Page 38 of Don't Regret Me
“No.” A woman walked toward them, hands on her apron-clad hips. She wore a loose shirt that hung off one shoulder, and her hair was wrapped in a messy bun on top of her head. “Absolutely not.”
“Ang.” Bentley sighed. “He’s sorry.”
“Don’t Ang me.” Her eyes narrowed. “I haven’t heard any apology coming from his lips. Just because you’re the minister now doesn’t mean I have to trust everything you say.”
Nick shifted under the intensity of her gaze. “I am. Sorry. There were… extenuating circumstances.”
She pursed her lips. “I don’t care whatcircumstances—” air quotes, “—led you to punch one of my customers. I don’t care that you’re Mr. Movie Star. There is no fighting in my brewery.”
“Noted. I promise not to punch any more of your customers.”
She pointed to Bentley. “He’s your responsibility.” She stormed back to the kitchen.
As they took their seats, Bentley laughed. “Don’t mind Angelina. She’s always a little tightly wound, but she’s great. I’ve known her most of my life.”
Nick would take his word for it. A waitress came, and he ordered water while the other two got craft brews.
Spending time with these two men he’d come to like was a lot of fun, but Nick couldn’t help wanting to see Liz, to kiss her, hold her. See the way she looked at him like she’d been waiting all her life for their story.
“Earth to Nick.” Bentley hid his smile by taking a sip. “Someone is distracted tonight.”
“Have you ever met someone you feel like you’ve known for longer than is possible?” He hadn’t meant to voice the question, but now it was out there.
The two other men shared a look Nick couldn’t decipher before Jimmy laughed. “Lizzy sure has you all tied up in knots.”
“I didn’t say?—”
“You didn’t have to, kid. I live next door. I’m old, but my eyes aren’t deceiving me yet.”
Bentley leaned in, suddenly interested. “Liz Ross?”
“Of course.” Jimmy smirked. “What other woman in this town could do this to a man?”
“Were you spying on us?” Nick met Jimmy’s eyes in challenge. People in this town were almost as nosey as the paparazzi he was used to.
“Of course.” Jimmy shrugged off the accusation. “Now, my question is, what are you going to do about it?”
“Do? I kissed her. I’m going to kiss her again.”
His smile fell, his expression growing serious. “That woman is special. She doesn’t need some bad-boy actor riding through town and taking her heart with him when he inevitably leaves.”
Bentley nodded in agreement. “That’s the best way to have all of Gulf City come after you.”
He opened his mouth to tell them they were wrong, to say he wasn’t just going to leave when this was all over, but he couldn’t get the words out. Were they right? Was he going to hurt her? His throat closed in, and he sputtered as water trickled down the wrong pipe.
Bentley thumped him on the back. “You all right there?”
No, he wasn’t all right. He had to talk to Liz, to warn her about falling for transient men with no history of stability. Drug addicts with memory loss and a past full of stupid decisions. Jimmy and Nick didn’t say it, but he knew what they were getting at.
He wasn’t good enough for someone like her.
“I need to go.” Liz worked the lunch shift today, so she should be home.
Neither Jimmy nor Bentley were smiling now. “Don’t do anything rash,” Bentley said.
“Just take it slow.” Jimmy scratched the side of his face, concern flooding his eyes.
“No, you’re right. I don’t live here. It isn’t my home, and I can’t pretend otherwise.”
