Page 39 of Chasing Wildflowers
Before I can answer, the front door creaks open. The scent of stale liquor and sweat hitting me before I look up. I lift my head, meeting Luke’s bloodshot eyes.
Fucking hell. I do not want to deal with his particular brand of shit tonight.
He knows he’s banned. He’s called me every name in the book over it, ranting to anyone who listens.
I set my phone on the bar in front of me and cross my arms, standing my ground. “What are you doing here, Luke? You know you got banned.”
He stumbles, boots getting caught on the rug and bumps into a barstool to his right. Jesus, how drunk is he?
After another stumble and some swaying, he slides onto a barstool in front of me, beer and sweat rolling off him in rancid waves. “Laney, Laney, Laney,” he chants the nickname I hate.
Ugh. I think I would take One Dollar Rick playingFriends in Low Placeson repeat for an entire shift, over dealing with Luke.
“You know you’re not allowed in here, Luke,” I state flatly.
“This is the only bar in town, Laney,” he slurs, his lips tilting up in what I’m sure he believes is a charming smile. “You have to tell Chip it was all a misunderstanding.”
Seriously, he’s begging to be let back into a bar.
A bar.
Yep, he was definitely an all-time low for me.
My eyes narrow, anger rising from deep in my chest. “You sliced my tires and verbally assaulted me at the fair, Luke. You know Chip doesn’t give second chances. And neither do I.”
He sits back, the stool creaking under his weight. “I’m sorry about that, Laney, but you embarrassed me in front of my friend. But I’m willing to forgive you.”
Is he fucking for real right now? He’s willing to forgive me?
I bite back my anger. “Luke, if Chip sees you on the cameras, he’s going to lose his mind. You know what happened last time someone came after being banned,” I warn, looking directly at the camera above his head, hoping the threat is enough to get him to leave.
He glances at the camera over his shoulder, then back to me, his lips curling into a smug smile. “You and I both know he never watches them. Just give me a beer, Lane. Chip never has to know.”
I stalk to the cooler, yanking the door open harder than necessary, the cold air hitting me in the face. “One beer, Luke, and then you leave, got it?” I call over my shoulder, grabbing a bottle of Coors Light.
“Is he why you want me to leave?” Luke demands, when I set the bottle in front of him.
It takes me a second to catch on. Then I see it, my phone, screen lit with a text from Jameson.
Jameson
I’m coming to the bar. I have a surprise for you.
Lukes’s face twists into something ugly. “Is he the reason why you don’t go out with me again?”
My heart beats against my ribs, sharp and uneven.
I take a steadying breath. I need to stay calm. Jameson is on his way.
I fight the urge to glance at the door. “No, Luke. It isn’t because of him or anyone else. I just don’t do relationships,” I say, keeping my voice even.
“Bullshit!” He shoots up, knocking the stool over with a crash that echoes off the walls.
I jump back, breath catching. My mind flashes back to Byron falling to the ground, his light blue button up quickly becoming red.
Another crash. I’m jerked back to the present, swapping one monster for another.
Luke’s bloodshot eyes locked on me, his hands gripping the back of a stool so hard his fingers are turning white. “You want me to leave so he can come over and fuck you? Is that all you’re ever going to be, Lane? A slut?” He pushes the stool over, punctuating his words.
