by Kally Ash
“Oh,” he hedged. “We... we’ve known each other for years. We dated through college but I fucked it—” He winced. “Excuse me. I messed it up about four years ago. We only reconnected recently.”
She nodded, but her eyes remained on Erin and Vee. “We learn from our mistakes, don’t we?” It was a statement rather than a question, but he answered it anyway.
“We do, and if we don’t, maybe we don’t deserve a second chance at things.”
Gigi’s dark eyes found his face, a smile tugging at her mouth. “I’m glad she has you. She deserves to be as happy as Max and I are.” She touched him briefly on the arm then walked into the room.
“Alright, little Erin monster, it is time for something to eat.”
Erin jumped up, running to Gigi and hugging her legs. Hard.
“Whoa, whoa, ease up, Erin,” Vee said, scooping her up. “You need to be gentle with Gigi.”
“She not Gigi. She’s Mommy,” Erin replied, spinning around in Vee’s
arms to face her. She placed her little hands on either side of Evangeline’s face, then leaned in and kissed her nose.
“Okay, Erin, lunchtime!” Max’s mother walked into the room, spiriting the toddler away. Evangeline looked up to find Beau staring at her, in wonder—in awe. Wrapping her in his arms, he placed a kiss onto the top of her head.
“I love you,” he whispered into her hair. “I love you so damn much.”
Turning her face to him, she merely stared. Her eyes told him that she felt the same way, but her mouth and her tongue remained still.
“You don’t have to say it if you’re not ready. I just want you to know.”
She nodded. “Come on, I need a drink.”
He followed her back into the kitchen, unable to take his eyes off her as she moved around the space, completely familiar with her surroundings. He was glad Vee had found a friend in Max and Gigi. It put his mind at ease.
“So I see you found a new best friend,” he said, breaking the silence.
“Best friend? Oh! You mean Erin?” He nodded. “Yeah, we’re tight.”
He drained the last of his beer. “You seem really happy just spending time with her.”
“I am. She’s a kid, you know. She doesn’t judge me.”
He didn’t tell her what he really wanted to say: that she looked like a natural mother, that he could see them getting married and having kids... that he wanted all of those things. With her. He glanced around the room, taking in the number of people that now filled it.
“Do you know any of them?” he asked, gesturing to the crowd.
Vee shook her head. “I don’t have much of a social life,” she said with a shrug.
He leaned back against the kitchen counter, crossing his arms. She joined him, mirroring his position. “So, what do you think she does?” he asked, pointing at a woman who looked like she just got her hair styled by a dog groomer.
“Oh, she’s definitely a spy,” Evangeline said with a smile. “Russian.”
Beau laughed out loud, drawing the attention of the primped and pampered woman.
She dismissed them, making Vee laugh out loud. “Okay,” she said, after she got control of herself. “What about him?”
A rather short man with thinning hair was perusing the table laid out with sandwiches, fresh fruit, and sushi rolls.
“Oh, well, he’s an exotic dancer.”
Evangeline spat out some of her drink, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Clearly he’s retired,” he tacked on, and Evangeline snorted.
Three hours later, they were on their way back to Vee’s apartment. Reaching over, she entwined their fingers as they took the winding road back into West Hollywood.
“Did you have fun today?” he asked, bringing her hand up to kiss the back of hers.
She was resting back against the headrest, slowly turning her face to him. “I did. Max and Gigi are meant to be together, and now their little family is growing.”
“Growing?”
She smiled. “Gianna is pregnant.”
“Huh.”
“What’s huh?” she asked.
“Oh, Gianna mentioned not feeling well earlier. I guess that makes sense.”
“Yeah, Max said she was having a bit of a hard time with the morning sickness.”
He frowned. “But it’s afternoon.”
Laughing, she said, “Morning sickness doesn’t restrict itself just to the morning.”
“I did not know that,” he said, slowing the car as he searched for a parking spot. He saw one car pulling out and flipped his directional signal on and waited.
Vee’s phone started to ring and he glanced over to see her pulling it free of her pocket.
“Yeah?” she asked. “Uh-huh. Yep. Fuck... okay. I’ll come in.”
“Something wrong?”
She glanced over at him, turning the phone over and over in her hands. “Yeah, the guy I’d left in charge tonight so both Max and I could have a night off has a family emergency. He can’t make it in. Neither can two of my bar staff.”
He tried to keep the disappointment off his face but knew he was failing terribly. Instead, he focused on the car pulling out in front of him. Moving quickly, he parallel parked and shut off the car.
“I’m sorry, Beau.”
He looked at her and shrugged. “It’s your business. I get it.”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I’ll make it up to you though.”
He smiled, his mind throwing up all sorts of different ways she could do that. “How about I come in for a while—bring you dinner, at least?”
“Like a date?” she asks.
“Yeah, well, we never did get to go to Cherry’s last time.” Nope, he had spent the afternoon and evening making Vee scream his name. Repeatedly.
She flushed and he reached out to touch her cheek, trying to chase the color before it disappeared. “Okay. I’ll see you for dinner.”
Grinning like a fool, he asked, “What would you like to eat?”
“Just get me a burger. There’s a place nearby that makes good ones.”
With a sharp nod, he said, “Done. Now, how long do we have before you have to leave?”
“Oh, no,” she warned, shaking her head. “I don’t have time for that.”
“All I need is ten minutes.”
21
Evangeline walked into work twenty minutes later, her body still flushed from Beau’s ability to make her come in very little time and with very little effort on his behalf.
“Boss,” Ava, one of her senior bar staff, said, falling into step beside her as she headed in the direction of the bar.
“How are we doing?” she asked, sliding on an apron. The place was practically overrun tonight, and the fact that they were down by two meant the staff were under pressure.
“Barely keeping our heads above water if I’m going to be honest.”
She looked around. Yep, that pretty much summed it up. “Let’s get everyone served as quickly as possible, then, once it’s under control, I’m going to see if I can find someone to come in and cover.”
Ava nodded and they both got to work. Evangeline was swallowed up in the noise, in the smells, in the energy of working a bar when there’s a hundred people all clamoring to lose themselves, if only for a night. When she finally got a minute to look up and breathe, she saw Beau walking toward her with a smile on his face and a takeout bag in his hand.
He waved it at her. “Ready for dinner?”
Was she ready to take a break from this hectic night? Absolutely. Could she? Probably not.
“As much as I’d love to, I don’t think I can leave these guys yet.”
His gaze gravitated to the left, seeing how slammed they were. With a determined nod, he walked off. Confused, Evangeline followed him with her eyes, seeing him duck under the end of the bar.
“Put me to work,” he told her.
She blinked.
“Vee? Come on. I can clear tables if you want me
to.”
She nodded, clearing her throat, “That’d be great. After you’ve done that you can help serve for a while.”
He gave her a mock salute before grabbing a large white wire basket and disappearing into the crowd. She couldn’t believe he’d given up his night to help her.
“Who was that, boss?” Ava asked, reaching up to get two martini glasses.
“None of your goddamn business,” she growled. “Get back to work.”
The color seemed to drain from the other woman’s face right before her eyes and she seemed smugly satisfied. Her reputation for being a bitch was still firmly in place. Turning to the next person waiting, she asked, “What can I get you?”
“Two extra dry martinis.”
With a nod, she got to work measuring and mixing. She glanced up a few times to find the woman watching her with an intensity she found unnerving. People normally watched when their drinks were being made, but Evangeline felt like the woman was watching her rather than simply watching what she was doing. Pouring out the mixed liquor, she placed them on the bar.
“That’s sixty dollars.”
The woman slid over a credit card, her gaze unwavering. Evangeline ran it through the machine, then handed her the slip of paper to sign.
“Thank you,” Evangeline said, taking the receipt back for her records.
The woman inclined her head slightly, tucked her pocketbook under her arm and whisked the two drinks away. Evangeline watched her go, an unsteady feeling settling over her.
“Hey,” Beau said with a smile as he walked behind the bar and placed his full basket of dirty glasses on top of the dishwasher. He popped the machine open and started loading. “How’s it going?”
“It’s starting to settle down.” Then to Ava she called, “I’ll go make some phone calls.”
Beau followed her back into the office, shutting the door and the craziness behind them. She watched how his eyes darted to her desk, and a satisfied grin pulled at his lips. She sat down, nudging her mouse to wake up her computer. Beau approached, rounding the desk and massaging her shoulders. She groaned as he applied just the right amount of pressure to her tight muscles.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish, Beau.”
He chuckled but didn’t stop. “Maybe I don’t want to stop. Maybe I want to have you on this desk again.”
Evangeline could’ve sworn she felt her blood inch a degree higher. She cleared her throat. “We can’t now.”
Letting out a theatrical sigh, he stopped and went to sit in the chair opposite her, a smile still playing on his lips. “You were considering it though, weren’t you?”
With the roll of her eyes, she picked up her phone and dialed the number of one of her bartenders. A few minutes later, she had it all arranged.
“As soon as Toby gets here, we can have dinner.”
“Good. I’ll run out and get us some fresh food, then.” He stood up and kissed her on the forehead, the little action meaning more to her than she wanted it to. She was getting comfortable with him—thinking of him like she did back in college—and that both scared and exhilarated her. The question was, was she willing to give Beau her heart again?
Beau stepped from Vee’s office, stopping when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Pulling it out, he looked at the screen to see it was yet another text message from Lisa asking him what he was doing tonight. He was getting fucking sick of her trying to insert herself into his life. He’d ignored her last five messages though, so he took a minute to send a reply.
Staying home.
Short and sweet and a complete lie, but if he told her where he really was, he had no doubt she’d be tearing him a new asshole for actually living his life while she languished away carrying a human life. He couldn’t wait to get the blood tests over and done with, to know whether he needed to be present for the soap opera Lisa’s life was becoming.
Sliding the phone back into his pocket, he continued up the hallway and out into the club. The place was still filling up, and he was in awe of Vee’s ability to run this club so successfully. He was weaving in and out of the crowd, keeping his eyes on the exit—his goal. His focus was drawn away, though, by the sound of laughter. The timbre of it tugged at his short-term memories and he spun around to see where she was.
“Lisa?” he said. Fuck. Why was she here? Shouldn’t she be taking it easy? He swore again when he realized he’d just lied to her about where he was, which also meant she knew he was here. Was she stalking him? Disgusted by the thought, he turned away before she could spot him. He’d almost made it to the door when someone tapped him on the shoulder.
“Staying home, are you?” Lisa asked, her arms folded over her chest.
He studied her to see if she’d been drinking but couldn’t detect the astringent sting of alcohol on her. “What are you doing here?” He found himself mirroring her body language, incredibly irritated by her.
“I could ask the same of you.”
“I’m not the pregnant one,” he shot back.
With a smirk, she said, “And I’m not the one keeping a secret from his girlfriend.”
His mouth popped open in shock. How could she possibly…?
“You haven’t told her, have you? Your girlfriend? She’s the owner of this bar, isn’t she?”
“How could you possibly know about her?”
“Oh, Beau, there’s so much I know about her. For example, I know she goes running at seven in the morning, she only drinks bottled water when she’s at work and on Sunday nights she goes to a place in the Hollywood Hills for dinner with friends.”
He found his hands had curled into fists at his side. Had Lisa been watching Vee, stalking Vee? He could feel his blood pressure shooting up, his protective instincts flaring to life. This woman was taking it too damn far.
“You have no right, Lisa.” He jammed his finger in her face. “No right.”
“Is everything okay here?” someone with a deep voice asked. From the corner of his eye, Beau could see a dark shadow moving closer, trying to insert themselves into the conversation. He turned his head slightly to confirm who he thought it was.
“Sir?” Vee’s bouncer asked, stepping closer.
He made sure to relax his stance, taking a step away. “Yeah, man,” he replied in a slow drawl. “Everything is just fine.”
The bouncer’s eyes darted between him and Lisa. “Ma’am?”
“Fine,” she ground out.
With one final inspection of Beau, the guy moved off.
“Stay away from her, Lisa,” he warned.
“Or what?” Her voice had an edge sharp enough to cut.
“Believe me, you don’t want to find out.”
Before his mouth could get him into any more trouble, he walked out of the club, stepping into the thick night air. He looked behind him, seeing Lisa staring at him still. Licking his lips, he walked in the direction of the same burger place he went to before but stopped halfway. He was too on edge. Lisa was in Vee’s club, and he didn’t quite know what she would do. The thought hit him in an instant, and no matter how much he tried to ignore it, the feeling wouldn’t go away. Panic flooded him, along with shame for not manning up earlier and telling Vee about Lisa’s pregnancy and the claims that it was his, as soon as he’d found out. He was stupid to keep it from her, but he was also petrified of losing her again.
He slowed to a walk a few hundred yards from the club, stopping by the door to speak with the bouncer.
“Hey, man,” he said, waiting for the guy to look at him. When his dark eyes finally did focus on his face, his top lip curled.
“What do you want?”
“I want to apologize for what happened before,” he said. “That woman had just told me some pretty intimate details about Vee’s life and I—”
“She’s fucking stalking Vee?” he demanded, his hand gravitating to his hip like he was used to wearing a side arm there. Beau nodded, happy to see they were on the same page. “I need to tell V
ee about this.”
“No!” Beau put his hands up in front of him. “Please. I’ll do it—I’m the reason she’s following Evangeline in the first place. She’s my ex and she didn’t take the breakup well.”
The guy nodded but didn’t relax.
“Thank you. I’m Beau, by the way. I guess I’ll be spending a lot more time here from now on.”
“Rich.” He held out his meaty palm for them to shake. “You’re the guy dating Vee?”
His chest puffed up a little at that statement. “I am.”
The other guy grinned, revealing an offset gold tooth in an otherwise pristine mouth. “You’d better do right by her, Beau, otherwise you’ll have to deal with me.”
His brows rose, and Rich shrugged; the guy was completely unapologetic.
“You sound like Max,” Beau mused.
“We both look out for our girl.”
“Well, now you won’t have to; I’ll always be around.”
“Good. Now get inside. You’re making me lose my focus.”
He gave him a nod and stepped inside the club.
The noise was an instant assault on his ears, his senses getting overwhelmed for just a minute. He glanced around, looking for Lisa. He scanned the room twice more before being satisfied that she was gone. Thank fuck for that.
Vee’s desk phone rang shrilly in the near silence of her office. Without looking up from her work, she picked it up and sandwiched the handset between her shoulder and ear.
“Yeah?”
“We could use a hand, boss,” Ava said. The background noise of the bar leaked through the phone, and she heard the voices, how frenetic the pace was without having to see it with her eyes.
“Be there in a moment.” She hung up, shut down the computer, and left the office. She was just passing the female bathroom when a woman stepped out into her path. Vee couldn’t stop in time, running straight into her.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t... see you.” She stared at the woman, recognizing her as the woman she’d served earlier, the one who had watched her so carefully.
She smiled, her hand going to her stomach briefly before relaxing at her side. “It’s fine. I’m clumsy.”
