Chapter 4
Zane
I liked the crowd at the bar Thursday night. After the failure to find my sanity the night before, I appreciated staying busy. Most of my regulars were there, but a group of guys looking for a cheap place to celebrate had come in for a bachelor party. They had taken over two tables in the seating area and one of the pool tables, and they were a lively bunch but not troublemakers.
I shook my head as I watched the friends razz the groom to be, wondering what the kid was thinking. He looked fresh out of college, and it was awfully young to decide to settle down. I gave the marriage a year, two tops. No one made good decisions about love at that age. You didn’t have enough experience to know what you wanted in life or in a partner. Lord knew I’d learned a lot about myself since I was that age.
I wasn’t alone behind the bar tonight; Rudy had the far end, and I took my usual spot, covering the half closest to the door. Lynn was back. It was a rare occasion that I worked when she wasn’t there. Tonight, she’d needed a listening ear, upset because her daughter had gotten back together with a guy who abused her. I would have kicked the guy’s ass, if I was in a position to butt in, but I couldn’t get involved.
“Alexander! Can I get another one of these Sex in the Dark?” I turned to Grady, one of my other regulars, and smiled. I liked creating my own masterpieces, and the Sex in the Dark was a twist on the popular Sex on the Beach. I’d replaced the cranberry juice with half black raspberry and half blueberry, and it was a hit. I saluted him to let him know I’d get it and turned to grab a highball.
And my eyes landed on a vision I thought might be a hallucination.
Was it possible that the bane of my existence had returned? The woman I had counted on never seeing again? But it had to be her; there was no other woman I’d ever met who looked just like Kathryn.
And my night was looking up, because she wasn’t with the man who had a religion for a name and a personality like a dead tree.
In fact, the girl she was with was absolutely adorable, if tiny enough to be some sort of pixie, her red hair turning an odd color beneath the purple lighting as they came toward me. She wore simple black leggings with a long, yellow shirt, but the bright clothing didn’t detract from Kathryn as far as I was concerned.
She’d worn another dress, and I wondered if that was just her typical attire. This one was a little less formal, though, a sleeveless dress in shades of green and blue. Her skin looked creamy against it, and her eyes glowed a color I couldn’t define.
Rudy’s half of the bar had several open seats, and the little pixie girl pointed toward a couple of seats that way. But Kathryn took her by the arm and guided her to the last two seats together on my end, nearly making the girl topple over. I looked down and saw she had a pair of strappy stilettos that had to be five inches high on her tiny feet, and her ankles weren’t steady.
I tried not to smile, knowing Kathryn purposely sat at my end of the bar. She glanced quickly at me, obviously not wanting to show interest, but I couldn’t think of any other reason for her to come back to this bar, especially a second night in a row and without the boyfriend.
The redhead seemed to be a talker, her mouth moving constantly, and I waited while the two of them settled down on the stools. I could see Kathryn just fine from the edge of my vision, and she kept cutting her eyes toward me anxiously. Smirking to myself, I finished wiping up some water on the bar and checked in with Lynn before turning to the pair. I didn’t want to seem overly excited.
It wasn’t like I could drag Kathryn to the storage closet and take what I wanted right there.
I strolled over casually and leaned both hands on the bar. “Well, well. I didn’t think I’d see you back here. Kathryn, was it?” I could tell by the way she blushed that she hadn’t expected me to remember her name. And I could tell by the look on her friend’s face that she either hadn’t mentioned coming here at all or had talked about it, specifically omitting me from the retelling. “And who is your friend?”
The other girl practically bounced in her seat. Kathryn gave me a hesitant smile and introduced us. “This is Crystal. Crystal, this is the bartender. Was it Andrew?”
I could tell from the twinkle in her eyes she knew exactly what my name was. She was playing with me. And she didn’t want her friend to know she remembered my name.
I cleared my throat and corrected, “It’s Alexander, but you’re close. Welcome to the Purple Dragon, Crystal. And welcome back, Kathryn. Can I get something started for you ladies?”
“I heard someone poured her an amazing drink last night,” Crystal said, leaning in and giving Kathryn a knowing smile. “Was that you?”
I preened and tugged on the sleeves of my Henley as I cleared my throat and said, “I don’t know where else Kathryn might have had a drink last night, but I’d like to think she was talking about mine.”
Something changed in Kathryn’s demeanor, and she gave me a sly grin. “That would make you a pretty cocky guy, wouldn’t it? You have no idea where I was before I came in or where I went when I left. I could have been barhopping all night.”
With Tall, Dumb, and Boring? I wanted to ask. I seriously doubted that, and her reaction at the first sip spoke volumes. I challenged her. “Name one other bar you went to last night.” When she blushed and said nothing, I nodded. “Would each of you ladies like one of my Cinna-lime cherry vodka sours?”
“If that’s what you served up last night, I’m probably going to want more than one,” Crystal laughed.
“Let’s see if you can actually recreate it,” Kathryn said. “That’s the mark of a good bartender.”
“I’m up for that challenge,” I said, turning around to mix the drinks. I could easily prove my accomplishment as a bartender. I’d been doing it long enough. It was one area of my life I was sure about. As I delivered the two glasses, I raised an eyebrow and cleared my throat. “Bottoms up. And if it doesn’t stand up to par, it’s on the house.”
Crystal tipped the glass up eagerly while Kathryn hesitated, holding my gaze even as she lifted the rim to her perfect lips. She barely tasted it, but I saw the pleasure light in her eyes and instant before she closed them and savored the taste.
“Oh. My. God,” Crystal said. “Total mouth-gasm.”
Kathryn set her drink down with a nod of appreciation. “You win.”
I shrugged with one shoulder. “What can I say? I’m a master at my trade.”
“I’ll second that!” Crystal giggled.
Kathryn narrowed her eyes and folded her hands in front of her on the bar, leaning in with a curious tilt of her head. “So, are you here every night?”
That took me off guard. My regulars knew my schedule, but I didn’t need the epitome of temptation in the bar every night I worked. At the same time, she’d come back here specifically to see me. That much was obvious. At the moment, it was just a little casual flirting, and I wasn’t opposed to that. In fact, maybe if she came in more often, it would feed my fantasy life, and I would be a much happier person.
“No, not every night, and you’ll hear my regulars complain about that. But I’m here every Wednesday and Thursday, and every other Friday. But there’s not a single bartender working here, though, who won’t impress you.”
She sat back in the stool and folded her arms over her chest. I fought to maintain eye contact as she countered, “I’d have to assume some are more impressive than others.”
The teasing lilt to her voice made all my blood run south, and I cleared my throat, pulling on my sleeves.
With a triumphant expression, she added, “It takes more than a little creativity and a good memory to bring people back. You have to have charisma. And maybe some other traits that keep people hanging on.”
Was she suggesting she found me attractive? Of course, I thought back to her boyfriend and couldn’t imagine her being attracted to both of us. “It goes both ways,” I said. “A bartender won’t turn on the charm unless there’s something particularly appealing about a patron. We pick our regulars in the same way they pick us.”
Her cheeks were pink, and I felt I’d scored. From the corner of my eye, I could see Crystal watching back and forth like it was a tennis match, following the banter.
Kathryn looked like she wanted to say something else to me, but she closed her mouth quickly and reached for her drink, turning to Crystal. I would have taken it as a dismissal, but Crystal slammed her empty glass on the bar. “Bless your heart, this is the best drink I’ve ever had. What else can you whip up? I want happiness in a glass, Alexander.”
I laughed. “Give me a minute, I’ll pull something together for you. What about you, Kathryn?” She still had half her drink, but I didn’t want to walk away without hearing her voice. She was good at masking her thoughts with her expression, but she couldn’t seem to do the same when she spoke. There was a lot to learn in every word that came out of her mouth, and as a bartender, I knew how to translate the knowledge.
“No, I’m good with this. For now,” she added, and I stopped in my pivot to look back at her. She had that catty look, her eyes slightly narrowed, her lips wearing a ghost of a smile, and her head tilted down just enough so she looked at me through her lashes. It was the look of someone who was sending an underlying message that wasn’t appropriate for all ears. “You never know what I’ll want later.”
I cleared my throat, trying to swallow the heat that crept up at the insinuation. My imagination went into overdrive, and I didn’t know how to respond, so I finally just turned around to make a drink for her friend. When I dropped it in front of Crystal, she passed me her credit card. “Tonight’s my treat,” she said definitively, obviously expecting Kathryn to protest. And she was probably right, considering Kathryn’s venomous glare .
I heard some commotion from the bachelor party, and I looked up to check it out. A couple of the guys seemed to be in a heated disagreement, though I couldn’t tell what about. I assumed the usual – money, pool, or a girl. I started over there to break it up, but Rudy waved that he’d handle it. Perfectly content to stay here and take in the view, I kept myself busy, emptying the dishwasher and placing dirty glasses and mugs inside.
“Hey, Alexander,” I heard Kathryn say, and I looked up slowly, waiting for her to speak. “What do you do when you’re not here?”
I put down the glass in my hand and turned to face her fully. That was a personal question, and if it had come from any of my regulars, I would have quipped something smart at them – told them I moonlighted as a lounge singer, drove cabs for vampires, or something of the kind. But I knew somehow that Kathryn wouldn’t accept the joke as a final answer and would poke and prod until she got the truth out of me.
I cleared my throat but didn’t get to speak as Crystal piped up, “Do you have some sort of frog in your throat, darlin’? Because you do that an awful lot. Maybe you should pour yourself some whiskey back there and add a drop of honey. Heat it for a few seconds and gulp it down. It’ll kill whatever you got that you can’t seem to clear up.”
Did I really clear my throat that often? I tugged at my sleeves and told her, “I might try that.” To Kathryn, I said, “I actually have another bartending gig. I bartend at The Machine down on Main.”
“Ooh, I’ve heard about that place. Swanky.” Crystal gave her a questioning look, and she explained, “It’s very upscale, classy, and from what I hear, always packed.”
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself. “You know, I’m working there tomorrow night, and we’ve got a guest DJ coming in. DJ Roundhouse. You should come in, both of you.”
Crystal practically bounced in her chair, but Kathryn seemed hesitant, definitely surprised by the invitation. Of course, I’d surprised myself. I couldn’t believe I’d been so free with the information to start with, much less so easy about issuing the invitation.
“I’ll think about it,” she finally said. “I’m not sure what I have going on, so I’ll have to check my calendar.” It was a clichéd hard-to-get response, and I wanted to laugh. But I held back as she added, “I also have a long day at work tomorrow. I might just to go home and watch a movie.”
I smirked. “I bet. Listen, just check it out. If you don’t want to be there, you can leave any time.”
“And you’re going to be behind the bar?”
“Part of the time. Sometimes I get to work the crowd, troll through and make sure everyone’s having a good time, and send them back to the bar for another drink.”
“Schmoozing? Well, you’re certainly charming enough.” She blushed.
I beamed, and Crystal reiterated, “You sure are, sweetheart. I know I’d be all sorts of giddy and bright-eyed if you came up to me like that.”
She was a charmer, and it would be interesting to see her mingle with the rest of the crowd at The Machine. She didn’t have any effect on me, though—my eyes were on her friend.
Kathryn took a deep breath and said, “All right, I’ll try to make it out…and do you have any coffee back there? I’m low on caffeine.”
I laughed, and Crystal rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind her. I keep telling her she should get one of those IV drips. She’d drink it in her sleep, if she could.”
“Lucky for you, I keep a pot going for anyone who wants to sober up. How do you like it?” I asked.
“Neat.” I loved the reference and poured her a hot cup of the stout brew.
We talked a little longer, but Kathryn eventually tugged a protesting – and tipsy – Crystal out of the bar, waving goodnight.
“I’ll see you tomorrow!” I called after her.
She didn’t respond, but I saw the hesitation in her step that told me she heard me. I watched the door close behind her and sighed before turning and seeing Lynn chuckling and shaking her head.
“What?” I asked.
Lynn laughed even louder and nodded toward the door. “It looks like you’ve got your eyes full.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, please!” she said. “I saw how you acted with that girl. I have to admit, I’m jealous. I’d love to be her right now. I think someone has a little crush, and I don’t mean me.”
I gave her an incredulous look. “You don’t really think she has a crush on me, do you? She’s got a boyfriend—you saw the guy she was with last night.”
Lynn shook her head. “I don’t know about her, but you’re sprung. But you have good taste, so I can’t give you too much flak. A word of advice might be good, though.”
“Oh, really? And what’s that?” I asked, leaning in close.
“Stop the grade school act. You might as well be pulling her hair and snapping her bra. If you like the girl, make a real move, and rescue her from that disaster of a relationship she’s in. That boy has nothing on you.”
She was right about the last part, but what could I really do about it? I guessed I would let things play out, for now, and see if she even showed at The Machine tomorrow night.