Last Call (Bad Habits Book 3)

by Staci Hart

  “Well, what are you going to do? Ask her out?”

  My smile fell a little. “She’s doing some online dating thing. I ran into her yesterday after one of her dates.”

  He folded his arms and shook his head. “Man, I told you this would eventually happen. Now it’s going to be even harder to get her back, you realize that, right? She’s going to meet her dream guy and forget all about you.”

  “She won’t.”

  “How do you know?”

  I smirked and leaned forward. “Because I’m her dream guy.”

  A laugh boomed out of him. “I can’t argue with that, Tricky. I really can’t.”

  “I just can’t fuck it up this time.”

  “No, you can’t. I suspect if there is a chance for you here, it’s the last one. Last call.”

  “Last call,” I echoed, knowing it was the truth. I had to step up and order or walk out. And I wasn’t ready to leave.

  IT'S TRICKY

  Rose

  I PUSHED OPEN THE DOOR to Genie’s after breakfast, and the girls filed out behind me.

  “So,” Lily started, “we’ll get Ellie a thirty-day MetroCard, and hop the train to Times Square. After that, we’ll walk to Rockefeller, then to Grand Central and take the train back up to Saks.”

  “Perfect, Mom,” I said cheerily. “Did you print up itineraries for us?”

  She stuck her tongue out at me.

  “Sounds good to me,” Ellie added, looking up at the buildings as we headed toward the subway. “Now that’s all settled, can we please talk about how you were sleeping with Tricky when I got here this morning?”

  Lily and Maggie’s faces whipped around with identical expressions, and I felt my cheeks heat up.

  “Uh, what’s that you say?” Lily asked.

  “Whatever, it was nothing. He was hanging out last night, and we fell asleep on the couch. End of story.”

  Ellie laughed. “Looked like more than that to me.”

  I made a face. “We were fully clothed.”

  No one spoke.

  “We didn’t even kiss!” I added, frustrated.

  “Did you want to kiss?” Maggie asked.

  “No, of course not,” I lied.

  “He sure looked like he wanted to kiss you,” Ellie said as she stepped off the curb.

  “Thanks for that, Ellie. It’s not a big deal guys. So I’m attracted to my ex, and he’s staying at my place because somebody’s getting nailed like a porn star every night.”

  Lily rolled her eyes.

  “We fell asleep on the couch. It’s not like I banged him.”

  Lily shook her head at me. “You mean to tell me that you’re not at all conflicted about hanging out with Tricky all night and sleeping with him? Like, nada? No feelings on the matter?”

  “I mean, sure, it was weird, but it didn’t mean anything. We didn’t even talk about it, and I’m dating, remember?”

  Maggie eyed me. “So you don’t know if it was a big deal for him, though, right?”

  I scoffed. “Of course it wasn’t. Honestly, I think he just feels guilty about how things ended and probably wants to bone me just as bad as I want him to bone me. That’s all. That’s the extent of it.” I said it like it had to be true, because if it wasn’t true, I was in deeper shit than I thought.

  Lily snickered. “You want to bone him.”

  “Who doesn’t want to bone Tricky?” I asked, flustered. “Have you seen him?”

  She laughed. “Nice try. It’s okay to admit that you enjoyed sleeping with him, you know.”

  “Sure. It was nice. Amazing, even. He smells like heaven, and his arms are so sexy, they could have their own Tumblr. But he’s not mine, and I don’t want him.”

  Lily raised a brow.

  “Okay, I refuse to want him.” We trotted down the subway stairs in silence for a second before I continued. “Seriously, this changes nothing, okay? It was just a weird thing that happened and it’s over. Later, we’ll pick out a new guy for me go out with, because I’m dating. I’m gonna date some guy so hard, he’s gonna get whiplash. I’m gonna date the fuck out of that guy because I’m over Tricky, and he’s over me, and it’s over, okay?” I rambled, taking a breath as soon as I could.

  “Fair enough,” Lily said as we walked up to the MetroCard vending machine, seeming to answer for everyone.

  “Thank you,” I huffed.

  Ellie’s face scrunched up as she inspected the machine. “How’s this work?”

  Lily smiled and stepped up to the machine. “Here, I’ll do it for you.”

  I sighed, feeling the pressure of the conversation leave a little as I turned to Maggie. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in an age.”

  She beamed, pushing her blond, curly hair our of her face. “Oh, I’m good.” Her Mississippi accent was thick as honey. “Just so busy. Work has been nuts at the shelter. I’m so happy for the promotion, but man, they have me workin’ like crazy putting together reading curriculums for homeless shelters across the city.”

  I smiled proudly. “That’s amazing, Mags.”

  A blush bloomed across her freckled cheeks. “Thanks. It’s my dream job.”

  “All right,” Lily said, “We’ve got it. Let’s go.”

  We headed toward the turnstile. “How was Greece?”

  “Oh, Rose, it was the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. We started in Athens and sailed to Mykonos, Rhodes, and Santorini. That one was my favorite. I could have stayed forever,” she said with a dreamy sigh. “Anyway, Coop is good too, he’s just been working like crazy like me. I swear, we get home every night, order in, watch a little TV, and pass out. I miss y’all though. You doin’ okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m doing okay. Just the usual, you know. Work. Sleep. That’s pretty much it.”

  “And Tricky’s staying with you. That’s new.”

  We stopped at the platform. Lily and Ellie chatted, and I dropped my voice a little. “Yeah. It’s the right thing to do, and I want to help him, but it hasn’t been easy.”

  “No, I can’t imagine that it has been. Seriously, those eyes he gives you … I don’t know how you’re still standing.”

  I chuckled. “Some days I don’t either.”

  The train pulled up, and once the doors opened, we filed on. It was early enough that we found seats together.

  “So,” Ellie said, turning in her seat, “I’m kinda fuzzy on how all you guys know each other. Like, didn’t Maggie live with you for a minute, Rose?”

  “Musical roommates,” Lily said with a laugh.

  I laughed. “Seriously. Everyone’s lived with me except Cooper and West.” I turned to face Ellie. “Okay, so it’s a little complicated, so tell me if you get lost.”

  She settled in and put her concentrating face on. “Okay.”

  “All right. So, the first person to move into the building was Tricky. He lived there with his friend Seth for about a year. And about halfway into that year, I moved in with Jack and Liz.”

  Her eyes were narrowed in thought. “Got it. Also, fuck Jack.”

  I held up my hand for a high five, and she slapped it. “Yes, fuck Jack. So, when Seth moved out, West moved in.”

  “Wait.” Her nose wrinkled up. “How did Cooper know Patrick?”

  “They met at some club opening and hit it off. When he found out Tricky was a tattoo artist, he sent West over to the shop because he wanted some work done, and when they got to talking, it came up that Tricky needed a roommate. So did West, he and Coop were moving out of their dorms at Columbia, and West didn’t want to live on the East side, penthouse or not.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, I think I’d take the penthouse.”

  Lily laughed. “Well, West’s nothing if not practical.”

  “Okay,” I continued, using my hands to make a diagram in the air. “So West moved in with Tricky, and then Jack and Liz took off. Then Lily moved in.”

  Lily raised her fist in solidarity. “Flower power.”

  She nodded. “I’m stil
l with you.”

  “Then Maggie moved here a few months ago and stayed with us for a minute. Or, me I guess, since Lily wasn’t really sleeping at home anymore. And she’s West’s sister.”

  “Right. Okay.” She paused for a second, and I could see the wheels in her brain turning. “Okay. I might have followup questions, but I think I’m good for now.” She snapped her fingers. “Wait, Lily has a sister too, right?”

  Lily grabbed the pole in front of her as the train pulled to a stop. “Yeah, Astrid.”

  Ellie’s eyes widened. “Oh, right. Astrid Thomas. The model, duh. Like I haven’t seen her in USWeekly.”

  “That’s my sister,” Lily chimed. “She wanted to come today, but Times Square on a Saturday is like a paparazzi nightmare. She’ll be at Habits tonight, though.”

  Ellie perked up even more. “I can’t wait to see this bar after everything I’ve heard.”

  “And,” Lily said, “Tonight’s the night we pick out Rose’s next date, since her last one was a disaster.”

  My face was flat. “He stalked my Facebook and surprised me with facts about myself.”

  “Hooooohmygod.” Ellie’s mouth was an ‘o.’ “No.”

  “Oh, yes.” My eyes darted to Lily. “Lil, I forgot to tell you — I ran into Tricky when I left Roasted, and he was with Seth.”

  Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  I nodded.

  Ellie and Maggie watched us. “That’s bad?” Ellie asked.

  I nodded again. “Very bad. Tricky’s a recovering addict, and Seth has been trying to get clean for years. Unsuccessfully.”

  “Oh.”

  “What did he want?” Concern was written all over Lily’s face.

  I sighed. “Nothing, he said, but who knows. He’ll be at Tricky’s birthday party.”

  “Oh, God. Should Habits hire a bouncer for that night? When Seth drinks …” Lily didn’t finish, just gave me a look.

  “I know. Tricky said he’s totally sober, so at least no one will get their nose bloodied.”

  “Unless somebody pisses off my brother,” Maggie added, trying to lighten the mood.

  Lily chuckled. “Yes. Unless that happens.”

  The train pulled into the Times Square station, and we walked the blocks north until the street opened up, buildings stretched high, covered with lights and billboards and videos. There were people everywhere, cabs stopping and going in yellow streaks as we stood in the middle of New York, and even the most hardened of us couldn’t help but take a quiet moment to appreciate the beauty of the city we loved so much.

  Rose

  We made it back to the apartment that afternoon with aching feet and a little bit of sunburn. I almost wasn’t surprised to find Patrick there, eating a sandwich in my kitchen.

  “Hey,” he said. “I was just about to head to Habits — West and Cooper are already on their way down.”

  “Oh,” Lily said, smiling as she hooked her arm in Maggie’s. “Want to just go now?”

  “Sounds good. We’ll see y’all there.” She waved, and the two of them left.

  Ellie stretched. “I guess I’ll go change. Be right back.” She disappeared around the corner and into her room.

  “I guess I’ll walk down with you and Ellie.”

  There was no escaping him. Not anymore. I tried to smile. “Sure.”

  My mood sank again, down into the sour depths. I had to be PMSing, because I snagged a lemon bar from the bag on table and ate it in three bites before I’d even made it to my room. It would also do a lot to explain my mood swings. Not that Patrick couldn’t manage kicking my mood up and down like a see-saw on his own, but the raging hormones didn’t help.

  My cousin showing up out of the blue didn’t help either. I loved her, but in that moment, tired and smelling like New York with my gorgeous ex sitting at my table, I just couldn’t deal.

  I reminded myself that Patrick and I were in the same boat. He was bearable. Maybe even a little enjoyable. It reminded me of what it used to be like. Before.

  I pushed the memories away before they had a chance to settle in.

  I emerged from my room a few minutes later in black jeans, combat boots, and a black, low cut tank, feeling a little more like myself. Liner was winged. Lips were red. Necklaces were shiny. Hair was big. And it was time to make that cheese.

  Patrick was still at the table, and when he looked up at me, we both sort of froze. Everything moved slow and long like it had that morning. The light over the table cast deep shadows on the angles of his face, almost shielding his eyes, but they glinted, caught on mine like a lifeline.

  I cleared my throat and grabbed my bag, turning to him once I’d collected myself enough to be coherent. “I’m sorry. About Ellie jacking your bed. I mean it — if it’s too bad over there, you can always stay here.”

  His deep voice rumbled through me. “Thanks, Rose.”

  I took a breath and tried to put on a passable smile, like he didn’t hijack my ability to keep my shit together. “No problem.”

  Ellie came out of Lily’s room in a sparkly top, a very short skirt, very high heels, and a full on arm party of bracelets, with Valentino in her arms.

  One of my brows climbed. “Uh, you may be a little overdressed for Habits, El.”

  She shrugged and kissed her cat. “Not worried about it.”

  “You’re letting your LA show.”

  Ellie laughed and put Valentino down. He watched us as he walked away, probably to judge his new digs, as Ellie picked up her bag. “California girl until I die, Rosie. I once saw a chick at a Target in The Valley in a floor length fur coat. LA don’t care.”

  “True,” I said as we left the apartment. “I swear, LA is the only place where you would see a guy in a grocery store wearing a full blown tux at eleven in the morning on a Tuesday, right next to an old lady wearing rainbow tights, booty shorts, and a crop top. And the best part is that no one looks twice.”

  Patrick chuckled. “It’s not like New York doesn’t have its own weird.”

  “That’s true,” I said, “but it’s a different kind of weird. Different vibe.”

  Patrick’s hands were in his pockets as we descended the stairs. “I’ve never been. It’s one of the only places I haven’t lived.”

  Ellie flipped her hair. “Moved around a lot?”

  He nodded. “My dad was in the army. Mostly grew up in the Midwest.”

  “What was your favorite place to live? Besides New York?” she asked.

  He thought about it as we turned on the landing and headed down the last flight. “Kansas, weirdly. It seemed to have just the right everything. Seasons. Landscape. It was the most classically normal place I ever lived.”

  “And the worst?” I asked.

  He made a face and pulled open the building door for us. “Killeen, Texas. I mean, I’m sure not all of Texas is bad, but that was the hottest summer of my life. When the thirty-foot walk from your front door to the car leaves you wringing out your shirt, it’s too hot. I swear to God, it was like living in hell.”

  Ellie laughed. “Screw that. There are usually like two weeks in the summer in LA where you want to die, but otherwise it’s not so bad.”

  “Is this your first time to New York?” he asked.

  “Yup. Lily came home with Rose once, so we’ve met. The rest of you guys I’ve only heard of.”

  I smiled. “Ellie and I grew up pretty close to each other. Our dads are brothers. Hers was the wild one.”

  She snickered. “And yours was the goodie.”

  “Maybe by comparison. Couple of surfers out of Venice Beach. El and I grew up together, which was nice since I’m an only child.”

  “I wish I was. But instead, I have two older sisters — one engineer and one chemist.”

  Patrick looked impressed. “Not bad.”

  “Ha. Unless you’re me. No pressure, right? At least I’m the baby, which means I get away with murder.” Her lips curled into a smile.

  I laughed. “It’s true
,” I said to Patrick. “She can pretty much do anything at all and her parents are over the moon.”

  “I thought they were going to kill me when I told them I wanted to model, but they just clapped and cooed and paid a zillion dollars to have head shots done. Honestly, I think they were surprised my sisters went all intellectual. I mean, Dad’s smoked so much weed in his life, I’m surprised he can remember his last name most days. And Mom is more interested in her shoe closet than most other things.”

  “They mean well,” I said, smiling.

  “They do, which is why it’s tolerable. My sisters are uptight. Pretty sure they think the rest of us are all flibbertigibbets.”

  I laughed. “Ooooh, good word.”

  She giggled. “I know. It’s so fun to say. Flibbertigibbet.”

  Patrick opened the door to Habits for us, and we stepped into the bar where I’d worked since I moved to New York. It was clean and modern, with white subway tile and dark, planked floors, a long, dark bar taking up most of the space. The piping was exposed, the tiles all gone to open it up, give it some air.

  It was my home away from home.

  Shelby stood behind the bar, a sandy-haired, freckle-faced pixie who flashed a mega-watt smile at me. West and Lily were already sitting at the bar with Cooper and Maggie, and we waved our hellos.

  “Cooper, West, this is my cousin, Ellie.”

  “Hey,” she answered with a twiddle of her fingers.

  “Nice to meet you,” West said. “What are you doing in New York?”

  “I came for a visit,” she said with a smile.

  My eyebrows were up, though I was smiling. “With her cat.”

  Cooper looked between Ellie and I. “So a quick visit, then?” he joked.

  Ellie shrugged. “I couldn’t leave Valentino with Darren, that asshole. He’d probably kick my poor baby out. Maybe drop him into the LA River just to be a dick.”

  Cooper laughed. “Sounds like you could use a drink.”

  “Let me go put my stuff away and I’ll be right back.” I walked past Patrick and into the office to clock in and stow my bag. By the time I took up my station behind the bar, they were all sitting, and Astrid was there too, sitting right next to Lily.