Caleb, on the other hand … I don’t know, but there was something about him.
“Everything okay?” Caleb asked as he slid my drink over to me. I nodded and muttered my thanks. He looked over to Max, having a wordless conversation with him.
I pretended not to notice and instead focused my attention on Dirty Al, who was miserably attempting to flirt with the young woman whose attention Max was trying to snag earlier.
“I gotta go help Amanda escape Dirty Al before Max goes off on him.” Nicky tossed Caleb a towel. “Clean yourself. You smell like a brewery, CJ.” He cackled at his bad joke.
“Sorry about that. The guys are a bit nuts,” he said sheepishly, leaning over to be closer to me, which was a good thing because it got louder in here as the song changed.
I waved him off. “No worries. Seems like you get some interesting clientele here.” Caleb followed my gaze to Dirty Al, who was waving his hands at Max, obviously complaining about something and slurring his words.
“Oh, that’s just Al. He’s a regular. Ever since he ‘retired,’ he’s been lost. Poor bastard found a home here, but he has his moments,” Caleb commented wistfully.
He leaned across the bar farther as if he was telling me a secret, and he grazed his hand over mine once more. “It’s just, I feel sorry for Al, to be honest.” Caleb looked into my eyes, a torn expression on his face, and went on to explain more about the infamous Dirty Al. “He was a hotshot in his prime, and one mistake ripped everything from him. I don’t think I understand the magnitude of how difficult it must be to be an outcast from all you’ve ever known,” Caleb said earnestly, as my eyes popped out of my head. It would appear that Dirty Al and I had more in common than I’d thought.
“Speak for yourself,” I muttered mainly to myself, but Caleb must have heard me because he gave me an inquisitive stare. Ibrushed him off, not wanting to explain and relive it all again. It was nice to forget everything and just be normal. Even if it was temporary.
“That’s a lonely life.” I sighed, looking at Dirty Al, who was now sitting at a table by himself. Oddly enough, I knew exactly how the disheveled, older, drunk man felt.
Alone in a group of people.
I peered up at those aquamarine eyes from across the bar, and the look this man gave me made my heart stop.
Correction: That was how I used to feel.
CHAPTER 6
Caleb
“So you meanto tell me that you’ve never played pool before?” I was dumbfounded, genuinely taken aback at her naivety. My nine-year-old was already a master pool player. Having a father as a bar owner had its perks.
She shook her head and looked away, appearing embarrassed. I instantly felt guilty for acting so surprised.
“Hey, CJ,” Nicky greeted as he slapped my back. “Do you know if anyone is looking for a bag? Max found a sparkly, little thing on the other end of the bar,” he explained, gesturing to Max who was holding none other than a glittery small purse.
Grace raised her hand. “Oops, that’s mine. You can verify my ID. It’s in the little cardholder,” she added nervously.
Nicky laughed and looked at Grace bashfully. “Don’t worry, we trust you.”
Grace’s face scrunched in confusion for a moment before shrugging her shoulders.
Max walked over and handed her the bag, and she placed it in her lap before taking a moment to look at her phone.
“Nice bag.” I smirked, unable to hide my amusement. She was definitely not from around here. Grace seemed differentfrom any person I’d met before. She appeared apprehensive, almost scared. She was effortlessly sexy. I stared at her, this golden girl in all her shiny glory. But I remembered that she was not here to stay. The bar didn’t seem like her scene. Yet here she was.
“How’d you get the nickname CJ?” she asked warmly.
“Caleb Jameson.” I pointed to myself with my thumb.
Grace burst out in laughter. “Let me get this straight. You’re a bartender and your last name is Jameson?”
I nodded, not correcting her about ownership because Iwasa bartender here almost nightly. I also wanted to get her genuine reaction to the place without the bias of her knowing I owned it.
“So how long have you been working here?” Grace asked, peering up at me through her eyelashes.
“I’ve been here in some sense for about twelve years,” I told her.
I couldn’t help but scan the room and ruminate over my hard work. Bar had certainly been a labor of love throughout the years. One that wasn’t without sacrifice and grit. I would say the sacrifices I had made were worth it. Especially now, seeing it’d led me to the beautiful woman in front of me.
