“Of course.” He grinned. “But you didn’t work here until you were twenty-one, which leaves a few years in between. Maybe the answer to your quandary lies there.”
Lola leaned toward him over the small table. The bar was busier now and the conversations more animated. She told herself it was to hear him better, but she was actually afraid of missing even one word. “And what quandary is that?”
“The one about what happens if Hey Joe goes under.”
“Ah, that one.” She picked at nothing on the table. “No, it won’t answer that question.”
“I’m pretty good at problem-solving,” Beau said. “Try me.”
Lola was unaware she even had a problem. A new idea to explore, sure, but not a problem. She opened her mouth, about to tell him to mind his own business. She wasn’t ashamed of her past, nor was she proud of it, but something about Beau made her wish there were nothing to tell at all. Instead, she gave him a version of the truth. “I did some things, met some people. I went through a stage where I partied a lot and crashed on friends’ couches.”
“That’s vague,” Beau said. “How much is a lot?”
“Too much.”
“Is that why you dropped out of school?”
She nodded. “I blew my money on alcohol and going to see bands. Sometimes drugs too. I couldn’t keep up with the tuition, but I’d been missing classes anyway.”
Beau studied her. “How’d you end up here?”
“Johnny,” she said right away. “He’s the reason I got my life back together.”
Beau cocked his head. “Really? Why?”
Lola picked up the darts from the table and backed away, suddenly disgusted with herself for discussing this with a stranger. Johnny never judged her, never made her feel ashamed. She was by his side every night because he’d believed in her without having any reason to. She didn’t need to explain herself to Beau. “Let’s finish the game,” she said.
Beau lowered his drink, but held Lola’s gaze a little longer than necessary as they exchanged a private moment. He turned back to the pool table.
“He seems especially interested in you,” Vero said.
The memory scattered along with their moment. Maybe it hadn’t been as private as Lola had thought. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and got back to cleaning. “Sure,” she said, “if overworked barmaid is his type.”
After a few minutes there was a cheer from the table, and Johnny high-fived Quartz. He set the cue in its rack and walked over to Lola. “Won back the money you lost at darts and then some,” he said, leaning over the bar for a kiss.
“Good job, babe.”
“I’d better quit before I do any more damage,” Beau said from behind Johnny.
Johnny turned around. “You taking off?”
“Once I settle my tab. I might be a little short after that game, though. ATM?”
Johnny pointed toward the back wall and watched Beau walk away. “Lo,” he said under his breath. “See if you can convince him to come back. Maybe bring some of his moneybag friends.”
“What’s it matter?” Lola asked warily. “The bar’s closing anyway.”
“Nothing’s set in stone, babe. It’s a long shot, but those business types love to slum it up once in a while. Go now, while he’s alone.”
Lola’s stomach knotted just thinking about it. It didn’t feel right, but Johnny rarely asked her for much. “What am I supposed to say?”
“Just be cute, flirt a little.” Johnny eyed Beau then did a double take at Lola. “Not too much, though.” He printed out Beau’s tab and handed it to her in a black, vinyl sleeve. “Bring him his bill and ask when he’s coming back.”
Lola rolled her eyes but took the bill even though she doubted she could flirt with someone who always had the upper hand. If Beau wanted flirting, he’d be doing it. She approached him as he was taking his money from the ATM.
“Hey,” she said with a smile. “Thanks for the game tonight. It’s been a while since I lost.”
He raised an eyebrow as he counted out some bills. “You’re thanking me for that?”
Lola averted her eyes from the money to be polite. “It’s good for my ego.”
He smiled, returned his wallet to his jacket and nodded at her hands. “Then you’re welcome. Is that my check?”
She handed it to him. He slid money into the fold without looking at the total and gave it back to her. “A little extra for the great service.”
She took it. “Johnny says you can come back any time you want.” She fidgeted with the folder. Tonight had been something different from the usual because of Beau. Most nights she and Johnny had the same dinner, talked about what the bar needed to improve, saw the same faces. She wanted Beau to come back too, but if he knew that, he might get the wrong idea. “I think he likes you,” she added.
His eyes narrowed on her as if he was trying to figure something out. “Does he?” he asked. “What about you, Lola? Do you like me?”
She fumbled for an answer. “Do I like you?” she repeated, stalling. Heat crept up her neck. That was twice in one night he’d made her blush. “Sure. I enjoyed talking to you.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “That’s it?”
“Yes,” she said. “Should there be more?”
“I thought there might be.” He looked past her a moment, then his eyes shifted back. He cleared his throat. “I’m an early riser, especially when I have to work in the morning. Meaning, not much could keep me out this late.”
“Well, I’m glad you had a good time,” she said.
“What I’m trying to say is, you’re the reason I stayed.” He stepped a little closer. “Any other night I would’ve left with the people I came with.”
“But I’m so boring.” She said it with a smile because smiling and making a stupid joke seemed like the only safe response to what he was implying.
“You’re the least boring person I’ve met in a while,” Beau said, “and it goes against my nature to bite my tongue. I like you, Lola. I think you already figured that out, though.”
“Let me guess. Subtlety goes against your nature too. How many women have fallen for that?”
“Have you seen me even look in another woman’s direction tonight?”
She hadn’t. Once Vero’d brought up Amanda, Lola had been curious to see if Beau would talk to her. Amanda wasn’t a bad-looking girl, but Lola didn’t worry about her because Johnny just wasn’t a cheater. He didn’t have it in him.
But if Beau was looking to take home a sure thing, and he had a penchant for a bar girl he could flaunt his wealth for, Amanda was it. Yet earlier, when Amanda had smiled at him across the pool table, he hadn’t even acknowledged her.
“That excuse is too convenient,” Beau continued. “You’re trying to cheapen our attraction by suggesting I’d take anyone home.”
Attraction. To be drawn to him—to want to feel even closer to him when they were standing right next to each other. It fit them too perfectly, and that sent a chill down her spine. “I think it’s best we end this conversation here,” she said, keenly aware that her boyfriend was mere feet behind her.
“So I’m wrong then,” Beau said. He stood far enough from her that their conversation wouldn’t have appeared intimate. But each time he spoke, it was as if he removed another layer of her clothing, and now she was too close to being exposed. “I’m wrong that this attraction is one-sided?”
Lola glanced over her shoulder. Johnny was saying goodnight to his friends at the door. She looked back and almost told Beau he wasn’t wrong, that it wasn’t one-sided, just to see what he’d say. Flirting with him gave her a thrill she hadn’t felt in so long. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression,” she said instead. “Johnny and I have been together a long time, and we’re happy.”
“That’s not what I asked,” Beau said. “How you feel about him is one thing. Whether you’re attracted to me is another.”
“I’m not,” Lola said firmly.
She could’ve admitted the truth to any other man, because she was confident in her love for Johnny, but Beau wasn’t any other man by a mile. Her gut told her the truth was a risk she couldn’t afford to take.
Lola went to leave but stopped when she opened the bill holder. There was a stack of twenties. She counted three hundred bucks, but his total was only ninety-seven dollars.
She stuck only enough in her apron pocket to cover the bill. “This is too much,” she said, turning back to Beau. “I can’t accept this.”
He hadn’t moved. He raised his eyebrows slowly. “It’s called a tip.”
“No, I know, but it’s too much. The tip is way more than the bill, and I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.”
“So, let me get this straight,” he said levelly. “You won’t even accept a generous tip?”
He almost seemed angry. She almost felt angry. That much money wasn’t a tip—it was suggestive. It turned their harmless, flirtatious exchange into something sordid and cheap.
She took the cash out and thrust it at him. “Please. I’m not comfortable taking this.”
His mouth was closed, but his jaw worked back and forth. She didn’t recognize the look in his eyes, but it cooled any warmth that’d been growing between them. “Fine,” he said, taking the money from her. “I don’t believe I’ve ever had a tip returned to me, but I suppose there’s a first time for everything.”
“Thank you,” she said. She walked away gripping the empty folder.
“Well?” Johnny asked as she approached the bar. “How’d it go?”
She shot him a look. She was too annoyed to answer, but she couldn’t have even if she’d wanted to because Beau was right behind her.
“This scene has been a nice change from what I’m used to,” Beau said. “You’ve really got a good thing going here.”
“Like Lola said, I hope you’ll tell your friends,” Johnny said. “We could use the business.”
Beau looked pointedly at Lola. She hadn’t mentioned telling his friends. “I will,” Beau said. “Even though I kind of like having it as my secret.”
Lola held his gaze, willing herself to think of anything but attraction. She was failing.
Nobody spoke for a few moments and Vero, who’d been busy closing out the register, chimed in. “Can I get you some water or something before you go?” she asked Beau.
“You mentioned the owner’s looking to sell,” he responded, glancing between the three of them.
“That’s right,” Johnny answered. He leaned back against the bar and crossed his arms. “Why? You know someone who might be interested? We’d really like to find an owner who wants to keep Hey Joe as it is.”
“Every struggling business wants that,” Beau said. “They want to keep doing what they’re doing without sacrificing a single thing, but they want it to magically become profitable.”
“This place has the history to back it up,” Lola said defensively. “We believe in it.”
“And I admire that.” Beau turned to Vero. “Veronica, is it? Would you give the three of us a moment?”
Vero winked. “Sure thing, baby.”
“I’ll go with you,” Lola said. “Give the boys a chance to talk.”
“I wouldn’t,” Beau said. The warning in his voice kept Lola’s feet glued where they were. “This concerns you.”
Vero left, swaying her hips especially wide on her way to the backroom.
“Have you thought about buying this place?” Beau asked them.
“Have I?” Johnny set his palms on the edge behind him and sighed. “Owning a bar is the idea one day, but not this one. Even if it is on the decline—well, you’re a businessman, you know. The brand has a solid reputation. It’s already got the foundation for success, just needs the right owner.”
“You’re worried about the price.”
“Nope,” Johnny said. “If I were worried about it, that’d mean I had a chance in hell of getting the money.”
“I have the money to buy it.” Beau paused. “I can give you the money to buy it.”
Lola’s heart had already gotten a workout that night thanks to Beau, but right then it thudded once and painfully hard—as if it’d been running, come to a screeching halt and smacked into her ribcage. Everything clicked for her. This was their answer. This was why Beau had been so interested in her and the bar. He saw an opportunity, but she saw their first glimmer of hope in a while.
“You mean like an investor?” Johnny asked.
“No,” he said. “I’m talking about a one-time payment to buy the business and the liquor license outright. You wouldn’t owe me a dime of your profits.”
Johnny pushed off the bar and stood up straight. “I’m listening.”
Beau squinted at Johnny for a few seconds, but it looked to Lola as if he was somewhere else. “There’s a catch, of course—”
“I think you got the wrong idea about us,” Lola said suddenly. At first glimpse it’d sounded like an answer, but as Beau’s eyes darkened and his tone dropped, she didn’t want to hear the next thing out of his mouth. “We may not have much, but we’re honest people. We do things by the book around here.”
“Let the man talk, Lo,” Johnny said.
She was too surprised by that to utter anything else. She and Johnny did do things by the book, especially Johnny—there was no reason to dismiss her.
“It’s okay,” Beau said. “I understand her concern. She’s right to be cautious.” He scratched the long, stubbled line of his jaw as he thought. “It’s simple, really. I just want one thing in return for the money.”
“What, our first born?” Johnny joked. “Free Macallan for life? Name it.”
“Lola.” Beau looked from Johnny to Lola with such intensity in his green eyes that she reached back to steady herself against a barstool. “I want Lola for one night.”
Chapter 4
As if Beau’s words had stopped time, Lola, Johnny and Beau stood frozen where they were. Lola didn’t breathe. She might’ve thought Beau’s proposition was a joke and even laughed if it weren’t for his composure when he’d said it. As if to him, the deal were already made. He wanted Lola for one night, and that’s what he’d have.
“Excuse me?” Lola asked so quietly, she wasn’t entirely sure she’d spoken aloud.
Johnny stepped closer to the bar that separated him from Lola and Beau. He leaned his knuckles on the surface. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“Give me one night alone with Lola, and Hey Joe is yours.”
“You’re offering me money to sleep with my girlfriend?”
Lola hadn’t blinked in so long, her eyes watered. When she did, her mind caught up. It raced ahead. Emotions came as fast as her heartbeat. Thud. Shock. Thud. Indignation. Thud. Fear.
“What I’m offering you is your dream on a silver platter.” Beau looked at Lola. “Both of you.”
He had some nerve putting his eyes on her. Based on the last few hours, it wasn’t even that surprising he’d come on to her. But to try to put a price on her—and on their time together? Her heartbeat was pure anger now, short, quick bursts that made her ears hot. “Fuck you,” she said with her hands curled into two trembling balls. She wanted to say more, but she could only think of the crudest words possible. “Right, Johnny? Fuck him.”
Johnny’s neck reddened from his T-shirt to his jaw. Her concern shifted from herself to him. He looked like he might lunge for Beau, but Johnny wasn’t a fighter. She’d never seen him lay an angry hand on anyone. She reached out to touch him, but he ripped his arm away and pounded his fist on the bar. “Tell me this is a sick joke, man,” he said through a clenched jaw. That was Beau’s cue to leave.
Beau raised one eyebrow. “I still don’t have my answer.”
“You want an answer?” Johnny asked. “How about I jump over this bar and give it to you with my fist?”
“I’m not looking for a fight,” Beau said. “As long as we both have something the other wants, this can be worked ou
t peacefully.” He paused and removed his suit jacket by the lapels. “However,” he said, tossing it over a stool, “we can do it your way too.”
A door slammed in the back. Beau rolled up his shirtsleeves. She needed him gone before any of the staff came back out. She jerked her hand to the exit and said, “He told you to leave,” but no sooner had she looked away from Johnny than he was ducking to get out from behind the bar.
Beau didn’t move except to turn and face Johnny, who was already past Lola. Johnny seized Beau’s crisp, white shirt. Beau’s body stiffened as he drew up to his full height and met Johnny head on. Johnny drew his arm back. In that split second, instead of raising his own fist or trying to get loose, Beau looked at Lola. There was no fear in his expression, and that scared her more than anything. Johnny wasn’t a fighter. She had no idea what Beau was capable of. Somebody would end up hurt, and it could very likely be the man she loved. She jumped up and latched onto Johnny’s bicep.
“Stop!” Her feet were practically off the ground from giving Johnny’s arm all her weight.
“Let go,” Johnny said.
“Please don’t do this, Johnny,” she pleaded. “You won’t win.”
Johnny’s head snapped toward her. The tension in his muscle immediately melted under her hands. “What?” he asked with his mouth hanging open.
Afraid Beau might sucker punch Johnny, she forced her way between them. More specifically, she pushed Johnny back behind her since Beau was immovable. “Get out,” she told Beau.
Beau held her gaze while he picked up his jacket from the stool. He blinked over her head. “Five hundred thousand,” he said to Johnny. “There’s a number for you. That’s what this place is worth give or take.”
“What about what I’m worth?” Lola asked immediately.
Beau’s eyes returned to hers.
Johnny grasped Lola’s shoulders. “Move and let me handle this.”
But Lola could not be moved as she locked eyes with Beau. In her hasty reply, she’d missed the number. Half a million dollars. It made her flush to be associated with any dollar amount, but this dollar amount was so high that she was absurdly impressed with herself. No person would walk into a bar and offer that to just anyone. It had to be something about her.
Don't Break This Kiss (Top Shelf Romance Book 5) Page 4
