The man standing next to him that looks like an overgrown frat boy shakes his head. “Dude, it’s going viral.”
Ax smacks him in the gut without breaking eye contact with me. “Is that why you requested the material on refinancing? I’ll help you, Lexy. I want to.”
Lexy? Throttle him, I tell myself. I swallow hard, trying to fight the instinct. Ax knows better than to call me that. It’s as if he’s purposefully trying to incite a homicide. And if I’ve learned anything from Low’s fiasco, it’s that Ax isn’t opposed to throwing an innocent woman into the pokey for the night.
“Wait”—my mind screeches to a halt before I actually go nuclear on him for purposefully calling me a name that I feel genuine disdain for—“how did you know I requested the material on refinancing?”
He gives a quick grimace, and if he’s smart he’ll run for the hills. “My father just bought out Mortgage Makers. Half the employees quit, so I volunteered to drop a few documents off. I swear I didn’t know it was for you.”
A breath gets locked in my throat as I glance around like a caged cat plotting my escape. The song comes to an abrupt end, and I beeline over to Low and her perky friend Raven who can’t seem to drift two feet from each other.
“Look, Low—I’d better get going.” No sooner do I get the words out than she accosts me with another lung crushing embrace.
“You’ll do no such thing. What are you going to do for work?” Low looks as if it’s her world that’s dissolving before her very eyes.
“Nothing.” Raven taps those overblown lips of hers with her hand. “Sorry, but you’re like a pariah. You’re trending on Twitter and not in a good way.”
“Trending? I’ve spent my entire life sidestepping anything that remotely smelled like a trend.” I’m dying. I’m dead. I’ll never work again. I’ll be the new cart lady in front of Hallowed Grounds that everyone buys coffee for just to pat their own backs as if they’ve truly contributed to the world. I’ll be Hollow Brook’s token psychotic bag lady who screams at the top of her lungs all day long, but little will they know I’ll lucidly be cursing a small majority of the very people under this roof for this collision course my life is on.
Low shakes her head as a single tear glides down her rosy cheek, and it’s all for me. “I’ll help you get a job. I swear I’ll do whatever it takes to get your life back on track. You’re a good person. I’m sure that veteran who lost her ability to hear in a roadside bombing had it coming.” She clamps down on her lips so hard they turn white as paper.
Raven scoffs at her bestie because, obviously, she’s not feeling nearly as hormonal or human this evening. “Where are you possibly going to find her gainful employment in the entire tri-city area? Social media suicide is a contagion in this day and age. She’ll be unemployable for at least a decade. Maybe longer. The Internet has a way of keeping this kind of thing fresh and alive.” She shifts her dead eyes to mine. “You’ll be a meme by morning.”
I suck in a sharp breath at the thought.
“She has a job,” a deep voice strums from behind and I spin on my heels, ready to stab the overgrown frat boy at the other end of those deep vocal cords once he makes a crack about me working on my knees. But it’s not an overgrown frat boy. It’s Axel. “Here. At the bar. You can waitress. Prime hours. Tips are good, I promise.”
My heart thumps once as if it were trying to kick-start back to life. Just hearing him make yet another promise makes me numb on the inside for an entirely different reason.
“The hell she’ll work here.” Low scoffs. “Lex has too much pride to sit under the thumb of her ex.” She does her best to shoo him away like some obnoxiously oversized horsefly, but my eyes remain locked over his. There has always been something unfairly hypnotic about those gray lenses of his. Such a rare, complex color, and that about sums up our entire relationship, complex and rare and in the end very much over.
“I’ll do it.” I hear the words stream from my lips before my brain can process what’s just happened.
“What?” both Raven and Low cry out at once.
“You heard me.” I force the words to eject from my lips as I openly scowl at the budding elation in Axel Collins’ eyes. “I’ll take it.”
Axel
She’ll take it?
My body goes rigid as I try to maintain my composure. Lex is like a cat, a false move and she’ll slash your throat and gouge your eyes out in one slick maneuver.
“You’re kidding, right?” Low whispers to her. “I mean, this is the guy you hate—the ex that sent you running for the hills. You wore an entire spike strip the last time you were in here in the event he even looked at you crooked. You do realize he owns the place, don’t you?”
“I don’t care.” She glares at me as if I were the one who uploaded that demeaning video. “You’ll stay out of my way if you know what’s good for you.”
My lips twitch as I struggle to keep from smiling. “And you’ll be on time and courteous and respectful to the clientele. You can start tomorrow at four. You’ll work till closing and you won’t complain because you’ll be grateful for the chance to keep a steady diet of green infused into your bank account.”
Lex gasps so loud even the band stops the music for a brief second just to assess whether or not she’s having a cardiac episode.
Both Low and Raven whisk her off to the other end of the bar. Brody steps into my line of vision and blocks her from my view. “What the hell? Dude, you weren’t even nice to her. Do you always sweet talk the ladies like that?”
“No, I save all my sourpuss moves for Lex. Sarcasm is her love language.” Actually, it’s something far darker than sarcasm that keeps the cogs in her wheels churning and turning. “She’s had a rough life.”
“Join the club.” Brody folds his arms across his chest as we both look to where Low and Raven have her surrounded. I know what he meant. It’s only been six months since my sister passed away, and it feels like six minutes. Emilia and Lex were friends once, and I took down that relationship when I took down my own.
Levi comes up and slaps a hand over my shoulder. “What’s going on? Low practically gave me the finger when I tried to intervene. She said you were responsible for this.” He smacks his lips with disappointment. “You do realize that hitting on your ex is only going to enrage her and make things worse.” He gives a subtle wink. Levi thinks there’s a modicum of hope for Lex and me to get back together. I’d hate to break it to his optimistic new and improved self, but Lex and I are irreparable—a broken mirror with too many shards lying around to ever be safe. Who the hell could ever fashion that back together? Hell, I bled out from the simple act of handing her this olive branch—if you consider spotty employment at a restaurant a peace offering.
Brody leans in, that stern as shit look on his face. “Axel here just offered his ex a job. It looks like that waitress position we were in need of was just filled. She starts scaring off customers as early as tomorrow night. So much for getting out of the red.”
“She’ll behave.” I hear myself say the words, but I shake my head as if to refute the idea at the very same time.
“You gave her a job?” Levi winces over at the girls still huddled in an estrogen mass. “Thanks for the heads-up. I’m coming in with a helmet tomorrow night.” He offers a solid sock to my arm. “Let me guess. You’re about to start haunting this place on the regular yourself?”
I think on this for a minute. I’ve been at the office almost twelve hours a day for the last six months straight. Emilia’s death threw my father headfirst into his work, expanding his law firm, expanding his business reach as far as his leveraging powers would allow, and it’s all I can do to keep up with him.
I blow out a breath in lieu of words. Damn. There’s no way I can maintain my workload and have enough waking hours left over to haunt any establishment, let alone this one.
“Relax. I’m kidding.” Levi butts his shoulder to mine. “I know she’ll go nuclear if you’re in the vicinity. If she re
ally needs the gig, then do everyone a favor and steer clear.” He offers up a quick slap over my back just as his twin, Chip, calls everyone’s attention for a quick toast to the happy couple. Ironic that Chip of all people is even allowed to speak at tonight’s event, considering the fact he bedded and fathered a child with Levi’s ex-wife while they were still legally married. Yes, Levi has been through the proverbial wringer.
I glance to Lex and our eyes lock once again, mine with longing and hers with the threat of an evisceration. Yes, it’s safe to say I’m about to go through the wringer myself as if the first time wasn’t bad enough.
“Hey, man.” Brody shakes his head at me with pity. “Don’t you worry. I’ll take her under my wing and make sure she’s all right. You do your thing at the office. I’ll keep an eye on her here.”
It takes everything in me not to clock him because, for one, I know Brody Wolf all too well to decode that frat speak he just emitted. And two, he’s delusional enough to believe he could actually accomplish his mission.
“She’s not like that. I’d threaten your balls for even hinting at the idea of sleeping with her, but Lex can take care of herself. If you’re a soprano the next time I see you, I’ll know why and I’ll laugh about it, too.”
“Very funny.” His features grow dark at the thought of his low hanging fruit getting plucked unceremoniously by my ex.
We glance back to the bar and catch Lex taking off like a bat readying to dive back into her cave before the sun scorches her delicate skin. And dear God, how I miss that delicate skin.
“And there she goes. Damn, she’s got a nice ass on her.” Brody shakes his head as she sashays out the door.
“That she does.” I can’t take my eyes off the void she left in her wake. I’ve missed every last inch of her for far too long. For years now I’ve been gripped with the fear I’d be alone forever. I don’t have to look high and low to realize that there’s no one out there for me but Lex. A part of me thought she’d never step back into my life, and yet here she is. Everything in me says grab on with all you’ve got—and there’s nothing more I’d rather do.
Chip starts in on the toast while Brody heads over to the bar to make sure the champagne is flowing in the right direction before the speech commences.
Brody is a good guy but one I wouldn’t want a single woman in my life to fall victim to. Nope. It’s clear I need to choose between a career in law and reviving my career as a mixologist.
I think I already know the answer to that one.
In fact, I think I’ll name my first signature drink the Lextini. It’s hot and spicy and leaves you with a hangover that lasts six long years.
Six years too long if you ask me.
I think it’s about time I cured that.
It’s time I cured a lot of things.
Collins and Associates, my father’s law firm in which I was made an official partner just four short months ago, sits snug in downtown Jepson in a tall slender building fit with enough mirrored windows that on a clear sunny day I’m convinced you can see it from space. The refractive light winks on and off like a distress signal as I make my way inside. The thirty-seventh floor is where a majority of the partners have their offices—and once the elevator doors vomit me out, I spot my little sister, Teagan, sitting behind the receptionist’s counter as she logs in hours for her summer internship. Teagan is a carbon copy of Emilia, and every time I look at her I feel a pang of grief volley through me. Same dark hair, same violet gray eyes that have always looked far more manufactured than they ever do real. Emilia was a beauty, and when she died she took all that beauty with her. And my God, how we miss her. But thankfully, we still have Teagan. She’s just finished high school and has opted to head to community college instead of straight to Whitney Briggs, which was a disappointment to my mother in what has been a long line of disappointments this year.
“What’s up, kiddo?” I lean over the counter and give her ponytail a slight tug. “Is Shep here?” Shepard is my one and only brother. He’s just passed the bar and thus just surpassed my father’s expectations for him. Shep has always been the wild card in our family, a bright spot that hungers for fun and spontaneity on a regular basis. He’s slowly wilting in an office next to mine and it hasn’t been but a few months. A part of me wonders if it had to do with Emilia’s passing, but I think we all know Shep is having a hard time fitting his square peg into the round slot of this judicial climate.
“I’m not a kiddo,” Teagan snarks, swatting my hand away. “Dad dropped off a ton of new files and I plopped them on your desk. Mer’s stuff.” Mer—Meredith is Levi’s ex who recently had his brother’s baby. Both Chip, the brother in question, and Meredith had somehow found a place in my father’s iron heart. They’re both top-notch attorneys, the brightest and the best, so it’s no surprise my father had to have them. And all those long lonely nights working overtime together contributed to their affair, ultimately resulting in that baby girl of theirs. Since Mer’s still not back from maternity leave, I’ve been picking up the slack right along with Chip.
I groan at the thought of an increased workload. “Sounds good. You up for lunch? I’m thinking of heading out—The Sloppy Pelican maybe?”
“Done! And we’re headed straight into party planning mode once we get there!” Her eyes brighten at the thought. Teagan loves The Sloppy Pelican as much as I do. So much in fact, she’s begged me to let her have the banquet room for her birthday party in a couple of months. All she wants to talk about is the endless lists of people she’s invited, the décor, the boys who will be there. I’ve let her know in no uncertain terms that I’m not above breaking a leg or two. But I’ve listened to everything she has to say regarding the party of the century, intently at that. I know for a fact that if Emilia was still alive these are things she would be sharing with her, and I’m doing my best to fill the void. My mother and Teagan have a rough sordid relationship—and that about explains every relationship my mother has ever had with anyone.
“Let me comb through a few things and we’ll get out of here.” I head for my office just as my father strides my way, that signature grin of his expanding at the sight of me.
My mother has always referred to my father as a silver fox, a devil incarnate among other far more nefarious titles. They’ve been divorced for over ten years. My mother has remarried and divorced again twice since then. But my father has remained faithful to his work. His career was the mistress that stole his heart, my mother once said. I’ve ventured to guess she was right. But my father’s mistress is no soul mate if you ask me. He’s lonely, tired, overworked, but he plods on, chasing after his next million. He’s never been content in that respect. A part of me is terrified I’ll end up just like dear old Dad, tired and alone, chasing empty dollars to fill up bank accounts that I don’t really care about. Who the hell cares if I’m wearing a designer suit or how my penthouse compares to the rich idiot next door if I don’t have Lex in my life? The thought stops me cold for a moment. I don’t have Lex in my life.
Dad slaps his oversized mitt onto my back. “I’ve given Mortgage Makers over to Shep. We’ll let him clown around and see if he can get that up and running again. I think it’s a great addition to the portfolio, and it’s something solid he can really cut his teeth on. Once he gets that off the ground, we’ll ply him with some real work.” He leans in, that intense gaze of his has always had the power to make me feel as if I’m about to have my ass handed to me. His heavy cologne clots up the air between us, and my entire childhood flashes before my eyes. My father has always been a Polo man, and I’ve always appreciated the warm scent on him. I can’t walk by a bottle without thinking of my dad. “But for you, sport—I’ve got a surprise waiting on your desk. Why don’t we take a look?”
We head into my office together, the view of downtown Jepson wafts under the duress of heat as the hot air radiates over the city like a bad dream. A file marked Flynn Oil sits prominent on my desk, and I can’t seem to catch my next breath.
br /> “You’re giving me Flynn?” I stab my fingers over the cushioned file in disbelief.
“That’s right. There will be no time for you to mingle with any of the new mergers we’re incorporating. I’ve got the rest of the team to subdivide those. Chip has agreed to take on the remainder of Meredith’s load, which isn’t much considering she’ll be back in a few short weeks. But you”—he slaps me hard over the shoulder and it feels like a punishment—“you’ll be too busy for outings at that silly bar, forget about heading out for lunch. I’ll make sure Teagan sends in whatever you want. You’ll want to get on that case right away. There’s a conference call in the morning and you’ll need to be up on the history. Let me know if you need anything.” He takes off, nothing but his cologne trailing behind to mock me.
A knot builds in my throat as big as an oil derrick. Flynn Oil has notoriously vowed to expand its hundred-acre facility, which will bleed parts of the plant close to low-income housing and underperforming schools on the outskirts of east Jepson. It’s been a long running feud between neighbors and big oil, and I’m the lucky fish that will be publicly gutted when and if this goes awry. And by awry, I mean if and when I win. There is not a single way out of this but through the thorny gates of infamy.
I pick up that paperweight of the world Shep gifted me last Christmas and pitch it to the floor exploding it into glassy blue bits all over the hardwood floors.
“Shit.” I take a seat in that big leather chair I was once so eager to call my own and spin until I’m facing the window, facing Jepson itself, as I look out toward Hollow Brook, toward Lex and the life she’s living without me. Lex is in trouble—both financially and socially. Low showed me that video that’s been circulating this weekend and I feel terrible for her. I also want to slam that nosy neighbor of hers with libel, and that is the real reason I planned on heading back to The Sloppy Pelican for lunch. Levi mentioned she was coming in early for training and I wanted to run it past her—the irony being that Lex would most likely rather endure public humiliation than accept any overt help from me. Sure, she accepted the position at the bar, but I think even she knew I was married to my work and that our paths would seldom cross. And now, thanks to my father, even that scant bit of time I was looking forward to is nothing but a pipe dream.