“Wow, that’s fantastic.”
“I miss you, Haley.”
Hang up. Hang up now before you say something stupid.“Not enough to keep your dick in your pants. Oh, wait, I’m sorry, that’s right, it was because you missed me so much that you fucked all my friends.”Too late.
“As if you were a saint that cherished our marriage. You can’t tell me you weren’t banging my partner. I didn’t believe him when he told me, but he knows a lot about you. Even that birthmark on your—”
Click. She hung up before he could say anymore. What a slime-bag, sleaze-bucket, lying son of a bitch. Pinning it back on her? Claiming he missed her? Her attorney had put out enough fires thanks to Nate’s pathetic excuses to turn things around on her.
Fuming, she slammed the car door shut and stormed out. Ripping open the car door, she chucked her purse inside and knocked her head into the steering wheel.
Ow. Shifting into gear, she backed out of the drive.
Dammit, Nate. She was not about to let him ruin the life she was building for herself. Just a few more weeks. How had she let herself—
No. Don’t do it. He’s the narcissistic asshole.
Shaking off the vile encounter, she headed for Halseth’s. If Finn’s arms didn’t distract her from her shitty phone call, nothing would.
The guy was a puzzle. How was a former professional football player tending bar? Duh, she smacked herself on the forehead.
Ow. Again? She really needed to get a grip.
His name matched the name on the door. Halseth’s was either his place or his family’s. Couldn’t be his; it was way too established to be new. He can’t have been home more than a few months.
Downtown Foothills was packed for a weeknight. It was a cozy small town, where everyone knew everyone, but the tourists almost tripled their population on weekends in skiing and hiking seasons. Since her return, she’d found its tourism load had increased the population by at least another third, even on weekdays. Parked across the street, she hopped out, smoothed her jeans and checked that her top was nonchalantly half tucked.
One last seat at the bar. Not at her usual corner, but right in the middle by the taps. Well, that was okay. She’d get to watch those corded arms working all night.
From behind her, that heavenly voice vibrated the air, sending a thrill down her spine. “Hey,” Finn said.
Turning on her stool, she discovered him spinning a tray in his hand, an apron filled with notebooks and checks stuffed in the pockets. “Hey,” she whispered breathlessly. “Busy in here. I didn’t know you waited tables, too.”
“Not usually. Tara called out sick. Our other server and bartender are both busy tonight. Evan, my little brother, is out of town. My dad worked his ass off all day covering for Evan. Zoe’s overworked in the kitchen and our back-up chef just arrived. I have no idea what’s with the midweek rush tonight. Something about an adventure tour that recently added Foothills to their itinerary. And half the damn town is ordering takeout tonight. So, I am working double duty.”
Another group walked in. Snagging a trio of menus, Finn greeted them and quickly cleared a table that had just emptied. Without pause, he breezed into the bar and poured a few drinks. Two orders up, he delivered dinners.
Behind the taps, he poured another round for the folks at the end of the bar and asked, “Want to try that IPA?”
“I’d love some… but would you rather have a hand? Not that I’ve ever waited tables, but I have eaten out a lot. Not much of a resumé, but, quite frankly, I have nothing else to do tonight.”
He paused, the beer he was filling overflowed. At the chill, he set down the overfilled glass and wiped the spill with the bar towel at his side. “You kidding?”
“No, really. I need a distraction.”
“Rough day?”
“Divorce sucks. Seriously, my soon-to-be-ex called and pissed me off. Accused me of… anyway. Not relevant. I need something useful to do. And hard.”
He visibly winced. “I’m so sorry. Are you sure? I mean, you’re here to relax.”
She nodded with renewed enthusiasm, refusing to let Nate ruin her night as he’d clearly intended. “Seriously. Please. I’ll just stew and replay that stupid phone call in my head over and over. And that will lead to flashbacks of his cheating ass banging my ‘best friend.’ Sorry, wow, I didn’t mean to throw all that at you.”
“No, I’m sorry. What an asshole.” Finn nodded his head toward the side of the bar. She grabbed her purse and followed him over. “Hang on.” He popped his head in the kitchen and shouted, “Can one of you guys cover the front for a few? I found help and need to bring her up to speed.”
Movements as smooth as her brother’s, Zoe slipped off her chef’s apron and picked up a notepad. “Gotcha.” If she was puzzled at Finn’s choice of sub, she didn’t let it show past a quick grin and a wink before she disappeared.
Finn tipped his head toward the back, grabbing a black Halseth’s t-shirt off the shelf as he passed the register. Following him down the hall past the bathrooms and into a breakroom, Haley swallowed her last-minute anxiety. She hadn’t worked a real job a day in her life.
