The Bartender's Daughter

by Isabelle Flynn

  Both women turned to eye him with identical looks of anger and frustration, but they swiveled away from each other to make the short walk to the office.

  He gestured for Sam to take the seat behind the desk. It was the seat of power and her rightful spot in this situation. Until she moved back to New York.

  Michelle gave him an incredulous look but she turned to Sam as soon as she was seated. “Do you have any idea how much work this place requires? Being a glorified babysitter did not prepare you to take over Daddy’s business.”

  “That’s not what Dad thought.”

  “You’re right. He thought you’d be working by his side for the last two years while getting an MBA.” At Sam’s headshake, she continued, “If he still wanted you to have it, he wouldn’t have sold half to Lee.”

  He couldn’t let Michelle twist the facts to support her argument. “That’s not true. You didn’t want any piece of the bar. The half he sold to me is your share.” He didn’t understand all of Ray’s intentions, but he knew he wanted Sam to have the choice of running the bar.

  She looked from Lee to Sam a few times, a thin smile stretched across her face.

  “You have no idea how much time a place like this takes. Did you forget that Daddy never took a day off? He worked from before opening to after closing. Are you ready to give up the high life for that? What’s your fancy boyfriend going to think when you can’t get time off to sail or visit the country club?”

  “Dylan is none of your business. The bar is no longer any of your concern. Why do you even care?” Sam drew a breath in through her nose and released it before turning an accusing look to him. “Why didn’t anyone tell me about the will earlier? I should have been notified after the funeral.”

  He shifted his stance. She was right to be angry. “I thought your sister and your father’s lawyer would take care of it.”

  Her head swiveled around to Michelle.

  “I was busy. What do you want from me? I planned the funeral and the memorial while running my own business and clearing out Daddy’s house.”

  “I asked you if you needed help. I would have stayed. You’re the one that pushed me to go.”

  “That’s right, Sam. Blame me for bearing the responsibility while you’re off in New York playing with your rich friends. Let me guess. Your boyfriend dumped you when he saw what you came from. I knew something wasn’t so perfect when you didn’t come back with a rock on your hand.”

  Red splotches moved up Sam’s face. She opened her mouth and then slammed it shut again. The hit was direct and she visibly reeled from it. Why wasn’t she confronting Michelle about her lies? Lee had to keep himself from demanding answers while he watched the interaction between the two.

  Michelle leaned forward. “This is not the place for you. This is your past, not your future. Let it go before you fall flat on your face and take the bar with you. Daddy’s legacy deserves someone who has experience and the loyalty to protect it. That’s Lee, not you.” She stood up and glanced at her watch. “My lunch break is over. I have to get back to the salon.” She walked out without another look back.

  Sam avoided his eyes, opening her father’s drawers until she reached a small white bottle. She dropped out two brown pills and swallowed them with a drink of her water. “What was it you wanted to talk about?”

  “She’s jealous. You have to take everything she says with that in mind.”

  The corners of Sam’s mouth lifted, but he didn’t quite believe the smile. “I’ve been hearing that jealous line for a long time. I have nothing she should be jealous of.”

  Ray favored his younger daughter, but it wasn’t anything Sam had ever acknowledged. Clearly, it had always been a problem for Michelle.

  Her eyes closed briefly. When they opened, she gave him another shallow smile. “There was something about your sister you wanted to talk about.”

  He let her change the topic this time. “She wants a job. I’m not happy about it, but I can’t exactly stop her from doing whatever she wants. I told her that it was up to you. We need another bartender. She can study up and take the bartending test sometime next week. If she fails, she knows she’s out of luck.”

  “Works for me. What do you know about fixing taps?”

  ****

  The cool night air was a dramatic change from the stuffy humid office she’d been sitting in for most of the night. Sam walked out because she couldn’t spend another minute dodging her past. The wood paneling of the bar closed in on her. Feeling more restless than comforted by the familiar surroundings, she left the bar in Alan’s capable hands and found herself heading for town center.

  Michelle hadn’t come back, thank God. She was resentful but her words rang slightly true. Sam had up and left her father when she should have been helping him all along. That summer had been a defining one for her. Life had presented two different tracks, and she had held on to the one she thought would lead to happiness. Dad wanted her to run the business and she had wanted Lee. She had been sure she would be happy as long as he was by her side.

  It had always been understood that Ray’s daughters would take over the bar. Until Michelle decided to go to cosmetology school. So it had been up to her, to make her father’s dream come true.

  Then Michelle had told her how she had snagged the hot new bartender, and she couldn’t imagine living in Oldport, running the bar when she still wasn’t sure it was what she really wanted to do with her life. Heartbroken and thrown completely adrift, she had let the tide take her away from home.

  The sidewalk became more crowded as she entered the center of town and she had to focus on working her way through the throngs of tourists. Downtown Oldport wasn’t as busy as a walk down Madison Ave but she had hoped that the lively spot would keep her from sinking into the black cloud surrounding her. Outdoor patios were still packed and upscale tourist boutiques kept their doors open for the nighttime shoppers.

  Feeling out of place, Sam turned around to head back to Ray’s. The woman sitting on a high stool at the outside bar of one of Oldport’s most popular tourist spots looked familiar. The blonde waved, but it took Sam a moment to place her as Lee’s sister. Her newest employee put up one finger for Sam to wait and gestured to the bartender to hold her seat and the one beside it.

  She walked up to the railing separating the sidewalk from the bar area. “Hey, Boss Lady. I think I’ve been stood up. Do you have time for a drink or are you headed out on a hot date?”

  She couldn’t help but smile at Joanna’s exuberance. There was no way any man would stand a girl like her up and she hesitated to join her.

  “I’m just out for a walk, but I wouldn’t want to interrupt your night.”

  Joanna shook her head, “No, I’d much rather you sit with me and make me feel better about being alone.”

  Sam found herself walking back to the patio entrance without thinking it through. They both grabbed the stools by the bar where the bartender diligently watched after them.

  Joanna leaned in to be heard over the crowd and pulsating music. “Just wanted to thank you for hiring me. I promise I’m not some kind of prima donna or anything. I need a change of pace.” She pulled out the tiny umbrella and took a sip from her fluorescent pink cocktail. “These are great. You should totally get one. I was just asking Bill for the recipe so I can make them at Ray’s.”

  Joanna’s date may not have shown, but Bill the Bartender was ready to fill the void. He smiled at them both before pulling down a few bottles and setting up another drink at Joanna’s gesture.

  “So you used to date my brother?”

  “He told you that?”

  Her wink was sly, and Sam knew she was had before Joanna confirmed it.

  “No, but you just did. I saw the way you two looked at each other. He said you’ve been away for a few years so it all kind of made sense. It must be weird to work together now.”

  “I don’t know yet. We just started so I guess we’ll see how it goes. A lot has changed for both of u
s.”

  “I’m sure. Lee said you’ve been dating Dylan St. James.”

  “He did?” Of course, he did. She hesitated clearing it all up with him. Telling him the truth would bring him a little too close to the reality of what the last two years had been like for her.

  “Do you know his cousin, Melissa?”

  She knew all about Melissa the priss from Serena. There was no love lost between them.

  “Lee’s been dating her for almost two years. She’s nice, kind of a cold fish. She’s expecting a ring any day now, I’m sure.”

  The last was said around the straw. Sam took a big sip of her own drink as soon as Bill placed it in front of her. Lee hadn’t waited long to replace her. A sharp pain pierced the spot right above her breastbone. It certainly shouldn’t have hurt, especially as she had been under the belief he’d been sleeping with her sister before she had even left Oldport.

  It brought to the forefront something she’d been turning her thoughts around for a long time. They truly needed to get divorced, annulled, whatever. It was time to cut each other free from the binds they’d tied each other with two years ago. She needed to get perspective on this. Lee was sexy and smart and utterly disarming. She had to build up her resistance to him, or he would find a way to break whatever was left of her heart. Quelling the jealousy that came as instinctually as breathing, she took another long draw on her tall, purple straw. Joanna was right. It was yummy and potent. Exactly what she needed.

  She turned away from Joanna. Her eyes focusing on the tacky beach décor of the club. She didn’t notice Joanna’s date until his hand settled on the small of her back.

  ****

  He was late. Very late. Joanna was not going to be happy. He noticed her platinum blond head as soon as he arrived in front of Tropical Oldport. He cringed at the fake palm trees as he passed under them. It didn’t get any tackier than Christmas lights strewn across plastic fronds.

  The curvy blonde seated beside Joanna couldn’t be who he thought it was. He was thinking too much of Sam if he saw her even here with his sister. Then she turned her head a little to the left, and his body went on high alert. She sat there, sipping on a girly drink, a tight, black T-shirt and khaki skirt clung to her curves.

  The bar stool raised her to his height and his hand naturally landed on Sam’s hip when she turned away. He saw Joanna’s eyes focus on the small move.

  “It’s about time.” His sister smirked before nodding to the bartender for another round.

  Sam swiveled, forcing his hand off her. With the height of the stool, she was on eye level with him. An uncontrollable urge to step closer filled him. He wanted his wife. It had been a long time since he’d had the freedom to touch her. It was the little things he missed the most, running his fingers through her hair, sniffing the spot below her ear and making her laugh. That kiss was just a tease of what could be between them. Forcing himself to step away was harder than it should have been. He nodded a greeting to the bartender and forced himself to stand nearer to Joanna. He fisted his hands to keep from reaching for her.

  A look into his sister’s eyes and at Sam’s red cheeks and he knew the ladies had been drinking through their share of the pink concoctions in front of them.

  Sam slid off the stool, “I should go.”

  “No way. We’re just getting to know each other. I’m not letting you go until I know all of your secrets.” Joanna laughed and slid her arm through Sam’s.

  She stiffened and looked up at him. Neither one of them wanted Sam’s secrets out. Joanna would be impossible if she knew about their impetuous marriage.

  “I think if you have any more of that girly drink, you’ll be the one spilling your secrets.” He pulled on Joanna’s ponytail, making her laugh.

  “I have no secrets. Everyone knows that. I can’t keep them.” She turned around and leaned her elbows on the bar, “So what’s your excuse for tonight, Lee? Do you realize I was waiting here for an hour before you showed up? If it wasn’t for Sam passing by, I would have looked totally desperate.”

  He hated the sadness that crossed Joanna’s face before she pushed it down. It made him crazy to think he couldn’t do anything about the things that bothered her. He looked to the hovering bartender and figured he could, at least, get her to smile.

  “Don’t tell me you haven’t been enjoying Bill’s company. That’s the only reason you wanted to come here. Don’t even try to lie.”

  Joanna punched him in the arm, harder than was necessary. “Shh. He might hear you, and anyway, it’s not like you had other plans besides working.”

  Sam sat back down on the stool and eyed him. “You weren’t at the bar. Where were you working?”

  “I own a few businesses in town. I was doing my rounds when Sloshy here called to see if I would meet her for a drink.”

  His sister flirted with Bill and didn’t hear the jibe.

  “What businesses?”

  He took a long sip of his beer. He wondered if she was thinking about how much she could milk him for when they went for the divorce. She was either very good or her thoughts hadn’t turned in that direction. Yet. After all Sam still thought she had a bigger fish hooked in Dylan St. James. “I own two souvenir shops and a small hardware store. What about you, Sam? Checking out the competition?”

  “No. I’ve been going over my father’s books for most of the evening, and I needed some air.” She pulled the tie out of her ponytail and finger combed her curls. She smoothed it all out and then tied it back up again. It was her typical nervous tic. “It’s bad, Lee. The bar is not doing well at all, is it?”

  “No, it isn’t. You still have time to get out.” He held his breath, waiting for her response. He should want her to leave but he didn’t. He wouldn’t think too deeply about his reasoning just now.

  “Wouldn’t that make everyone happy? Nope, I’m not giving up yet.” She shook her head and seeing the full glass in front of her, grabbed it and slurped it down.

  “Whoa. Slow down, tiger, or I’ll be carrying you and Joanna home tonight.” It was weird to see her drink alcohol. She never drank at Ray’s. It was a seltzer with lime or plain ice water. Then again, she might have developed a taste for appletinis and caipirinhas in the city.

  She laughed. “I don’t know about Joanna but I can handle these. There’s barely any alcohol in them.” She ruined the meaning of her words when she slipped off the stool awkwardly. “I’m going to use the restroom.”

  Lee stepped back to let her get by. He watched her make her way to the rear of the club and was oddly relieved she wasn’t making a break for it. He turned around to his sister to find her watching his face.

  “What?” He took another drink from his beer and hoped his nosy sister wouldn’t get involved. Things were complicated enough with Sam. He didn’t need her snooping around their history.

  “Nothing.”

  It was said too slyly, and he knew she was up to something.

  “Joanna, leave it alone.”

  She shrugged her shoulders, “Is there an ‘it’? I mean, Lee, did you totally forget that you’re practically engaged to Melissa?”

  “I’m not engaged to anyone.” Just married. To Sam.

  She snapped her mouth shut and turned back to the bar. He drank the rest of his beer and slammed the glass down a little too hard.

  Sam squeezed his forearm to get his attention when she returned. “I’m going to walk back to the bar to close up.”

  “At this time of night? You shouldn’t be out walking. We can stop at my house to pick up my Jeep and I’ll drive you back.”

  She shook her head. “It’s okay. Up until a week or so ago, I lived in Manhattan and walked everywhere. Anyway, it’s only a few blocks.” She stepped around him and gave Joanna’s shoulder a tap.

  He couldn’t hear what they said, but Joanna’s laugh rang out, just as she winked at Bill. Sam turned to go but he couldn’t let her. A protective instinct inside him reared up. He wouldn’t let his sisters walk around a
lone at this time of night, why would he let Sam? Especially after she still had the telltale pink cheeks of one too many of those drinks.

  “Come on, Joanna. I want to give Sam a ride.”

  She huffed out a sigh. “I told you—”

  He stopped Sam’s protest with a hand. “I want to check on a few things at the bar anyway.”

  “Fine,” Sam sighed.

  Joanna grabbed her handbag off the floor, and they followed Sam out of the enclosed patio. She waited for him to reach her, and then they walked side by side the two blocks to his Jeep.

  He pulled his keys out when Joanna yawned. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in a few days for my test, Sam.”

  Joanna gave her a hug before strolling through the gate and into the house. He opened up the Jeep and they both got in. They rode the five-minute drive in silence. He parked by the back and found Sam fast asleep, with her head tilted to the side. Without a thought, he reached up and smoothed the hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. She leaned into his hand, rubbing her cheek against his fingers. He ached for more.

  He didn’t think. He let need override every self-protective instinct he had, and leaned in to kiss the spot below her ear. The soft skin and her sweet smell made the years disappear. A small sigh escaped just as her mouth moved to his. He let her lead, as she nibbled on his bottom lip. Her tongue slipped out and soothed each little bite. He pulled back slightly when he felt her eyes open. Her eyes locked with his for only a moment before her hand slid behind his head and pulled him back down.

  This time, he didn’t hold back his hunger for her. It had been too long since he felt the smooth skin of her neck and now he reveled in it, kissing his way up to her mouth. Without stopping, he reached for her seatbelt and detached it, giving him access to reach under her shirt. Like always the desire between them burst into an all-consuming fire. Her little gasps and sighs urged him on. His hand settled on the lace of her bra just as headlights lit up the front of the Jeep.