The bartender slid the crystal glass in front of Luke and nodded in salute. “Enjoy.”
Luke returned the smile and lifted the glass to the gentleman. His hand stilled in the air and he was sure his smile fell when his eyes caught a glimpse of the woman who stared at him. Her hazel eyes pierced him. He felt like a human dart board when she looked at him like that. His gut clenched and he brought the glass to his lips taking the first long sip of the golden liquid. His eyes remained on her long after she looked away from him.
He guessed she was the fourth in the reservation. Great. This night was shaping up to be a disaster. First he got to be stuck in a fancy restaurant with a noose around his neck and now he had to spend his evening receiving dirty looks.
He polished off his scotch and placed the empty glass on top of the bar. Well to hell with that. He tugged at the knot in his tie one final time before he pulled the damn thing off. If he was going to be on edge all night, might as well make himself; more comfortable. He shoved the tie into his jacket pocket and undid the top button of his dress shirt. There, he thought to himself as he glanced back across the bar to steal a look at the auburn beauty that had him in knots. Christ, he flinched. When did he start to think of Cara as beautiful? His eyes met hers and she covered her mouth with the palm of her left hand. The ring his brother had put on her finger, promising to marry her, shined brightly, reminding him he had no business thinking of her as beautiful.
She was too skinny anyway. The scarlet dress she wore should’ve hugged her curves instead it fit her loosely and left all that was underneath to the imagination. She wasn’t taking care of herself, but that wasn’t news to him. Half the time he found her in Rudy’s drunk or high on his brother’s pain pills.
He couldn’t tell the difference between the Cara he once knew and the Cara that had taken her place. He was so used to this version, yet as he looked past the dark circles that she covered with makeup, he saw a glimpse of the old Cara. Her palm was raised to her mouth to cover a smile or maybe it was a giggle. She was laughing at him.
Luke didn’t know what to make of it and he was sure he looked like a fool as he gaped at her in shock. The bartender returned with another glass of scotch for him. He placed it down on the bar and turned, following Luke’s eyes to Cara.
“She’s a sweet young lady.” The bartender said and busied his hands drying a glass.
Luke tore his eyes from Cara and looked at the bartender as if he had just dropped in from another planet. Clearly, he had the wrong woman. The older man looked up at him out of the corner of his eyes and smiled slightly.
“She’s been here about an hour. Little lady likes the whiskey.” He placed the dry glass under the bar and then looked at Luke. “But she’s wearing a ring, lad.” He said before making his way over to another patron.
Well, thanks for pointing that out, Luke said silently as he raised his glass. He looked across the bar, but she wasn’t there anymore. He sighed and downed the scotch, figuring by the time his sister and fuck, his soon to be brother-in-law got here he’d be a drunken mess.
“You never did like to wear a tie.” He heard the familiar voice say from behind him. Her voice was husky but laced with the slightest hint of honey. Christ, he was fucked. He slowly turned and those hazel eyes that gleamed at him were green. Luke knew that meant she had to be drunk. It was so strange how her eyes changed color like that it fascinated him.
“Is that why you were laughing?” He sighed and let his gaze linger on her for a moment before he turned back to the bar, hoping the bartender would notice his empty glass again.
She placed her purse on top of the bar beside him as she leaned into the bar. Luke glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw her smile at the bartender. “Yes.” She said simply and then she turned swiftly and caught him looking at her. “Johnny Walker. Double-tall.”
Luke drew his brows together. “Excuse me?”
“That’s what I’m drinking.” She said, turning to the bartender who was waiting for Luke. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked away, careful not to let him catch her laughing again.
Luke looked back at the bartender. “I’ll have another, sir.”
“And for the lady?” he raised an eyebrow.
Luke looked at him. Was he kidding? He had been making her drinks for an hour. He told him that she liked the whiskey and now he was asking him what she wanted to drink. He looked at Cara, then back at the bartender, convinced they were working together, against him. “She’ll have a Johnny Walker, double-tall.”
The bartender nodded and then tipped his head towards Cara.