Page 89 of Filthy Player
“Never,” I said, softening my voice. “Never for you, and I’m sorry if I’ve made you think that lately.”
“Okay then. I’m off in twenty minutes.”
Shannon took the check before I could protest and slid a credit card into the slot. “And I’m ready to pay for this, Hannah.”
Hannah took the folder and went to ring us out. Once she returned, Shannon slid out of the booth and we said our goodbyes. I was going to stay with Jaxon at the bar until Hannah was done, but there was no reason for Shannon to stick around.
“Thanks again for your help with my flowers today,” she said. “And thanks for loving my brother.”
“Both easy things to manage, Shannon. I’ll see you soon.”
She waved goodbye and once she was gone, I pointed at Jaxon. “You stay by the door, or the other side of the bar while I’m with Hannah. We have girl stuff to talk about.”
“I’ll be right there.” He pointed to a spot by the front door where he could stand like a centurion guard. I already knew why he’d picked the spot. He could see almost the whole restaurant along with the hallway to the bathrooms, but he could keep an eye on me at the bar at the same time.
“Aye-aye, Rambo.”
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered. “Go, but don’t get too drunk.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
PAIGE
We were on drink number two, sitting at the bar with Joey serving us. For a few minutes, it’d felt like old times. Hannah came over as soon as she was done, changed out of her Ride’Em Rough uniform and into a slinky, sexy black tank top and scalloped pale pink shorts before she took a seat next to me.
Joey and Hannah and I talked. We giggled about Beaux and I answered all of her questions, even the ones like how he was in bed that made me slightly uncomfortable. It was girl talk, plain and simple, and if I had to step outside to mend the bridge, I’d do it.
When I asked how her life was, she waved me off. “Same old, same old. Struggling to pay for college. Guys all suck. You know how it is.” She took a sip of her drink. “Or, at least you did.”
“Yeah, but there are good guys out there. You’ll find one.”
“Sure.” She didn’t look like she believed me, but before I could pry into why she seemed more stressed than usual, she pointed at Jaxon. “What’s with the scary guy staring at us?”
“That’s Jaxon. He’s my security. It’s a long story.”
“Security? What happened?”
The gleam in her eyes I’d been missing was back, so I started telling her everything I could, and when I was done, she was watching Jaxon.
“They don’t know who it is?”
“Nope. And I’ve sort of stopped being concerned about it. I know letters still come but I don’t see them anymore. And personally, I think if something was going to happen, it would have weeks ago when the letters started coming.”
“Maybe whoever it is, didn’t want to move too hard too fast.”
“Geez, Hannah, thanks for the comforting thought.”
“Sorry.” She laughed and finished her drink. “You’ll have sweet dreams tonight now, huh?”
I was sleeping next to Beaux tonight. Headed to his house and waiting for him when he arrived from New York. I didn’t tell her I always had sweet dreams when I was in his bed.
I changed the subject, moved it back to her and the classes she was taking that semester. She was in college to become an elementary education teacher and with her usual, peppy personality; I could totally see her teaching a classroom of six-year-olds all day long. By the time we finished our third drink, we’d also devoured a plate of nachos and another order of onion rings when Hannah suggested she took me home. We’d been there for hours after her shift and I was certain Jaxon was about ready to blow his own head off having to stand in one spot for that long.
“Jaxon was going to take me to Beaux’s place,” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “So he can follow us if he has to. Come on, I’m having fun tonight and it’s been so long since we’ve hung out like this. I miss you.”
She pouted and it did me in. “Okay. I’ll let Jaxon know. Come on.”
