Waiting for Tuesday: Suspicious Hearts Book Two

by Taylor Sullivan

  But more squeals made me glance back over to the bar. I immediately saw the reason for all the excitement. The man at the bar had pulled off his shirt. But he wasn’t just a man; he was the man with that damned smile.

  I couldn’t pull my eyes away. His chest was broad, his abs defined, and his whole body tapered to a V that led my eyes to a perfect sprinkling of hair at his waistline. He turned his back to the crowd, showing a tattoo that ran from shoulder to shoulder. A large cherry branch with hundreds of delicate flowers. It was both out of place and perfect at the same time.

  “And?” Becky asked, following my line of vision. But as quickly as he’d taken it off, his shirt was back in place. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you blushing?”

  I sat up straighter, pressing the backs of my fingers to my heated cheek. “Am I?”

  Her gaze narrowed. “You never finished your thought.”

  I licked my lips, searching for the last thing I’d been talking about, but then his eyes met mine and I froze. I hadn’t even realized I’d been staring. His lips curved into a slight smile, and he lifted his chin. I couldn’t look away. His eyes were so dark they were almost black, and his smile… It made me want to throw my ten-date rule out the window. I pulled my eyes back to Becky. “Saturday! I thought we’d rent a truck.” I blew out a breath, trying to recover my fluster. “Move everything over to the shop?”

  “You and me?” Becky asked.

  I nodded.

  She leaned forward and examined me with a knowing expression. “You have the hots for that bartender, don’t you?”

  “What? You’re crazy.” But my voice pitched a little higher than usual. I looked over my shoulder, sure Colin should be back with our drinks but found nothing.

  “Of course I’ll help you.” She grinned. “Like I have a choice anyway.”

  I hopped off my chair and looped my bag over my chest. “I owe you big time.” I gave her a kiss on the cheek and gestured to the front of the bar. “Now, where’s the bathroom?”

  She grinned wickedly “Down the hall.”

  There was a line a mile long when I got to the hall, and at least a half dozen fan club members stood in it. I took my spot at the very end and pulled my phone out of my pocket. Dead. My stomach did a nervous flutter as I stuffed it back inside. I knew there must be twenty orders waiting for me in email, and I was stuck here for at least another hour. Sometimes I hated having friends. I shook my head and pulled in a deep breath. You’ll catch up tomorrow; everything will be fine.

  The line moved again, and I couldn’t help but listen in on the conversation in front of me. It was one of the brunettes I’d seen at the bar earlier, and she wasn’t trying to be quiet.

  “…he said his name was Donovan. Do you think he owns the place?”

  Another shrugged. “Who knows? All I care about is him giving me a ride home tonight. If you know what I mean.”

  They both giggled, and I turned my back to the conversation. I’d come to the bathroom to clear my head, and their conversation wasn’t helping matters. But the man known as Donovan seemed to be haunting me. My eyes locked on his back as he poured drinks behind the bar. He wasn’t even my type. I liked nerdy guys, ones who liked poetry and books. Not the type who had a different woman in his bed every night, which judging from the size of his fan group, he likely had. I wanted stability, commitment, someone to settle down with, but damn was he hard not to look at.

  He seemed to be growing more and more attractive the longer I stared. But it wasn’t just his looks. It was the way he moved. As if he didn’t have a care in the world. As if he was just happy to be alive. He reminded me of my mother in a way. The type who never settled down, who enjoyed life a little too much, the type of living I was trying to break away from. Yet, I found myself unable to turn away.

  As if he sensed me watching him, he turned around and our eyes locked again. This was the second time, and my cheeks instantly flushed with embarrassment. Warmth crept up my stomach, over my neck, and I knew, knew with everything that was holy, that I was bright red again. But sometimes there was no denying your downfalls, and this was one of them. I grinned slightly, lifted my shoulders, and held up my hands in a you caught me motion. “What can you do?” I whispered to myself.

  He seemed amused by my admission, and threw his head back with laughter. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. His nose wrinkled up, making him look even more boyish than before, and he bit his bottom lip. The way he looked at me made me breathless. I whipped back in the other direction, thankful the line had moved enough for me to squeeze into the bathroom. I pulled in a gulp of air and slouched against the wall.

  What the hell was wrong with me? Maybe Becky was right, and I’d been working too hard. But as much as I tried to convince myself that was the cause, I knew the truth. I was attracted to him in a way I hadn’t felt in ages. Since I was the teenaged girl who fell in love with the boys who never noticed me. It scared me a little. The last thing I needed was a replay of my childhood. Or to wake up with another naked man in my bed.

  After doing my business, I washed my hands and splashed cold water on my face. I’d only been gone fifteen minutes, but I was certain Becky would come looking for me. I needed to go back out there, to hang out with the best friend I’d been neglecting for weeks, but the thought of running into Donovan again made me blush all over. My reaction was silly really; he was only a man, and I’d only been caught staring, but his smile had infected my brain. Way more than wine ever could.

  When I finally stepped out of the bathroom, the hall was filled with a hoard of people. I tried to squeeze through the crowd, thankful for the camouflage so Donovan wouldn’t see me, but everyone was headed the other way, which made it impossible to move. I opened the door to the bathroom again, deciding to wait out it out for a couple more minutes, but someone grabbed my arm and began pulling me in the opposite direction.

  “Hey baby, come with us, we have a keg back at the house.”

  His breath smelled heavily of alcohol, and his eyes were glassy and bloodshot. More alcohol definitely wasn’t what this guy needed.

  I smiled anyway, remembering my youth all too well, and shook my head. “Thanks, but no thanks.” I pulled away, intending to head back to my table, but another man blocked my exit.

  “You think you’re too good for us, doll?” He stepped closer, eyeing me up and down in a way that made my heart thud.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  He bit his lip, his chest millimeters from mine. “You didn’t have to.” He grabbed the strand of feathers in my hair, wrapping it twice around his finger, and pulled. “Are you some kind of Indian?”

  His foul breath washed over my face and I pushed away.

  “How ’bout you pow my wow tonight.”

  I stepped backward, looking over my shoulder for an exit, but a deep voice pulled my attention back to the bar.

  “Are these guys bothering you?”

  Donovan was making his way toward us, his jaw clenched, and his eyes holding none of the lighthearted humor I’d seen at the bar earlier. He looked like a different person...

  I nodded.

  The man standing in front of me retreated at the sight of him, smashing my sandaled foot with his heavy boot in the process. I doubled over, looked down to the floor to catch my breath, and pressed myself against the wall.

  When I glanced up again, the guys were all gone, and the only person left was Donovan. Squatting at my feet, staring up at me with eyes that were dark as coal.

  He touched my ankle, causing sparks of awareness to shoot through my body.

  “You okay?” he asked, his voice deep and kind.

  I swallowed, for some reason terrified. He was bigger than I’d expected—much bigger.

  I knew he wasn’t angry with me; it was the boys he’d chased away a minute ago, but my heart still hammered inside my chest.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked again.

  I couldn’t make myself answer. I only stood there, my m
outh slightly agape, and said nothing.

  Without saying another word, he stood and lifted me off my feet. “Let’s get you some ice.”

  I shook my head, finally recovering my voice as he walked with me down the hall. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

  But he didn’t seem to take any notice and continued walking. When he sat me on the bar a minute later, I was blushing again. The gaggle of women sitting there all turned to stare at me. They looked me up and down, and I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.

  “I’m okay—really.” I wiggled my toes to prove the point, but it was too late. He already had a red towel filled with ice, coming toward my foot.

  When the cold cloth touched my skin, I hissed at the sensation. “Thanks for coming to my rescue, but I think I was more surprised than anything.”

  He nodded but still didn’t move. He didn’t say anything at all, just looked at me in a way that was both hard and soft at the same time.

  He rested a hip against the bar and finally spoke. “Sorry about that. Dollar shots always bring a different kind of crowd.”

  I chewed my lip, trying to focus on his words instead of the fingers that made tiny movements over my skin.

  “What’s your name?” he asked when I remained silent. His eyes were intense and so much deeper brown than I originally thought. Like a hot cup of steaming coffee, with only the barest amount of cream inside.

  “Tuesday.”

  He smiled, but it was in that way that said he didn’t believe me. I got that reaction a lot. It wasn’t like it was a normal name, and it became especially unbelieving when it was said on a Tuesday. I opened my mouth to give him my normal spiel, that I was raised by a hippie mother who was convinced everything good in her life happened on a Tuesday. But then the gaggle of women behind the bar began to squawk. “Donovan, come back.”

  He looked over his shoulder and nodded, then removed the ice from my foot and tossed it into the sink. But he didn’t move away. He ran his fingers gently over my toes—feather soft—and I held my breath again.

  “Sorry.” He cringed, grabbing for the towel again.

  I touched his arm, just barely with my fingertips. “It’s okay.” Our eyes locked, and I could swear he branded my soul. He’d seemed so carefree when I’d first seen him, flirtatious, full of bold confidence, but the eyes that looked back at me now were weighted with pain, shielding a thousand secrets. I couldn’t even think with him so close.

  He looked away in that moment, as if he felt something too, but then the girls behind us screamed again, and he glanced over his shoulder. “Sorry, I need to get back.”

  “Of course.” I took a breath, eased off the bar, and plastered a smile on my face. It was stupid to be jealous; we’d only met a moment ago, but the feeling that twisted in my gut couldn’t have been anything else.

  He grinned again, one I felt in my stomach, and I took a step away from the bar.

  “Thanks again for your help,” I said, walking backward toward our table. “You better get back to your fan club.” Then I spun around, hurrying toward the safety of my best friend, and the pint of beer I needed more desperately than anything.

  Chapter FOUR

  

  Tuesday

  When I arrived back at the table a moment later, I didn't hesitate before grabbing my pint and downing half the glass. Becky was talking with Colin and turned in her seat to look at me with an odd expression. “Thirsty?”

  I only nodded.

  She had a right to be confused. It wasn’t like me to drink this quickly. Sure, I’d gotten drunk at the launch party, but that was odd too. I took a few calming breaths and told myself not to look back at the bar.

  “Can I get you ladies anything?” Colin stood reluctantly from my seat and began gathering more empties.

  I nodded, my nose still buried deep in my glass as I pointed for another. I desperately wanted to look back at the bar, to see if Donovan was watching me, but I didn’t dare. A dozen women probably surrounded him by now. Girls, I corrected. I wouldn’t be surprised if half of them carried fake IDs.

  Colin continued to linger at our table, but I was thankful for that. The longer he distracted Becky, the longer I had to pull myself together. She knew me better than anyone. My deepest thoughts, my hopes and dreams, every secret wish I’d had since I was eight. She was the only one who knew how much I wanted to find my father—

  Wait. Where had that come from?

  My brows furrowed, and I found the feathers in my hair. He’d been on my mind a lot lately. Maybe because of the changes with the store, or maybe because I no longer traveled to art fairs where I’d forever hoped to find him. That’s where he and Mom met. She was only eighteen and he something similar, and through all her stories, she had never once uttered a bad word about him. Never even a twinge of remorse when she told me about the morning she’d woken up and he was gone.

  “He was a nomad, he didn’t settle.”

  Just like her. I sighed. I was told over and over that he loved me, but I knew it wasn’t true. He’d left before I took my first breath. My mom was eighteen, seven months pregnant, and he left her to raise their baby on her own. What kind of man did that? What kind of person did that? What could have been so important that he abandoned us in the middle of the night?

  “Hello.” Becky waved her hands in front of my face. “Earth to Tuesday.”

  I gave her an apologetic look and met her eyes. “Sorry.”

  “What’s gotten into you lately?” Colin had finally gone, and Becky was leaning forward, her arms braced on the table. “What’s up with you tonight?”

  I shrugged. “I was just thinking about my dad.”

  Her frown deepened and she leaned closer. “Did you ask your mom about him? Is that why you looked so shaken this afternoon?”

  “No… but she’s in Crescent City again. Isn’t that weird? I can’t seem to shake him from my thoughts, and she’s back in the place where they met.”

  “That is kinda weird.”

  “I know.” I pushed a drop of water around the table with my finger. “But I told you, I already know everything. His name was Forrest, he was the love of her life, and they traveled together for about a year. She never even knew his last name…”

  John

  I watched as Colin brought Tuesday another drink, keeping my hands busy as I dried yet another glass. Shit, I wanted to switch places with him. Have Colin do the babysitting so I could go ruffle Tuesday’s feathers again—or whatever the hell her name was.

  She looked so innocent and wild at the same time. Gorgeous, though a little bit awkward. Her hair was big, almost overwhelming her small frame, a mass of sun-bleached waves. And her skin was flawless, golden brown, beautiful. But her eyes. They were a shade somewhere between hazel and green, trapped behind the black-rimmed glasses that drove me crazy.

  I grabbed another glass from the sink and shoved the cloth inside. She gave a whole new twist to the librarian thing, and I found myself wanting to check out a book. Only I knew that was a bad idea. She was the type who would want a relationship, and I was the type who avoided them.

  A few college girls lingered at the bar behind me, leaning halfway over the edge to get my attention.

  “Donovan,” a blond one cooed. “Why aren’t you paying attention to us?”

  I flashed them a charming smile and leaned against the bar. “What can I get you ladies? Coffee? Tea? A cab?” It was almost midnight and I was done. Ready to have a few beers of my own, ready to hand over the reins to Fred and make my way to Tuesday.

  She pushed her boobs against the bar and giggled. “Are you trying to get rid of us, Donovan?”

  I laughed at the use of my uncle’s name. My fifty-year-old uncle who hadn’t been here all night, but of course I played along. “Now Cindy, why would I want to do a thing like that?”

  She giggled and snorted. “My name’s Susan, but you can call me whatever you want.”

  I turned around and blew out a breath. These girl
s were too much—easy or just wasted. Either way, I didn’t want any part of it.

  My cell began to ring at the register, and I swiped open the call. “Hello?”

  “There you are! Where have you been?”

  I smiled at the sound of my sister’s voice and pressed my back into the counter. “Hey Lisa, isn’t it past your bed time?”

  “Ha ha. Have you been avoiding my calls?”

  I laughed. “No, I’ve been working. Uncle Don had a few employees call in sick, and I said I’d cover. What’s up?”

  She pulled in a deep breath, and I heard some of the tension leave her body.

  “Good.” She cleared her throat. “Now, I need you to be honest with me about something.”

  I furrowed my brow and grimaced, already anticipating where this conversation would lead. “Of course.”

  “Did you ever call my friend Jennifer back?”

  And there it was. I scratched the back of my head and began filling another pitcher. “Well… Like I said, Uncle Don―”

  “You didn’t!” She raised her voice, cutting me off.

  “You’re right.” I shrugged. “I didn’t.”

  “John, she’s nice! You deserve nice.”

  “I’m sure she is, Lis, but I’m not really into nice.”

  She laughed. “What do you want then? Some witch to tell you what to do?”

  I grinned and slid the pitcher across the bar to a customer. “Nah, I already have three of those.”

  “Oh my God! I’m telling Penny and Margaret you said that.”

  I laughed.

  “Seriously, John. What are you waiting for? What will it take to get you to settle down?”

  I glanced across the bar to Tuesday. “I like librarians.”

  “TMI… Okay, you can stop right there. I’m sorry I asked.”

  I chuckled, wiped my hands on a rag, and spotted Colin walking through the double doors to the back room. “Go to bed, sis. Your kids are going to be up in a few hours, and you’re going to be grumpy.”