Mister I-Disappear-Whenever-The-Fuck-I-Want.”
Cass stood up and kissed her, cutting her off. Lilly pushed at his chest. She was not done giving him a piece of her mind. Cass didn’t budge; he held her securely in the spot that he wanted her with little to no effort at all, yet his hands were still so gentle.
The motherfucker is solid.
Every thought she had dwindled away with each passing millisecond that his lips merged with hers. Lilly couldn’t even attempt to focus on anything other than the feel of the sexiest man she had ever had in her grasp.
The fight she had been putting up to get away was gone, and her hands now moved over his shoulders and down his arms. Her body relaxed, putty in his hands. Lilly traced her fingers lightly over the bulging muscles in Cass’s arm. He responded by picking her up, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist.
As soon as their bodies touched, Cass pressed his hips into Lilly’s, making a circular motion. Her hands tugged at the hem of his shirt, lifting it over his head. Feeling Cass’s length through his jeans, she moved her hips in rhythm with his. Lilly’s head flew back, and she gripped at the back of Cass’s neck for stability as a moan escaped from her lips.
Cass set her down on the mahogany table behind them. Placing his hand directly between her breasts, he pushed lightly until she lay flat on her back. He slowly slid her blue jeans down her legs, keeping his eyes locked on hers the whole time. Cass massaged Lilly’s center through the black lace underwear she wore. While one hand was busy between her legs, the other lifted her shirt then unclasped her bra. Every movement was soft. Cass wanted her, but he wanted her slowly, passionately.
Lilly’s hips moved with Cass’s fingers, her body begging for more. Cass got her shirt and bra off with ease and now Lilly lay on the table, wearing only her underwear. Cass looked down at her with desire dancing in his eyes. It made everything inside her ache.
Suddenly, the dark desire in his eyes shifted to a sexy, playful smile. His hands gripped Lilly’s underwear and ripped them off the way he had in Houston. Tossing them aside, he pulled the belt from his waist and dropped it along with his blue jeans and boxers. Cass knelt to kiss her on the inside of her thighs. He kissed lightly, with just the right amount of tongue to make her moan. She wanted him to place his tongue directly on her sweet spot, but he was teasing her. He kissed up the inside of one thigh, skipping over the only place she wanted him, to kiss the other thigh. Lilly shook with pleasure, her body at his mercy.
After taunting her for what felt like an eternity, Cass pressed his tongue to her clit ever so lightly. Then again. Finally, Lilly’s need for him was too much. She grabbed the back of his head and pushed it into her. Lilly’s aggressiveness stirred something in Cass because he buried his face between her legs. The heat of his tongue moving up and down her clit had Lilly trembling. Every stroke was pure ecstasy. Lilly’s back arched, and she began moving her hips in motion with his tongue. Cass inserted a finger into her, and that was enough to send her over the edge. His tongue and finger moved in the perfect motion to drain Lilly’s orgasm out of her. She moaned loudly and came hard. Her stomach tightened, her body pulsating.
Lilly’s body couldn’t take it anymore. She pulled him up until his face was right on hers. Just as their lips connected, he slid inside of her.
“Oh, Cass,” Lilly moaned.
Her moan echoed through the empty room, causing her to look at the door. The thrill of possibly getting caught made Lilly feel like a vixen. Cass moved his hips slowly, his face hovering directly above hers. She was nearly squirming underneath him as he slowly slid in and out of her, the feeling so intense she thought she’d come at any moment. He did something to her that no one else had, or could for that matter.
Lilly wrapped her hand around his arm and buried her face into his shoulder. Cass wrapped his arms around Lilly’s shoulders, holding her close. He continued moving slowly, letting her feel every inch of him.
“You feel so fucking good,” Cass whispered, his lips brushing against her ear.
Lilly felt amazing, but she wasn’t prepared for slow and sensual. She looked into his eyes and demanded what she wanted.
“Bend me over the table.”
The fire in Cass’s eyes ignited, and he flipped her over and did exactly as she said.
“Is this what you want?” he asked as he slammed into her. His tone was as hard as his cock, and Lilly loved it.
“Yes!”
“Tell me. Tell me what you want,” Cass demanded, his voice rough.
“I want you to fuck me. Harder,” Lilly cried.
“Like this?” Cass asked, ramming into her. A moan escaped from her lips when he buried himself as deep inside her as she could accommodate. She couldn’t think about anything right now other than the feeling of him tearing in and out of her, fast and hard.
Cass took a hand full of her hair in his hand and pulled until her head was straight up and her neck exposed to his mouth. He bit down on the side of her neck, sending chills all over her body. She shook from the heat of his mouth. Lilly knew she was close, and with every movement Cass made, she was that much closer to that sweet feeling of release.
“Fuck, Lilly. You’re so close. I can feel it. Come for me.” His words weren’t a plea but a demand. Lilly shook her head no. “Come for me,” he repeated. “Lilly. Come for me.” He thrust into her hard and deep.
“I’m gonna come. I’m coming for you!” Lilly cried out as she tumbled over the edge of ecstasy. Her orgasm came in waves, and her whole body trembled. With every thrust, he milked her orgasm from her until she had nothing left in her.
Cass grabbed Lilly’s ass and kept driving into her. He pushed hard, and Lilly knew he had to be close. They had been going at it for a while now, and she was starting to hurt. She had been able to make him come in Houston by riding him and remembered how much he told her he enjoyed it.
“Lay on the floor.”
Cass didn’t hesitate. In one swift motion, he turned her to him, picked her up, and lay down on the floor with her placed on top of him.
Lilly smiled. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He did that with ease. Showoff.
Cass smiled back at her. That was all the motivation she needed. She slid down onto him until he filled her completely. Lilly moved forward and back, slowly at first to tease Cass the way he had teased her earlier.
Pushing her hands in the center of his chest, Lilly picked up the pace. She rode him hard and fast. It was painful, yet pleasurable. The combination of the two would send her spiraling over the edge again.
“Don’t stop. Right there,” Cass grunted as Lilly ground her hips into him, rubbing her clit on him as she rode him. Lilly was right there and knew exactly what to do to get her release; she pushed harder and moved faster. With the change of pace, Lilly’s whole body tightened, and she came around him, over and over.
“Come with me,” she pleaded as her orgasm rocked through her. Cass let out a loud moan and Lilly smiled. Score one for the home team.
Lilly collapsed on top of Cass, who wrapped his arms around her and held her while they both tried to catch their breath.
“I can feel the smile on your face,” Cass said and Lilly could hear the smile in his voice, too, as he spoke.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh yeah?” He jabbed his fingers in her ribs, tickling her. Lilly jumped up, laughing in a panic.
“No touch!” she picked as she ran halfway across the room. She let out a sigh. “I was comfortable, asshole.”
“So was I, but I wanted to see your face.”
Lilly started picking up her clothes and when she remembered she couldn’t wear her underwear, she gave Cass a playful frown. “You’re fucking kidding, right? Really, Cass? Must you destroy every pair of underwear that I like?” Lilly tried and failed to keep a straight face.
Cass raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh, please. Tell me you don’t like it.”
Lilly fought to hold back the grin that threatened to spread across her face. Cass stood up and started getting dressed himself.
“Point. Proven,” Cass said with a smirk.
He had just pulled on his stained and torn blue jeans when something about the sight of him in only blue jeans made Lilly want to rip them off him again. Without realizing it, Lilly had closed the distance between the two of them. Her nose was touching his, and her hands were busy on his shoulders, working their way down his arms and back up again. Cass stiffened under her hand. Lilly kept eye contact with him as her hands came back up his shoulders and down his chest.
“Brother, I hate to interrupt, but it’s three thirty, and we’re all getting out of here. Do you need anything before we go?” a voice came over the PA system in the conference room, startling Lilly and causing her to jump back from Cass. They shared a look of amusement and both started laughing.
Cass walked over to the button on the wall next to a speaker. “Nope, I’m good, brother.”
He turned back to Lilly. “Well, Miss Summers, it was good to see you again. Unfortunately, I have to get going. But before I leave, will you please take my cell number so you can get in touch with me without having to pretend to have a problem with my company’s prints?” He handed her a business card that had his cell number written on the back of it. Lilly took it and shoved it in her pocket.
“You owe me an explanation,” she demanded.
“You are correct. I do. However, I can’t explain right now. I’ve got something to handle. You know how to get out of here.” He kissed her forehead before walking out the door.
Seriously? Lilly let out a long, exasperated sigh. Of course he’s leaving. Houdini motherfucker.
Lilly finished getting dressed and headed to her car. She had to be at work in an hour, and she was in desperate need of another shower.
Pulling up to Creek’s, Lilly grabbed a bag of clothes out of the backseat and checked her hair before walking in. Scott greeted her as she walked through the door.
“Find what you were looking for?” He had a huge smile plastered across his face.
Lilly blushed. “Sort of.”
“Are you better now?” Mindy asked from behind the bar.
“A little. I’m going to shower, then I’ll come take shift,” Lilly said and walked past Mindy to the back.
Showering quickly, Lilly got out with a smile. She was singing and dancing as she got ready for a night at work. Although she didn’t have any answers yet, she was happy with the way the day had turned out. A couple of orgasms had a way of making things just a tad bit better.
Why would he have to rush home? Lilly pondered on that for a few minutes, and suddenly everything seemed to click. He’s married. He has to be. Of course. Lilly shook her head in disbelief that she hadn’t realized it sooner. That was the only thing that made sense. She suddenly felt hungover again.
Walking out front, Mindy looked at Lilly with a puzzled look. “What happened between you going to take a shower and coming back out here?”
“Nothing. Why?” Lilly asked, trying to put on a happy face.
“You aren’t happy anymore like you were. So, what changed?” Mindy asked.
“Nothing. I’m just tired and hungover. I was putting on a front earlier, and I’m about to do it again,” Lilly said, doing her best to fake a smile.
“Okay, I’ll buy it, but only because you got some ’splainin to do.” Mindy put her hand on her hip. The two of them laughed, making Lilly feel a little better.
“Of course. Later, though, because I got a job to do.” Lilly walked over to the register to count it while Mindy finished up her paperwork. The bar had a few of the construction workers in it, and the amount of progress they had gotten done was out of this world. These guys are working their asses off. It looks great in here, and they’ve done it in under two days. It’s already looking like a completely different bar.
“Can I get a Redd’s Apple?” Lilly turned around from the register to see Scott standing at the bar.
“Sure,” she said as she popped the top on his beer and handed it to him.
“I have a tab back there.” He pointed. “You don’t seem as feisty as you were earlier.”
“Oh, trust me, I’m still just as feisty. Just not as feisty in this particular moment.” Lilly smiled. “It looks really good in here.” The stage that sat in the far right corner opposite the bar had a black wall behind it where only plywood had been before. The carpet was new, there was a mirror in the center of the wall covering a window, and they had painted the walls a light color that looked like it was somewhere between beige and tan. The bar itself had been replaced and now had a marble top swirled with tan and gray.
“We try. Our team works well together.”
“How is it that you do both road construction and interior remodeling?”
“I’ve always been good at anything I’ve ever actually tried to do. Anything I’ve put effort into, I’ve been good at.” His tone was neutral. He wasn’t bragging; he was simply stating a fact.
“I think that’s awesome.” Lilly turned to mark his beer down on his tab.
“Did you find your boss?” Scott asked.
“Yes.” Lilly was curt. She didn’t want to discuss it, especially right now with her mind bouncing off the walls.
“I take it you aren’t interested in talking about it.”
“Not in the least,” she said.
“Well, it looks like it’s going to be an early night. I know we should be out of here shortly,” Scott said as he grabbed his beer and walked over to the pool table to join the rest of the construction workers. Lilly was tired from her encounter with Cass earlier, and she needed to get some rest. Cass. What the hell is he doing? What is his issue? Lilly made a mental note to pry into his personal life a little more whenever she got the chance to talk to him alone. There was a lot she wanted to know, and he was going to tell her whether he knew it yet or not.
“What’s got you lost in your head tonight?” Scott’s voice startled Lilly and pulled her back to reality. She was in the middle of pouring herself a Sprite, and she threw the cup whenever he spoke.
“Damn it.”
Scott laughed at her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. What’s got you so jumpy?”
“I’m not jumpy,” she said, turning around to reveal her red cheeks. “I just wasn’t prepared for a deep voice to break the silence.”
“I’m sorry. You still didn’t answer my question.”
“Oh. Yeah. That. Just trying to think about my situation. I don’t want to be the one to look stupid in the end. You know, the naïve little girl. I don’t want to be the laughing stock of everyone in this town,” she admitted. I don’t know why I’m opening up to him. I barely know him.
“I don’t think it’ll be like that. You worry too much.”
Lilly gave him a smile and continued to work on closing the bar. Everyone else had left except for the two of them. He sat there in silence while Lilly wiped down the bar and gathered most of the ashtrays to wash.
“Scott, you can leave. I don’t have much more to do, then I’ll be getting out of here myself.”
Scott gave her an inquisitive look. “How about I stay until you get done and walk you out? I don’t like you staying here alone.”
“I’m okay, promise. I do it all the time, and I keep a pocket knife on me.” Lilly pulled a purple spring-assist Kershaw from her front pocket and waved it at him.
Scott laughed. “Really?”
“Yep,” she said smugly.
“I’m not leaving you until you get done and walk out too. There’s all kinds of crazy fuckers out there.”
Lilly suppressed a sigh. “Okay.” She turned around to finish her paperwork, along with counting down her register.
Scott had brought the rest of the ashtrays to her and was in the middle of wiping down the tables near the stage when she finished up with everything.
“Hey, I forgot that I have some paperwork to do in the office. It’ll probably take me a while, and once I get done I’m just going to crash on the couch in the back,” Lilly said.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes. Scout’s honor.” Lilly held up her hand. “I’ll be right here in the morning when your crew comes in to finish up the remodel.”
Without another word, Scott shook his head at her and walked out the door. Lilly walked out behind him and grabbed her bathroom bag out of her car. Walking back in the bar, she locked up and found her place on the couch in the back. As she closed her eyes, the events of the day played through her mind. She woke up hungover and on a manhunt for Cass, found him, gave him a piece of her mind and . . . other things, then he left in a rush, she came to work, and here she was, alone again and thinking of a man who disappeared all the fucking time.
At least this time I have his number.
Lilly looked at the clock. 11:45 p.m. Pulling Cass’s business card out of her pocket, she dialed the number into her phone and sent a text.
“Hey, boss man. It’s Lilly. Are you busy?”
Setting her phone down on her chest so she would hear it if it went off, Lilly fell asleep before Cass could respond.