Page 71 of The Prince's Game
His finance guy called me to discuss the money a few days after I returned. I told him I wasn’t ready and would call him when the time was right. That appeased him for three weeks. When he phoned me a second time, he asked for a timeline, and I told him I didn’t have one. The other two times he reached out to me, I ignored him. Whenever my confidence returned, I would tell him to take a hike. Given my weak state, that would be a while.
When I walked back out into the living room, it was to find Rachel and Will engaged in a heated debate. They both stopped talking and watched me pick up my purse.Yeah, guys, not awkward at all. My best friend had a lot of explaining to do later.
Rachel cleared her throat. “You’re working at Louie’s tonight, right?”
“Yep.” I bartended at two places, both within walking distance of the apartment. They were more than happy to hire me, stating that my experience made me perfect for the job. As both managers were male, I knew the real reason had nothing to do with my brain and everything to do with how my breasts looked in a red halter top.
Will shook his head and walked off in the direction of Rachel’s bedroom, his phone going to his ear.
“William Mershano, now you listen to me.” My friend stalked off after him as he shut the door to her room and locked himself inside. She pounded on the wood and started up another litany of colorful curses.
“You and I are going to have an interesting conversation later, Rach.” If I didn’t have to get to the bar, we would be having it now.
“Oh, this is nothing and not at all what it looks like.” She knocked again, her voice rising to a shout. “He’s just a pompous ass who thinks he owns the damn place!”
“Uh-huh.” The pink coloring on her cheeks suggested otherwise. Rachel Dawson never lost her temper, but the billionaire winemaker had gotten under her skin. It seemed my best friend left out some pertinent details about what happened when Will came here to negotiate the infamous contract. She hadn’t mentioned him once since I returned, but their bickering indicated he hadn’t just shown up out of the blue. They’d kept in touch.Interesting. “I’ve gotta get going. Good luck with that.” I gestured to her door.
“I might need your help hiding a body later,” she muttered.
“That’s what friends are for, right?” I gave her a wave and left before she could see the tears fighting for life behind my eyes. The stark reminder of Evan was the last thing I needed. He hadn’t once tried to contact me. Not that I expected him to. We didn’t leave on happy terms. That was my biggest regret. Those final hours tainted our relationship, ruining all the good memories and replacing them with heartache.
The experience changed me. I lost everything—my job, my livelihood, and the love of my life—all in one night. My mom wanted me to move home, not in with Rachel. But going back to Indiana would be the ultimate sign of failure. I couldn’t handle that. I needed to find myself again, and I couldn’t do that in Fishers. Chicago was big enough for me to hide and reinvent the wheel.
Abby felt horrible. Whether it was because I found love and lost it or because she destroyed my life with a stupid prank, I wasn’t sure. My plan for revenge was put on hold due to Rachel’s sexy fed friend being pulled into a case, but I fully intended to see it through when he was available. The lull would make my sister complacent, and that’s when I would strike. Her apologies weren’t about the prank so much as about setting my heart up to be broken. Feeling bad for me was not the same as understanding why what she did was wrong. It was time for her to grow up.
“Hey, Sarah,” Chuck greeted at the front door of Louie’s. The burly bouncer was in his forties, bald, and about a foot taller than me. He was perfect for night security.
“Hey, Chuck.” I bumped my fist against his and entered my new world. Someday I would get used to it.
36
Louie’s Bar
After working four nights in a row, I was looking forward to a day off. I had two hours left of my Saturday-night shift at Louie’s, and then I was free to go. I hoped Rachel would be home tomorrow for some girl-bonding time. I hadn’t seen her much since Will’s mysterious appearance last week. There was something going on between them, something my friend didn’t want to talk about. I gave her space, but my curiosity was piqued.
I poured a round of beers for a group of frat boys at the bar. The one I nicknamed Billy was in charge of the tab and drunk off his ass. “Thanks, sweetheart.” He winked at my breasts.
“Anytime, Billy.” I turned around before he could ask me out again.
I regretted wearing jeans and a tank top tonight. June in Chicago was humid, making my clothes cling to my sweaty skin. Louie’s was known for its craft beers, not its air conditioning. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and grabbed a menu to use as a fan as I helped the next customer.
The petite blonde chick gave me a once-over and pursed her ruby lips. Someone loved makeup. “Rum and Coke.” The way she looked down her nose at me made her nickname easy.Bitch.
“ID?”
“Do I look like I’m carrying my ID?” She gestured at her skimpy dress and raised her eyebrows.
“Hmm, unfortunately, it’s bar policy to check anyone who looks under thirty. How about I get you a Coke and hold the rum?” I flashed her a smile that matched my saccharine tone.
“Seriously?”
“Is that a no? Too bad. I make a mean Coke. Let me know if you change your mind.” I moved on to the customer who sat at the far end of the bar during our conversation. My peripheral vision caught his movement, but not his face. I walked over with a napkin and set it in front of the guy.
“What can I get . . . ?” My fake smile died as I met a pair of familiar dark eyes.Fuck.
“Hello, Miss Summers.” Evan gave me a once-over and took the menu from my hand. “Thanks. I’ll let you know what I want in a bit.” He dismissed me by lowering his gaze.
My mouth wagged, but nothing came out.Of all the bars in Chicago . . .
