“Don’t make me say it again, dude.”
“Are they asking or demanding?”
“Seriously? You know my mom doesn’t give you a choice. She’d show up at your door and drag you there herself. You’ve weaseled out of the last three and now she’s offended. And I swear if you don’t show up, I will come to kill you myself.”
Landon turned to look at Preston, who was smirking at their exchange. “Did you hear him threaten me? Shouldn’t you arrest him or something?”
“Naw, I’m his backup on this task.”
“Fine. What time?” Landon asked, turning his attention back to Austin, who finally seemed to relax.
“Five, and don’t be late.” Both men hopped down from their stools, leaving Landon alone at the counter. “Oh, and mom said you’re providing the booze as punishment.”
“Got it.”
Finished with his lunch, he left some cash for his bill and the tip as he moved away from the diner counter, waving at the Connelly clan and their friends occupying random booths along the wall.
He had planned to head to the hardware store to get some paint of the apartment above the bar. It had been neglected for far too long. Hell, he still slept with a mattress on the floor because he didn’t see any reason to dress it up. But now he would be sorting through his recent delivery and choosing the booze to take to the barbeque that evening. Thank goodness he’d had that delivery in the morning.
As he unlocked the oversized wooden door to the bar, he went ahead and grabbed the For Hire sign that he’d left sitting in the first booth and placed it in the window.
Now that the sign was up, there was no going back. Landon just hoped he could find someone competent enough to work the floor and get along with him at the same time. Though the latter wasn’t a priority, he didn’t get along with most people.
Now he just needed to find a way to stay busy for the next five hours or he was going to drive himself crazy remembering every detail of the night before.
***
As Kerry pulled her car through the single stoplight in the small town, she finally felt as if she could breathe. The weight on her chest that had been haunting her for what felt like years finally dissipated. Carson, North Carolina, was a place that Kerry had found herself in by chance. It was a wrong turn while heading to a hospital to give a speech while in the country on royal duties.
Her security guard at the time was livid at the mistake, but even more so when Kerry asked to stay for a few days. It was a place that she frequented now whenever she was in the states. Kerry loved the town and its people so much she even made a few friends she reached out to on a daily basis. She hadn’t told them that she was coming back in town, but she hoped to surprise them that evening, but first things first, she needed to take a peek at the property she had bought sight unseen.
She had reached out to Austin Connelly and his team, all incognito, and requested that he send a few small cottages that were on the market that would need very little work. Kerry wanted to be able to come and go as she needed without having a project to tackle. He had sent three properties, but the one on the lake had sealed the deal for her and she closed on it about a year ago.
As she followed the directions to the property, she just hoped that she hadn’t made a mistake by not coming to see it in person.
The dirt road jostled the rental Kerry drove, and as the field turned into heavily covered brush and woods, she began to wonder if she had been duped, but then she saw it, a clearing with a perfect white and blue Craftsman-style bungalow with a view of the lake in the back.
Kerry could tell as she parked the car that the house had been maintained in her absence, as was the dock that jutted out into the lake. Austin and his team worked with a local property management company to take care of rentals and vacation homes and Kerry was glad that she had made the extra expense to have them look after her place.
The smell of the freshly cut grass tickled her nose as she stepped out of the car and into the humid air. There was a slight breeze coming off the water and Kerry seriously considered staying in that small sanctuary the rest of her life. But she knew it wouldn’t be long until her parents located her. For now, she was simply buying time.
Austin had told her that the management team kept a spare key tucked behind one of the shutters and Kerry located it after a few tries.
With a deep breath, she opened the door and heaved a sigh of relief when she realized that it looked exactly like the pictures Austin had sent her. She shouldn’t have been worried, but it was hard to tell if someone was going to set her up. That was why she made the deal in an alias instead of her actual name, not that she didn’t trust Austin, but she had to be careful. Con artists were everywhere and she knew better than most. They tried their hardest with sob stories left and right to weasel money, fortune, or fame from her family.
Quickly shooting a message to Mary, Kerry took a quick check inside the house and noted that the fridge and pantry had been stocked this morning like she had requested as she arrived in Asheville the day prior.
Glancing down at her phone, she was surprised when Mary didn’t respond right away, but she knew that her friend had to keep up pretenses. And Kerry also knew that her parents probably held Mary as the first suspect in Kerry’s whereabouts.
As much as she wanted to dawdle and enjoy the property, there was one thing that called to her more than anything in the town, and that was a meal at Angie’s Diner. She had been skeptical the first time she stepped into the greasy diner, but after her first taste of the remarkable food, she was sold. That was another thing she loved about the town, they didn’t look at her like a princess and future queen. To them, she was simply Kerry Albertine. And for someone that had spent her entire life answering to Her Royal Highness Karolyna, it was a nice change of pace.
Once she returned to the main street, the drive was second nature and she quickly pulled her car into the large lot across the street from the diner. She hadn’t been to the town in a few years, long enough to notice changes like the new sidewalk and painted buildings, but it was still familiar, like the flower boxes and flags dangling from every light post.
Smile plastered in place, Kerry adjusted the hem of her denim skirt and strolled across the street as if she had been living there her entire life. Walking through the entrance, the door chimed above and everyone in the room turned around to see who had arrived. She knew the routine and wasn’t surprised, but it was still offsetting to have dozens of eyes on you without notice.
“Is that?” she heard someone ask from the back of the diner, then suddenly a swarm of women moved from the booths, shoving people out of the way to approach Kerry. There was no cause for alarm though as the familiar arms of her friends wrapped around her. It had been too long since she had seen the Connelly women, some of which she had only spoken to via a video chat as they were the spouses of the younger Connelly boys. Nikki, Avery, Sydney, Everleigh, and Cassidy gushed over her as they led her back to the diner's far corner, Nikki shouting to Ethel that Kerry needed a sweet tea stat.
Once she arrived at the back tables, the rest of the group exchanged hugs and greetings and Kerry knew that she had made the right choice to return to the town. This place felt more like home than the palace that she grew up in.
Once the cold beverage was placed in front of her, the questions started rapid-fire and Kerry could barely keep up. She spent the next twenty minutes explaining with as little detail as possible why she was in town and how long she was staying. Kerry claimed she needed a break from her family and that she wasn’t sure how long.
Beside her, Nikki suddenly perked up and rested her hand on Kerry’s arm. “Oh my gosh, Amy and Joseph are having a cookout tonight. You have to come,” the small woman pleaded, but Kerry knew that was no backing out. Nikki would make sure that Kerry showed up come hell or high water, or she’d end up writing a character based on Kerry and make her the villain or kill her off; that was what a bestselling romance author did. Or
so Nikki had explained once before.
Not that Kerry would turn down the invite, she loved the Connelly crew's parents almost as much (and sometimes more if Amy was making her famous apple pie) as their children.
“Say you’ll come,” Avery asked from across the table, her bright blue eyes that matched her father’s glistening in delight. Avery was the long-lost daughter of Joseph’s but fit right in with the family, especially when Amy opened her arms to the woman wholeheartedly. Kerry had a special bond with each of the women in the group, but Avery was the one she felt that she had the most in common.
“Alright, I’ll be there. What time?”
“I think it’s at five. Mom will be so happy to see you,” Avery added as she handed a crayon to a small toddler in the booster chair next to her. The twins were seated next to her husband, Logan.
“I guess I should probably go try and catch a nap so I don’t fall asleep mid dinner,” Kerry joked as she stood from the table.
The group said their goodbyes, everyone claiming their excitement to have Kerry join them later, as she waved to a few of the other people in the diner. Deciding to stroll through the town instead of heading home, Kerry walked past the shops she had grown to love. She passed the bakery and grill owned by Sydney and Dylan, the clothing store owned by Cassidy, which she may have spent too long staring in the window gazing at a summer dress she was going to have to come back and grab, a small movie theater and bowling alley. Kerry crossed the street at the hardware store and smiled as she glanced to her left down the block where the bar already had people streaming in and out of the doors, and the new antique shop that hadn’t been there the last time she visited. Kerry had to tell herself to keep walking when she reached the ice cream shop because the smell of freshly made waffle cones was almost too good to pass up, but she had to get back to her house, making a mental note to stop by the next day. A building at the far end caught her eye and she recalled the windows being covered up in plywood the last time she visited. There was no sign out front telling her what the establishment was and layers of brown parchment paper-lined the windows' interior, trimmed in freshly painted white wood.
As she stared up at the old building that looked to have been remodeled, curiosity got the better of her. Someone had taken their time restoring the old art deco building to its grandeur.
A horn sounded from the street and Kerry turned to wave automatically, years of manners taking over her muscles through memory. She noticed that Austin and Nikki in the large SUV were most likely heading toward his office in a beautiful Victorian on the edge of town.
Turning back to the building, Kerry noticed a small orange and black sign in the window that said they were hiring. Stepping toward the window, she noticed that there was no phone number or description of the place, just a notation telling the reader to inquire inside.
She wasn’t trying to be nosy or overly inquisitive, but Kerry truly couldn’t help herself as she stepped toward the front door and yanked it open. The room wasn’t dark, but dim in the covered windows where only small rays of light filtered through. But as Kerry stepped farther into the space, taking in the marble and freshly stained wood, she almost missed the man standing behind the bar staring at her as if he had seen a ghost. She couldn’t make out his features as the light was gleaming off the polished bar top, but something about him awakened her.
“Hi, I was just inquiring about the job?”
Chapter Five
Landon was stunned into silence. His mind had to be playing tricks on him because there was no way the woman that had been on his mind all morning had just walked into his bar without a care in the world. Fate couldn't be that cruel unless he imagined things.
“Hello?” she said, breaking him free from his stupor.
“What?” he growled, gripping the glass tumbler in his hand as he wiped it clean with a rag. He couldn’t explain why he was angry all of a sudden, but the fury inside of him was elevating at a rapid speed.
But what he couldn’t figure out was what this woman was doing in his small little town that was barely a dot on a map. Blink and you’d miss it.
“I saw the sign about the job,” she said as she walked closer to him. He could tell the instant that she realized who he was because her smile faltered, if only for a moment, and her confident walk slowed. “Landon? What are you doing here?”
“Working. I own the bar.”
“Oh! Is that what this will be? I was curious. It looks beautiful,” she said as she peered around her shoulder to look at the barren space behind her.
What Landon wanted to tell her was that she was beautiful. His memory hadn’t done her any justice even though he had just left her bed that morning. Her long blonde hair that he wanted to wrap around his fist as he pounded into her from behind fell in soft waves around her shoulders, cascading down her breasts. Breasts that fit perfectly in his hands with nipples that tasted just as sweet.
Mumbling his thanks, Landon returned to cleaning the last of the glassware before remembering that Kerry had come into the bar with a purpose.
“Did you come in here about the job?”
“Oh, yes! I saw the sign out front about the job.”
“You want to work. . .in a bar?” He knew he was being an asshole, but this woman was dressed in luxury clothes and carried a purse that probably cost more than the truck he drove.
“Yeah, I mean, what kind of work do you need? I’m a fast learner.”
“Well. . .I. . .”
She nibbled at her bottom lip and Landon wanted to curse himself for making her uncomfortable. Maybe he needed to give her the benefit of the doubt and let her at least apply.
“Sit here,” he said, gesturing to one of the new barstools. “Let me grab you an application. I just printed them out.”
Tossing the rag onto the counter, Landon made his way down the back hallway to the small office where he had set up a laptop and printer. Without looking at the papers, Landon blindly grabbed the stack on the printer and made his way back to the main bar area.
As he glanced up into the room, light was shining from the window's torn paper, illuminating the space around Kerry. She looked like the ethereal being that he imagined.
“Landon, did you find it?” she asked, that accent he remembered hearing the night before slipping free.
“Yeah, sorry,” he said as he dropped the papers on the counter, leafing through them to make sure he had everything. “Uh, make sure you fill out everything fully. Knowing this town, the sheriff will probably want to do a background check and everything himself.”
She giggled at his joke and Landon felt like a million dollars at that moment.
He watched Kerry reach for the first page and then search around for a pen before reaching into her bag and grabbing one.
“Mind if I cut on the television while you fill that out?” He waited for her to respond, and when she didn’t, he reached for the remote and turned on a national news station. He was more interested in European football stats, but assumed Kerry didn’t want to hear him hollering at the television.
From behind, he watched as she fumbled through the questions, scratching through her name and pausing at her address.
“Um. . .I don’t have my address available. Today was the first time that I’ve been there and I left the slip of paper in my car.” Kerry turned to face him, looking expectantly with her wide eyes. She nibbled on that plump bottom lip that had him reaching out with his thumb and loosening the flesh from her teeth.
Gliding his hand from her cheek to her hair, Kerry turned fully on her stool to face him.
“So, you’re here permanently?” he asked, taking a step closer to the woman that had him tied up in knots.
“It appears that way.”
“You know,” he began as he slipped his other hand around her waist, loving the way that her breath hitched from his contact. “I do have one regret from last night.”
“You do?” she whispered, her chest moving up and down in a
fast pace as his fingers slipped beneath the hem of her shirt and glided across the skin of her stomach.
“I regret leaving you this morning. If I hadn’t had to be back here to sign for a delivery, I would have stayed. I wanted to stay.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. Would you have let me stay?”
“I would have extended the room stay,” she told him. Kerry’s eyes were shimmering in delight as he took in her words.
Having her this close and insinuating that she had wanted more with him unleashed something deep inside Landon. He practically launched himself at her, crashing their mouths together. Their teeth chattered as they met in the collision.
“You know,” he groaned as their lips and tongue fought for control. “I shouldn’t be doing this with an employee.”
Reaching for the edge of his shirt, Kerry yanked at the material until it pulled over his head. Her hands slid across his abdomen as she pressed kisses against his pecs, swirling her delicate tongue around his nipples. “Well, it’s a good thing that I’m not your employee yet.”
A growl sounded in the room and Landon was sure that it had come from somewhere deep inside him where he kept an animal caged inside. That feral beast was ready for its escape.
“Fuck.”
Landon used his arm around Kerry’s waist to lift her from the stool and placed her aggressively on the freshly polished counter. The papers for her application scattered down to the floor, but he didn’t care. All Landon cared about was getting his next fix of Kerry. And as she wrapped her long legs around his waist, he knew that she wanted the same.
***
Kerry never imagined that when she left Asheville this morning, she would end up here, in Carson, with her legs wrapped around Landon in his bar. The moment she realized that it was him standing behind the shiny counter, she faltered. Granted, once the shock wore off, she was honest with him; it was curiosity that had piqued her interest and rebellion that had her walking side, but staying and making conversation with him was one hundred percent her lady bits staking their claim.
Behind the Bar (Home in Carson Book 3) Page 5
