“I’m not exactly known for my people skills,” he said through gritted teeth.
“You just have to make drinks and smile. Let Harmony Haven see that Fiddlers' new owner isn’t just hiding in a back office.”
He looked like he might be sick. For a moment, I almost let him off the hook. But this wasn’t just about him or the bar. It was about me. In a few weeks, I’d have to explain to every regular what went wrong between West and me. I wasn’t about to come off as some wide-eyed fool who got left in the dust by her billionaire husband. He was going to pretend to care. He was going to play the part.
“I think the best thing for Fiddlers is to show that nothing’s changed,” he tried to reason.
I rolled my eyes and exhaled hard.
“When we’re in Atlanta, do you want me to pretend to be someone I’m not? Wear the sharp outfits and the heels and the updos and act like you’re the king of my world? Then here in Harmony Haven, I want the same thing. I want you to take off your suit, pretend like I’m the queen of your world, and sell it so hard that I have to remind myself it’s not real.”
I dropped my bag by the couch and turned to leave. It took more out of me than I expected, to be that honest. To admit how badly I didn’t want to be the punchline when this was over. I wanted the bar. I wanted my freedom. But I also wanted respect. Especially from him.
When I stepped behind the bar, the room was packed. We were way busier than usual and Tuffy looked relieved to see me join her in the chaos.
“You okay?” she asked, as she tossed me an apron. “You look frazzled.”
“Yeah, I’m good—just?—”
“Holy shit!” she blurted, her voice cutting over the music.
Heads turned.
I blinked, confused for a second, until I realized what she was looking at. My hand. The one I’d just run through my hair. The diamond caught the light and practically blinded half the bar.
“Oh, this?” I said with a laugh, trying to fake that glow-in-love look. “You’re not gonna believe what happened…”
Chapter Eighteen
WEST
I paced the office,resisting the urge to rip my hair out.
I didn’t want to go out there. I didn’t want to face Harmony Haven. Not any more than I already had. Blue didn’t understand what was at stake. She didn’t know how deep it hurt when people looked at me like I was either a tragedy or a villain. No one knew what it felt like because I’d never let anyone close enough to find out. I kept my heart locked up, sealed tight beneath a calm exterior and an expensive suit.
And when I came up with the plan to get Blue’s help, I never imagined she’d come with demands of her own.
The worst part wasn’t even her pushing me. It was the way she looked at me, thinking I might crack under the pressure of slinging drinks. She may have thought I’d be embarrassed, or worse, incompetent.
I wanted to prove her wrong. Wanted to wipe the smirk off her face. Wanted to see a spark of respect when she looked at me. But I didn’t know why I even cared.
I left the office without heading toward the bar. Instead, I slipped through the back hallway and pushed open the heavy door that led outside. Marshal—Blue’s driver—was posted uplike a gargoyle near the wall, and Marcus, my driver, stood nearby.
They were talking. Quiet. Tense.
Marshal stiffened as soon as he saw me, but Marcus just raised an eyebrow, silently asking what the hell I was doing.
“Do you still keep a bag of clothes in the car?” I asked him.
“Yes, sir,” he replied. “Just a few dress shirts.”
“Perfect. Grab me one.”
Marcus and I were roughly the same size, not that I was about to start swapping underwear with the man. He ducked back toward the SUV and returned with a plain dress shirt that matched the one he was wearing under his suit. He handed it over with a small nod while I gave Marshal a look, something between “don’t ask” and “stay out of my way,” then turned to head back inside, past the office and toward the main room.
The moment I stepped into the opening of the bar, Blue spotted me. Her expression shifted, her eyes went wide, her mouth forming a question she didn’t ask out loud. But her body relaxed a little, like she was shocked and maybe even a little proud.
It was showtime.
