Page 8 of Gone for You

“Explained what?” I turn my head to the side and I know my eyebrows bunch together, not following along.

He pulls the cork out of a bottle of wine with a pop and fills two glasses just a little over halfway with a deep red. Looking at me out of the corner of his eye, he answers, “You look familiar and thought maybe you’d been in here before.”

The server grabs the tray after he’s filled it with her order and turns to deliver it to her customers. And then his focus returns to us. Or, me, rather.

I rub my lips together then lick them. His eyes drop to my mouth and my chest heaves as I suck in a breath. Why do I like hearing that he’d have noticed me? Why do I want him to keep his attention on me?

“You think I look familiar?”

He studies me. “Wehavemet, haven’t we?” he pauses when I nod then his eyes widen. He stands up straight, not taking his eyes off me. He sounds shocked when he says, “Holy fuck! Olivia? Owen’s sister Olivia?”

“Guilty.”

He plants his hands on the bartop and does a side jump to hurdle over it. Then he’s right in front of me, pulling me off my barstool, squats down and wraps me up in his arms for a much-too-short hug. “Look at you, girl! I wish I’d have known you were going to be here. I feel like a giant douche. I knew you looked familiar! It was what, ten years ago when we met? Maybe more? I remember Owen telling me you were seventeen – probably to warn me off from trying to date you.” He grins and winks.

I duck my head, still a little embarrassed over that encounter. “Probably. He was kind of protective back then.”

“But he isn’t anymore?”

“Eh. Not really. We’re adults.”

“Yeah, you are. Wow, Liv, you’ve…” he scrubs a hand over his face, taking me in head to toe. “I think I called you gorgeous that night, didn’t I?” Hedoesremember. He snaps his fingers as if the night we met just came back to him. “In fact, I know I did. And you’re even more so now.” Just like his words affected me so many years ago, they do right now, too. “You know, Owen and I have kept in touch over the years. He came here once, actually, when he was on his way to see you. I think you were living in Chicago at the time. Is that where you still live?”

“Yeah, I’m still living in Chicago. I didn’t know that he stopped here, though.”

He points a finger to the other bartender. “Rex spent almost two weeks up at his resort last summer, actually. Fished a bunch. Relaxed. Hung out with him. Forgot a coat or something and Owen dropped it off on his way to your place so he stayed with me a night.”

A few years ago, Owen bought a crumbling lakeside resort and has been slowly renovating all the cabins. His goal for the resort is that families can reconnect without being connected. WiFi is limited. Electricity, running water and plumbing are considered luxuries in the cabins. No TV’s or gaming systems. When families are at The Escape Resort & Lodge, he does everything he can to encourage time to be spent outside, building memories together.

Might sound weird for a single guy to have that kind of interest in families, but we grew up that way and he sees the benefits. I think he’d go completely off the grid if we wouldn’t go crazy not being able to talk to him.

“This the peach whiskey girl?” the other bartender asks, interrupting our stare down.

“Peach whiskey girl, huh?”

Ethan looks a little sheepish when he answers, “I told him about your request when he saw me cutting up the peach for your drink.”

I don’t miss the threatening look Ethan gives his friend. One that goes completely ignored.

“What’s your name?” he asks me, leaning on the bar.

I glance at Ethan, his eyes are narrowed on his co-worker. “Um,” I hesitate.

The glare doesn’t go unnoticed, but it’s also doesn’t seem to bother him in the least. He simply chuckles. “Oh relax, boss man. I’m not trying to take your girl.” He winks at me and I can immediately see why he, too, has had a lineup of women customers in front of him tonight. Also…boss man? His girl?Why does that thought make me blush but also let loose the butterfly farm that was asleep in my stomach?

“Boss man?” Lily asks.

“Ethan here’s the owner of this fine establishment.”

What? He is? “You are?” I ask, directing my attention on Ethan.

He nods once. “I am.” Hitches a thumb over his shoulder, pointing to his friend. “And this dipshit is Rex.”

Rex sticks out his hand. “I’m Rex.”

“See? He’s a dipshit. I just told them that, moron.”

Rex clutches his chest in mock-hurt. “What’s with the name calling? See the abuse I take from this guy? I should report you to HR.”

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