CHAPTER 19
Carly wiped down the bar. She was so happy to be home and back to her life again, she didn’t even care she was tired or that her feet radiated pain every time her sneakers rubbed the blisters on her heels.
Nope. Everything was fine. Good. Back to normal. She’d only grabbed a few hours of restless sleep on the plane, but she’d had to take the shift tonight since no one else was scheduled.
That was okay, though. She was back in her own bar where she was the boss and didn’t have to follow anyone else’s rules, and she’d already taken the pills Matt had slipped her.
Things were back to normal. Her usual, boring and predictable life looked pretty damn good after the past couple of days . . . until she looked up to see Jack walk through the door.
She held her breath and waited, but Trey wasn’t behind him.
Carly tried to deny the fact her heart had just stopped beating as she said, “Hi, Jack.”
“Hey, darlin’.” Jack’s glance swept the nearly empty bar as he perched his butt on a bar stool directly in front of her. “Slow day?”
Slow didn’t come close to describing it.
“Yeah, but that’s fine. I’m a little jetlagged.” Knowing she couldn’t tell anyone the truth about her absence, Carly kept her voice low.
She’d told her relief bartender she’d packed a bag and gone out of town to help an old college girlfriend who had an emergency. Since she lived in an apartment above the bar, there’d been no way to avoid someone noticing she was gone.
Pressing his lips together, Jack nodded. “I’m glad it’s slow. Not for your business of course, but it’ll give us a chance to talk.”
Talk? Carly didn’t know if she was ready for this discussion right now.
Swallowing hard, she steeled her nerves. “Talk about what?”
“About that maybe you gave me the other night to us going out on a date. I’m hoping you’ve decided to turn that answer into a yes.” His slow, sweet smile was enough to melt any woman’s heart. Any woman who wasn’t fighting it as hard as she was.
“I don’t date military guys, Jack. You know that.”
Maybe she should have that credo made into a sign and hang it behind the bar.
If nothing else, it would serve to remind her what happened when she gave in to temptation. That she’d seduced Trey in the darkness only to have him act like it was all a job the next day proved she obviously needed reminding.
“I know that, darlin’, but you forgot about your rule with me the other night. I may have been drunk as piss, but I remember that kiss and it was real nice. Wasn’t it?”
“Yes.” She couldn’t deny it. It had been nice. Just like Jack was nice and sweet, and kind and funny.
He was just the kind of guy Carly should like, and she did like him in spite of her saying no to all his invitations.
She held firm on her rule with Jack, who was so obviously interested in her. Meanwhile, she’d let herself get attached to Trey, who had no interest in her at all now their assignment was over.
Even so, the thought of Trey took her breath away and made her heart begin to pound. She’d watched the door for him to come in all day.
She craved him like an alcoholic craves a drink. Why? Probably because he didn’t want her.
Typical. All of her quoting her rules to any man who asked her out was obviously just crap because she’d gone and let herself get attached to the wrong man yet again.
She was going to have to get over Trey because she had meant nothing to him except as part of his job.
“Darlin’?” Jack touched her hand lightly and brought her attention to the present.
“Sorry. I’m a bit distracted.”
Jack raised his brow. “I see that. You’re not the only one.”
Assuming he was talking about himself being worried about his brother, she lowered her voice as she asked, “How is your brother?”
Jack smiled. “Good. Thanks for asking. He’s pretty banged up, but he’s alive. You can’t ask for more than that. He’s still in the hospital in Germany, but they should be transporting him home before too long.”
Carly grabbed two beers out of the cooler and popped the tops. She slid one to Jack and kept the other for herself. She needed it after what she’d been through.
“On me. Here’s to a complete recovery.” For all of them . . .
“Amen.” Jack raised his bottle in a toast and then sipped the beer. He played a bit with a bead of sweat running down the glass bottle before he raised his gaze to her. “What’s with the military-men rule, darlin’? Who hurt you?”
Carly looked at him with surprise. This guy was either really perceptive or she was an open book. She had a feeling it was the latter. “Just some asshole.”
He tilted his head. “Some asshole ruined it for all the rest of us? Where is he? I’d like to show him what I think about that.”
She smiled. She hadn’t had someone want to beat anyone up for her in a long time, if ever.
“Sorry. He’s clear across the country now with his wife and kid.” Maybe kids plural by now for all she knew.
“Well, if you ask me, it’s a damn shame to throw out the whole pie just because the crust got a little burnt.”
Carly laughed. It had been a long time since a man had made her laugh.
Jack smiled. “You should laugh more. I like it.”
Contemplating her current situation, Carly took another sip of her beer and let the cold foam slide down her tightened throat.
She didn’t date military men, yet here she was, pining over one anyway.
Maybe it was a stupid rule. A doctor or a lawyer or a garbage man could hurt her too. Maybe if she hadn’t been living like a nun the last couple of years, she wouldn’t have been so affected by Trey after just one night in bed with him.
“Okay.”
Jack raised one sandy brow. “Okay what, darlin’?”
“I’ll go out with you.” She had to laugh again because Jack couldn’t have looked more surprised if she had gotten up on the bar and done a striptease.
She quickly pushed the thought of her recent striptease out of her mind.
He’d stopped with the beer halfway to his mouth and just gaped at her.
She pushed the hand holding the beer down to the bar. “Close your mouth before a bug flies in.”
A wide smile spread across Jack’s face. “When?”
If she was going to do this, then why not make it right away? “I have to work tonight. Is tomorrow night good for you?”
“Hell yeah, tomorrow’s good and even if it wasn’t I’d make it work.” He cocked his head to the side and sobered for a second. “Not that I’m one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but what made you change your mind?”
She laughed. “Believe it or not, I think it was the burnt-pie analogy.”
He smiled and raised his beer again. “I’ll remember to thank Mama for that one next time I call.”
A man who loved his mama. Jack couldn’t be more perfect . . . unless he were Trey.