All She Ever Wanted (Cedar Valley Novel Book 1)

by Christina Butrum

  “Hi, Sara!” she hollered over the loud music. She held up a finger in an attempt to have Sara stay put. “I gotta get a drink!”

  Tapping the bar like others had, she caught the attention of the bartender. “I’ll take a strong mixed drink.”

  “What kind would you like? We’ve got plenty to choose from,” the good looking, muscular bartender shouted from the other end of the counter. His smile was gorgeous.

  “A Jack and Coke’s fine. Thanks!”

  Before she had a chance to set her butt on the barstool, long arms wrapped around her. “I’ve missed you!”

  Startled, she struggled against the hug from Sara, who in turn dropped her arms and allowed Leah to step back. “Yeah—how have you been?”

  “Great!” Sara shouted. “I moved to Kansas and finished college last summer! I met the most amazing guy there too! And guess what?” She didn’t wait for Leah to respond. “We met in class and realized our major was the same thing!”

  “Which was—” Leah was not the slightest impressed.

  “Our PhDs!”

  “That took you ten years to finish?” Leah asked, raising an eyebrow with her tone a bit much.

  Sara’s smile faded as she said, “Well, not exactly. I changed my focus halfway through.”

  “Here’s your drink, miss,” the bartender announced, as he slid the drink in front of her.

  Leah turned suddenly, almost knocking the glass over, but the bartender grabbed it just in time. “Nice save,” she said with a smile.

  With a slight shrug, he said, “Happens all the time. I get a lot of practice.”

  A smile stretched across Leah’s face as she sipped her drink. There was something about him. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something.

  “I’m Liam, by the way,” he said, as he stretched his hand out across the counter.

  Gladly accepting his hand, she rested her hand in his as he gently shook it. “I’m Leah. It’s nice to meet you.”

  A tap on her shoulder interrupted her focus on this new Liam guy. She whipped her head around and realized she had forgotten about Sara.

  “I have to run, but it was definitely nice to see you!” Sara shouted, close to Leah’s ear.

  Leah smiled kindly and nodded. “Same to you.”

  She spun her stool around towards the counter and refocused her attention on Liam, the smoking hot bartender, but realized he had wandered off.

  “There you are! I’ve been looking for you!” Rachel hollered over the music, as she plopped down on the barstool next to Leah.

  “I’ve been here,” Leah said, spinning around to face Rachel.

  Rachel waved a hand at Liam, who nodded. “Be there in a minute.”

  Rachel hitched her thumb in Liam’s direction and said, “That guy is super fine!”

  After her divorce, Rachel had gone wild. She had told Leah they needed to go out and have a good time while they still had it. Leah had never cared if she had it or not, but Rachel made sure she cared a little. Rachel had been on many blind dates in the last few months—with none of the guys making it to the next round. Rachel had complained after every date about the guy she had been with. It wasn’t that Rachel was too picky, it was just the guys weren’t worth much more to her than a good time.

  “Have you seen this guy?” Rachel asked, as she pointed to Liam, who was now standing in front of them with his light blue eyes focused on Leah. “He’s so hot!”

  Rachel dramatically fanned her face and pretended to faint. Leah laughed and shook her head. Liam had not taken his attention away from her, so she pointed at Rachel and said, “I don’t know who she is.”

  Liam threw his head back and let out a deep laugh. “Can I get you a refill?”

  Leah grabbed her glass and gulped down the last bit. The glass tinged on the counter as she shoved it his way. The wink he gave her did not go unnoticed.

  An elbow nudged her. “Did you see that wink he just gave you?” Rachel asked, her face pressed against the side of Leah’s. “I think he likes you.”

  Leah chuckled and pulled away. Of course her best friend had caught that. Rachel was very observant—she never missed a thing. “Let’s be serious. He’s just being nice. It’s his job.”

  “Whatever you say, girlfriend,” Rachel said, as she slammed back her shot.

  “Shots! Shots! Shots!” A group of men hollered over the crowd as they made their way to the counter.

  Rachel grabbed Leah’s arm and dragged her toward the crowd at the other end of the counter. “Let’s do this!” Rachel shouted above the roar as she shoved through the onlookers. “Shots! Shots! Shots!”

  “Rachel!” Leah shouted, but was ignored. “Rachel!”

  Rachel turned around and looked at Leah. “What?”

  “I don’t know if shots are a good idea!” Leah said. “I haven’t drunk like this in a long time!”

  Rachel looped her arm through Leah’s and dragged her to the counter next to the men who had started the chant. “It’ll be okay! You only live once, right?”

  “Shots! Shots! Shots!” The chant from the men roared throughout the bar.

  “Let’s do this!” A man announced to the crowd as he handed out the shot glasses filled with whatever liquor Liam had decided to fill them with. The guy handed two glasses to Rachel, who in turn, handed one to Leah. “Here we go!”

  “One, two, three, shots!” A drunk man shouted. At the word shots, every person who was gathered around tipped their glasses.

  “Holy shit!” Leah said. “That burned!”

  “But it tasted so good!” Rachel said, reaching for their next set of shots. She handed the next one to Leah and cheered her glass into Leah’s. “Here’s to a good time!” Rachel hollered, over the cheer of the crowd.

  3

  “No offense, but you don’t look so good,” Liam informed Leah. “Maybe you should have a seat next to the counter.”

  Leah shrugged him off and said, “I’m okay. I’m just going to dance it off!”

  Liam hesitated before he left her and walked back behind the counter. Even with blurry vision from the buzz she had going on, she could tell he was keeping a close eye on her. In the past, when men would watch her like that it had given her the heebee jeebees, but she didn’t get that vibe from Liam. She smiled and waved at him while she took another drink from her glass.

  Later, when she turned her attention to the counter again, he was gone. She looked all over for him. He wasn’t anywhere near the counter, where he actually should’ve been, because people were lined up as they waited on drinks.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Leah nearly dropped her drink as she startled at the voice behind her. She spun around and lost her balance. A firm hand steadied her and she smiled. “Thanks.”

  “You should sit down at the bar,” Liam insisted. She was impressed with his efforts. She looked around and couldn’t see where Rachel had run off to. “Don’t worry, your friend’s right over there.”

  He pointed to a group of guys who surrounded Rachel and a few other women. Leah turned back around and said, “You do a pretty good job with keeping an eye on everyone.”

  Chuckling, he said, “I guess you can say it’s somewhat my responsibility. I wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt in here.”

  “That wouldn’t be a good thing.” How stupid did she sound? “I mean, if people got hurt.”

  Liam laughed and carefully placed a hand on her back as he guided her to the empty barstool; and a sensation washed through her at the feeling of his touch. “I understood what you were trying to say.”

  How embarrassing. She shouldn’t have had those shots. She always made an ass out of herself—of course, now it was in front of a good-looking guy. He helped her sit on the barstool and said, “I’m going to get you a glass of water.”

  She couldn’t argue with him. She knew she’d be beyond the point of no return if she continued on with her mixed drinks. She licked her lips, they were dry and cracked. Gross.
She reached into her purse and pulled out her lipstick. She traced her lips the best she could without a mirror and with the hope she wouldn’t look like a clown—not that she had anyone to impress.

  “Here you go,” Liam said, sliding a glass in front of her. “You’ll feel better after some water.”

  “Thanks,” Leah said, taking a drink. “We just got here, and I’m already drinking water. I’m such a lightweight.”

  Liam shook his head and pointed to the clock on the wall behind him. “Actually, you’ve been here for four hours.”

  “Four hours? Are you kidding me?” Leah looked at the clock, but it was a blur. She would have to take his word for it. Even though she’d had no intention of even coming to this event, she hadn’t really minded it—especially with the present company she had in front of her.

  “Are you and your friend staying in town tonight?”

  “I’m not sure, but my guess would be no.” She definitely had no intentions of sticking around here overnight.

  “Well, I assume you’re not from around here?” Liam asked. His handsome face focused on her while she hesitated to answer. How was she to know if he was a serial killer or not. Just because he looked good and was nice didn’t mean anything now days.

  Leah gulped the rest of the water down and set the glass on the counter. As soon as she swallowed it, her stomach flipped and she immediately regretted it—a failed attempt on her part to distract him with another refill.

  “Hold that thought.” He said, hurrying off to bring back a full glass of water. “This should do it.”

  She smiled. She had to be nice. It wasn’t like her to be rude to a man who was only trying to help her, but it wasn’t like her to play damsel in distress, either. And here she was, damsel in distress from drinking too much, while a charming, handsome bartender aided her with a few glasses of water.

  “Rachel and I are from out of town,” Leah said, slowly letting her guard down. “There’s no way we could stay here overnight.”

  “Hold that thought,” Liam said, pushing away from the counter and making his way to help another customer.

  She watched him as he smiled and laughed with the next customer as he mixed their drink. A customer, that’s all she was. He had to be friendly with everyone, including her—it was his job. She had told Rachel the same thing—it’s his job. He made money being nice. Leah could bet his tips were huge on nights like tonight.

  “Where’d we leave off?” He asked, leaning against the counter.

  She was impressed by how fast he could mix drinks and have his focus back on her. She felt almost too impressed by him. She sat up straight and ran a hand through her hair. What the heck was happening? He was a complete stranger and here she was swooning over him—damned alcohol.

  “Well, I was saying my friend and I won’t be staying in this town tonight,” Leah said with a smile. Was she being flirtatious? She covered her mouth with her hand. She certainly hoped not. What kind of girl does that with a stranger she just met hours ago? She was not that kind of girl.

  “Are you all right?” He asked as he rushed to get her an empty bucket. The bucket thudded loudly against the countertop in front of her. “Here, if you need to… you know… the bathroom’s a long way away.”

  Leah waved the bucket away and shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I was just thinking.”

  Liam raised an eyebrow. “Thinking—caused you to looked like…”

  Leah gasped. “Like what?” Here she went and did it again. “I’m just a hot mess tonight. I’m making a fool out of myself left and right.”

  Liam chuckled. She wondered what part of this was funny. She didn’t find any of it funny—at all. “You’re fine. You’re not making a fool out of yourself,” he assured her. “You’re just drunk.”

  “Yes, drunk,” Leah admitted. It was no lie. She’d had far too many drinks tonight. She would definitely regret it in the morning. “Maybe that’d be a good thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  She slapped a hand to her forehead. Had she really just said that out loud? What kind of moron was she? Had she really forgotten he was standing there, with all of his incredibleness? “Get a grip,” she mumbled, under her breath.

  Liam tossed his head back and let out a deep laugh. He threw the towel he had used to dry the counter, over his shoulder and walked away.

  “I wasn’t saying that to you!” Leah called after him.

  He waved a hand and hollered, “I know!”

  “Hey!”

  Leah tensed and jumped off the barstool. Rachel caught her and helped her catch her balance. “What’re you doing?” Leah asked, somewhat annoyed.

  “I was just checking on you to see how you’re doing with Bartender Hottie over here,” Rachel said, with a cheeky grin plastered on her face.

  “I’m making a fool out of myself. That’s what I’m doing,” Leah said, as she hung her head.

  “No, she’s not,” Liam hollered, from the other end of the counter. “She’s been just fine. She’s been keeping me company.”

  Rachel nudged Leah and said, “See, you’re his cheap entertainment tonight.”

  “Thanks… a lot.”

  Rachel diverted her attention to the group of guys who walked into the bar. “Check out those hunks.”

  Leah attempted to focus on them, but all she could see was a blur in the distance.

  “I’ll be right back,” Rachel said, patting Leah’s arm. “I think that might be Scott.”

  Leah sat straight up on the stool. If it was the same Scott she thought Rachel was talking about, that meant Jake wasn’t too far behind. Scott and Jake had been best friends all through high school. Their friendship hadn’t ended when school had. She watched the doorway. Jake would be coming in any minute, if he wasn’t already inside.

  “Hey there, Lee!”

  Shit. There he was. She would recognize his voice from anywhere; that calm, smooth, laid back voice she used to swoon over. She tried to ignore him, but he pulled up a barstool next to her. He told Liam he’d take a Bud Light, then returned his attention to Leah.

  “You look hot tonight,” he said. “How’ve you been?”

  “Here’s your beer, sir,” Liam said, handing Jake his beer. Instead of walking away to attend to someone else, Liam stood close by, keeping his focus on Leah.

  Leah caved and looked up at Jake. He looked the same as he had five years ago. Not a single thing had changed with his looks. He still looked good, with his golden brown eyes and short gel-spiked brown hair. “Hi.”

  “Oh, come on,” Jake said, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You haven’t seen me in five years, and that’s all I get?”

  Leah shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to get his arm off of her, but he wouldn’t let his arm drop. So much for taking the hint, asshole. He definitely was the same Jake from five years ago. He had always thought he had a way with words—that no matter what he did wrong, he’d be forgiven for anything he said—especially when he acted like nothing had happened in the first place.

  She looked for Liam, but he was busy with the line of customers. She wasn’t sure why she was so concerned about where he was—she could handle her own, if need be.

  “Pretty much,” Leah said, after an awkward minute. “What do you want me to say?”

  Jake finally dropped his arm from her shoulder and leaned away from her. “Geez, Lee, I’m sorry I said anything.”

  When he scooted the barstool back so he could leave, she said, “Wait.”

  He hesitantly sat back down on the stool and drank the last of his beer. Liam grabbed the empty and asked, “Another?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “I need a drink too, please,” Leah asked, in desperation.

  Liam hesitated. “I’m not sure…”

  “I am,” Leah interrupted him. “Please get me a Jack and Coke. Make it strong.”

  She could feel the tension as Jake eyed her. She fidgeted in her seat. “You’ve never liked hard drinks.�
��

  “Things change.”

  Liam placed the drink in front of her. He had a concerned look on his face. Slamming the drink down as fast as she could, she shook her head. She needed to get her buzz back so she could handle this situation she had gotten herself into. She should’ve just let him walk away—like he had done once before. She placed her head in her hands. She was so stupid. Why did she tell him to wait? Wait for what?

  She waved a hand at Liam and asked for another. Liam followed through by placing another drink in front of her.

  Jake reached for her arm and kept a steady hold on her so she couldn’t chug her drink. “Easy now, you don’t want to get sick.”

  “Why do you care?” The words were out of her mouth before she had time to even think about them.

  Jake let go of her arm and waved to the bartender for another round. Liam placed another beer in front of Jake. “Are you okay, Leah?”

  Jake looked back and forth from Liam to Leah. His face was contorted with confusion and anger—a hint of jealousy. At the moment, Leah didn’t care what his feelings were, or how he felt. He had no reason to have any of those feelings. He had been the one who had given up. He was the one who had walked away.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” Leah said. “Thanks.”

  Liam nodded and walked back to the end of the counter. Jake leaned in closer to her. “Wait, do you know him?”

  Leah sat back and kept her eyes locked on Jake’s. “No, I don’t know him. I know his name. Why do you care?”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t,” Jake said, tipping his bottle back. He shrugged while he chugged the rest of his beer.

  Leah shrugged and reached for her drink. “Then why do you?”

  Grunting, he placed his empty bottle on the counter. “You have no clue, do you?”

  Leah raised an eyebrow and watched him as he gave her a cold shoulder. “What don’t I have a clue about?”

  When he ignored her, something went off inside of her—like a wave of emotion that exploded from within; she let out an angry grunt and slammed the rest of her drink. She slammed the glass on the counter and slid the barstool away from her as she stood up. She tried to walk away, but her feet got caught in the legs of the barstool, causing her to fall face first to the floor.