Lo

“IT’S QUIET FOR A THURSDAY.” I leaned back on the bar and Liam shooed me away, mumbling something about not messing up his Feng Shui. “Is it always this slow?”

“Give it an hour and you’ll wish you never said anything.”

I shrugged. “I like the busy.”

“Is that a British saying or something?”

I glanced back at him and said, “No, it’s a Lo saying.” I poked my tongue out, and he chuckled. 

“You’re something else. So, Lo from England, what’s your story?” Liam’s attempt at a British accent was so cringe-worthy I grimaced. 

“Never do that again.”

“What? I thought I had it down.”

I arched my brow. “My story? It’s pretty boring.”

“Try me,” he pushed, and I rolled my lips together wondering how much to give him.

“I moved here last year. My dad is originally from the states and wanted to...” I hesitated. “Reacquaint with his roots.” Or something like that.

“Nice.”

“Yeah.” The lie soured on my tongue. “Oh look, a customer. I’m going to nab them before Sarah does.”

I grabbed a couple of menus and headed over to the couple. “Welcome to Hitters. Will you be dining with us?”

“Yes, please,” the woman smiled, and I ushered them to a table. 

“What can I get you to drink?”

“I’ll take a beer,” the guy said. 

“And a water for me. Still, please.”

“I’ll bring those right over.” I made my way back to Liam and relayed the couple’s drinks order. He placed the drinks on a round tray and caught me off guard when he whispered, “So what do you think?”

“Think?”

“Yeah, about the couple you just seated. Are we saying first-date, engaged, or other?”

“They have first-date written all over them.” The words spewed out, and I glanced back, doing my best to be discreet.

“You think?” His brows quirked up. “I don’t know. They seemed too familiar to be first-date material.”

“Familiar? I don’t buy it. There was some serious first-date tension between them.”

“I’d bet ten dollars on it.” Liam said with smug confidence.

“Ten dollars? I am not betting with you.”

“Scared you’ll lose?”

I gave the couple another quick look. They were busy looking at their menus, using them as a distraction to the first-date nerves. “Fine, you’re on,” I said around a half-smile. That ten dollars was mine. 

Thirty minutes later, and I wasn’t so convinced... or it was just a really bad first-date. Every time I went back to the table, the conversation was stilted, and the girl seemed more interested on the television over on the wall playing re-runs on ESPN.

“Not looking so confident now,” Liam sang as I rang their check. 

“There’s still hope yet.”

“What are you going to do, ask them?”

“Maybe I will.” I wouldn’t, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Just admit it, you lost. They’re obviously working through some things.”

“This is a sports bar not Relate.” I gave him a pointed look before adding the check to a small metal dish. Grabbing a couple of Hitters bar mints out of the jar, I threw them on top and made my way back to the couple.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you,” the girl said, relief dancing in her eyes. 

I hovered. It was silly. What did it matter if Liam was right and I was wrong? But my stubborn streak got the better of me. “Do you guys have plans for the rest of the evening?”

“Hmm, no. Donovan has to get back to the kids.”

Kids?

Oh God. Were they having an affair?

“Yeah, no rest for the wicked.”

“I love kids,” I blurted out, catching a glimpse of Liam out of the corner of my eye, trying to stifle his laughter.

“Toddlers give a whole new meaning to life,” he said around a half-smile.

“It must be nice to get some downtime occasionally.”

He added his Amex to the dish and nodded. “If it wasn’t for my sister, I’d never get out of the house.”

Sister...

She was his sister.

“Is everything okay?”

“Absolutely.” I choked out. “I’ll just get this settled for you.” Taking the long route back to the till, I planned to avoid Liam, but he came straight over. “So...”

“So... what?” I clipped, refusing to meet his intense gaze.

“So do you want to pay up now or later?”

I ignored him and took the couple their receipt and wished them a nice evening. It made total sense now, watching them. The strained bond between them was familial. I didn’t expect it, but it hit me right in the stomach.

“Hey, sweetie, everything okay?” Sarah appeared.

“Y-yeah.”

She leaned down at the receipt and whistled. “Nice tip.”

“I hadn’t even noticed.” I was too busy remembering Elliot. 

“Here we go,” she said at the sound of the doorbell. “Fresh meat. You want me to take them?”

My eyes landed on the group and my stomach sank. “Yeah, sounds good. I’ll take the next table.”

Sarah gave me a funny look before going off to do her thing. I went to turn to go back to the bar area, but it was too late. Caitlin Holloway’s eyes widened and then blazed with amusement. This was all I needed. 

I hurried away, hoping by some small miracle she would forget all about me. 

Liam pounced the second I reached the bar. “So.” He planted his hands on the counter. “What was their story?”

“Sister, okay?” I snapped. “She was his sister.”

Liam started to laugh but when he realised I wasn’t joining in, he frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“Don’t ask,” I grumbled, arranging the olive sticks. 

“You look like your cat died.”

My chest tightened. “I don’t have a cat.”

“Dog?”

“I am pet-less.”

“Okay then, you look like you just found out your boyfriend’s cheating on you with your sister.”

“No sister, and my boyfriend isn’t the type.” I managed to smile at that. “Are you always this weird?” I tried to change the subject.

“I prefer to think of it as intuitive.” He grinned. “But there is a boyfriend?”

“There is.”

“He’s a lucky guy.”

“Are you hitting on me because if you are, the irony is not lost on me.” 

Liam’s brows pinched, and I laughed, pointing to the neon sign above his head. “Oh, that,” he said. “And no, I’m not hitting on you. It’s just refreshing to meet a girl like you.”

“Like me?”

“Real.”

I didn’t have time to ask what he meant as more customers arrived, making a beeline for the bar.  I didn’t get that kind of vibe from Liam, but I also didn’t want things to get awkward. 

“Diva-alert, table seven,” Sarah whispered as she passed me to make Caitlin’s tables drinks. 

“The blonde?” I asked, and my co-worker nodded. 

“You know her?”

“Something like that.”

“I’m surprised she can bear to be in a place like this. What with all the beer and sports memorabilia.” 

Hitters wasn’t as bad as she made it sound. But it wasn’t exactly The Coastal either. My eyes flicked to Caitlin and her friends. She was busy holding court, probably with stories of her exotic summer vacation with her family.

“Well, I better get back to them. Something tells me she’ll make me earn every cent of my tip.” Sarah loaded the drinks tray and made her way back to the table. It was petty, and I didn’t want to wish any bad luck on Sarah, but what I would have paid to see Caitlin end up with a tray of drinks in her lap. The girl was poison. Until seeing her walk through the door, I hadn’t given her much thought. But she was back, and next week, there would be no avoiding her in the hallways of Wicked Bay High.

~

WHEN I GOT HOME, DAD and Stella were cuddled up on the sofa watching an old black and white movie. I said a quick hello, grabbed supplies, and headed straight for my room. The silly bet with Liam, and then seeing Caitlin again, had put me in a bad mood. I changed out of my diner-scented clothes, slipping into some boy shorts and a tank top, then I flopped down on my bed. Grabbing my phone, I started typing.

Me: Guess who was at Hitters

I hit send and waited.

Laurie: Is this a trick question?

Me: Caitlin.

My phone vibrated and I slid my thumb across the screen. “She wasn’t?” Laurie shrieked, and I held the phone away from my ear waiting for her to calm down. “What did she say?”

“I let Sarah take her table.” No way I wanted to be her server. 

“Ooh, good move. But she saw you?”

“Well, yeah. It’s not like I could hide out back.” 

“She’s such a bitch. She’ll be even worse now JB is gone and we’re seniors. I can’t even imagine—”

“Laurie...”

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I got carried away.”

Yeah, she did. I didn’t need to hear how much Caitlin was going to try to make my life hell. I just needed... well, I don’t know what I needed. But it wasn’t this.

“What will you do?”

“Nothing, I guess.” I flopped back onto my bed and let out a heavy sigh. “She might have moved on. Found some other poor soul to focus her attention on.”

“We can but hope.” Laurie sounded as convinced as I felt. “So what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

“Maverick said to get there for about eleven.”

“And how is that going?”

She didn’t need to spell it out.

“It’s okay.” Liar. 

“I don’t know how you’re going to survive the year. You practically moved into the pool house over summer.”

“It’s not like we have a choice.” I had to finish senior year. Dad and Uncle Gentry had been cool about our relationship for the most part, but announcing my premature move to SU would push them over the edge. Besides, it was Maverick’s freshman year. He needed time, and space, to settle in and find his way. When you thought about it, it wasn’t even really nine months apart once you took out weekends and holidays. I just had to focus on school and my new job, and staying afloat.

“Well at least you have me, Kyle, and Summer. And with Kiera starting school with us, I’m sure there will be plenty of drama to keep you occupied.”

“I can hardly wait,” I grumbled, and Laurie snickered.

“It’s not all bad, Lo. Just think, the longer you go without seeing each other, the better the sex will be when you do.”

I could just picture her face as she spoke. Eyebrows waggling, lip curved in a knowing grin. But it wasn’t just about the sex. Not in the least.

“Hey,” her voice went serious again when I didn’t answer. “You know I’m joking, right? It’s a year, and it’s not like you won’t see each other all the time.”

“Yeah.”

“It’ll be okay, Lo.”

I wanted to believe her, I did. Couples did the long-distance thing all the time. But most couples didn’t have a family like ours, or crazy-ex’s and teammates to contend with. As if she heard my thoughts, Laurie added, “If anyone can survive the distance, it’s you guys.”