Cardinal

by Sara Mack

  “So, that’s how this is going to work?” I tease. “While the little kid’s away …”

  He flashes a wicked grin. “… the big kids will play.”

  ~~~~

  The following afternoon, I give my coworker a concerned look as she hobbles the length of the bar. “Gwen. Are you limping?”

  “Yes.” She frowns. “I sprained my ankle yesterday.”

  “How?”

  Her face turns red as she reaches me. “Promise you won’t laugh.” She hands me her purse to stow beneath the cash register and lets out a big sigh. “I tried to rollerblade.”

  I instantly hide a smile. “Oh no. What went wrong?”

  “Everything!” She tosses her hands in the air. “I finally got this guy in my building to ask me out, and he decides to take me rollerblading. Me! The least athletic person on the planet. I should have known he would want to do something outdoorsy with his perfect tan and his strong legs and the kayak strapped to the top of his Jeep.”

  I pat her shoulder in sympathy as she leans on the bar and holds her head in her hands. “Why didn’t you suggest dinner or a movie instead? Outdoorsy guys have to eat, too.”

  “I was so excited he asked me out I didn’t think about it. I figured I could do it; I mean, I used to roller skate when I was little.”

  I smile. “So, what happened?”

  She peeks at me from beneath her hands. “I put the rollerblades on, stood up, and started rolling backward. The parking lot was on an incline, and I didn’t know how to stop. I was picking up speed and a car pulled in, so I ditched.”

  My eyes grow wide. “Did the car hit you?”

  “No.” She shakes her head. “But the driver got out to see if I was okay. Talk about embarrassing. Then, Logan came gliding over all professional-like to see if I was hurt. He helped me up, and I couldn’t put pressure on my foot.” She gives me a miserable glance. “We spent the next six hours in the ER. He got to witness a nurse bandage my scraped elbows and knees. I felt like a ten-year-old. It was incredibly sexy.” She pauses. “Not. It was my first date in over six months and I ruined it.”

  I shouldn’t tell her I had a date, too. Not only did it go well, but I’m not sure I’m ready to spill about Latson. I have, however, had my share of bad dates in the past. “Listen. If this Logan gives up on you because you fell over, he’s not worth the trouble. If he doesn’t check on you in the next twenty-four hours, forget him. We’ll find you someone new.”

  “Good luck with that.” Gwen stands up straight. “I’ve been trying to find someone new for freaking ever.” She ducks beneath the bar. “Where are we at with set up? I don’t know how much help I’ll be tonight, but at least I’m a body.”

  “Maybe you should go home,” I suggest.

  “I wish I could, but I need the cash.” Gwen gimps over to look at the wells I’ve stocked with alcohol. “I’ll just stay immobile on this side and you take the other.”

  “If that’s what you want,” I say skeptically. I feel bad for her. It’s obvious she’s in pain. “Do you have any medicine?”

  “Generic oxy.” She pats her pocket. “They’re my new best friends.”

  “Do I have to remind you two that Torque has a strict no drug use policy?”

  I turn around and come eye to eye with Latson. My stomach flips. It’s the first time I’ve seen him since we got out of bed yesterday morning. I can tell he’s joking with his words, but I can also sense some emotion behind his question. “Gwen twisted her ankle,” I explain. “It hurts.”

  He frowns. “What happened?”

  “It’s a long story.” Gwen waves her hand as if to say ‘forget about it’. “Rest assured I’m only popping doctor prescribed meds.”

  Latson nods toward her feet. “Are you sure you’re okay? I don’t want you hurting yourself any worse.”

  Gwen hops over to me and puts her arm around my shoulders. “Jen’s got my back. We make a great team. She’ll work this side, and I’ll work the other. Besides, I need her dating advice.”

  Latson’s eyebrows shoot up. “You do?”

  Gwen nods. “She’s going to help me find someone new if Mr. Outdoors doesn’t work out.”

  Latson looks at me and tries to hold back a smile. “Well, I’ve heard she’s pretty good in the dating department.”

  The tops of my ears start to get hot. “Don’t you have some work to do or –”

  “Oh, hey. That reminds me.” He steps back. “What do you think of my new shirt?” He looks down at his chest and points. My eyes travel from his face to his pecs. I licked it so it’s mine is printed in bold white letters.

  The heat from my ears travels to my cheeks. “You …” I close my eyes to keep my composure. I didn’t expect him to be this blatant. I open my eyes to Latson’s crooked smile. “That’s a little unprofessional, don’t you think?”

  “Why? Oliver says it all the time.”

  My eyes bug out of my head. “He does? Why would he say that?”

  “So I won’t steal his Oreos.” Latson looks at me like I’m overreacting. “He likes to lick the filling before he dips them in milk.” He turns to Gwen and shrugs. “I guess she’s never eaten an Oreo.”

  Gwen looks at me. “Haven’t you?”

  “Of course I have. The statement just seems a little … I don’t know. Inappropriate.”

  Latson tsk-tsks. “Jen. Are you thinking dirty thoughts again?”

  Gwen shoots me a questioning look. “Again?”

  “No. I –”

  “You can admit it,” Latson says. “I’d like to know what’s going on in that head of yours.”

  He purposefully bites his lower lip as he smirks, drawing my attention to his mouth. Thoughts of kissing him cloud my mind, so I get sarcastic to push them away. “I bet you would.”

  Latson backs away from the bar. “I won’t keep you ladies. I’m getting dangerously close to violating the three foot rule.”

  Gwen’s confused. “The what?”

  “It’s five feet,” I remind him.

  “I believe we negotiated three.” He grins. “Oh, and I already talked to Pete. I’ll be driving you home later.”

  He will?

  Latson looks at Gwen. “Speaking of home, let me know if you need to leave early. Don’t overdo it.”

  “Got it, boss,” she says as he turns and walks away. When he’s out of earshot, Gwen lowers her arm and wobbles a few steps away from me. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but something happened between you two.”

  I debate telling her. Pete, Jules, and Heidi already know we went out. Latson isn’t acting shy about us, although he is being vague. “He’s full of innuendo,” I say, playing along. “You know that.”

  She narrows her eyes. “What’s the three foot rule?”

  I decide to busy my hands and grab some cocktail napkins to place around the bar top. “It’s five feet, and it’s a good distance to prevent touching.” I try to change the subject. “So, what do you think Logan is doing right now?”

  She doesn’t fall for it. “Touching?” Gwen’s mouth falls open. “Something did happen!”

  I shake my head like she’s being silly. “I want to talk about Logan.”

  “Liar.” Her eyes light up. “Tell me what happened.”

  I try not to laugh. “No.”

  “Yes!” She points at her ankle. “I’m in pain. Humor me. I’ll make it easy for you and play the opposite game.”

  “The what?”

  “It goes like this: I ask a question and you give me the opposite of the truth. That way you don’t have to actually say what happened.”

  “Have you lost your mind?”

  “Have you lost yours?” She leans close so she can whisper. “Something happened with that fine specimen of a man and you don’t want to talk about it? C’mon!”

  It would be a girlie thing to do. Obviously I didn’t talk specifics with Pete. I told him the date went well and to be prepared – I was going to see Latson again. Jules has family visi
ting from out of town, so I only shared a few brief texts with her, although she wants details when her sisters leave on Friday.

  “Okay,” I concede. “You can ask a few questions.”

  Gwen smiles. “You can trust me. I’ll share a secret of my own to prove it, too. No opposites.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “You didn’t hurt yourself rollerblading?”

  “Ugh! No, that’s true.” She shakes her head. “I slept with Carter.”

  My jaw drops. “You what? When? What about Logan?” I hiss.

  “Please.” Gwen rolls her eyes. “The Carter thing happened over a year ago.”

  I’m floored. They get along like brother and sister. I would never have guessed.

  “Your turn,” she says. “I already know something happened, so when?”

  I think about how to answer in an opposite. “Um, not Monday night?”

  “The day after the jam session? I knew something was up! The way you two played guitar together …” She drifts off with a dreamy look. “Okay. Did you run into each other in your building?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, no.” She puts her finger to her chin. “Did he send Oliver over to lure you to his place?”

  “What? No. I mean, yes.”

  I start to move around the bar to finish setting up before the doors open. Gwen limps a few steps behind me. “Was this a planned event?”

  “No.” I toss the empty napkin box in the trash and realize I never cut the lemons and limes. They’re still sitting on the cutting board. I pick up a knife and start slicing.

  “Was it a date?” Gwen sounds surprised.

  “No.”

  “It was a date. This is huge,” she emphasizes the word. “He never dates. Never. Never ever ever –”

  “Stop,” I laugh. “I know. We discussed it.”

  “Was it romantic? Did you kiss? Did anything naked happen?”

  “It was horribly boring and no.” I’m starting to like this opposite thing.

  Gwen looks excited. “This is so much better than my date! Was it mind-blowing? It had to be with someone like him.”

  “What do you mean ‘someone like him’? He’s a guy like any other guy.”

  “No. He’s a mysterious, reserved, apparently uber romantic, sexy ex-rock star. That’s not any other guy.”

  I smile. She’s right. “Well, if you put it that way, it was awful. Hideous. Worst time of my life. You couldn’t pay me to do it again.”

  She squeals. Really, really loud. I catch Latson’s eye from across the room. He stops talking to Felix and Kenzie, and they all give us puzzled looks. I stop cutting fruit and point at Gwen with the knife. “Ssshhh! People are staring at us!”

  She slaps her hand over her mouth. “Sorry!” comes out muffled.

  I go back to slicing. “I’m glad you’re excited, but the world doesn’t need to know.”

  “I’ll try to contain my enthusiasm,” she says. “This is really awesome news, though. I’m happy for both of you.”

  “Thanks. It happened kind of fast.”

  “Fast is better in my book,” Gwen says. “Life is short. You should live it up while you can.”

  I slide a chopped lemon to one side of the cutting board and then look at her. “I hope you’re right.”

  During our shift, business is steady, but not overwhelming. Gwen and I talk in short bursts, until she falls silent because of her pain. She looks like she hurts more and more as time goes on. By midnight, I’m tired of watching her try to hide her grimaces and scowls.

  “That’s it,” I say. “You need to go home.”

  To my surprise, she doesn’t fight me. “You’re right. It’s only getting worse. The medicine isn’t helping.”

  “I’d say all the movement isn’t helping.”

  She starts to hobble her way over to me. “I’ll go tell the boss I’m done for the night.”

  “No. I’ll go. You don’t need to walk any more than necessary.” I crouch under the bar and come up on the other side. “I’ll be right back.”

  Gwen teases me. “Suuure. Use me to go see your boyfriend.”

  I smirk, then start to pick my way around people, tables, and chairs. I head to the rear of the bar where Latson’s office is located. As I knock and hear “It’s open,” I realize I’ve never been inside before.

  I crack the door and peek around the corner. “Hey.”

  Latson looks up and smiles. “Hey.”

  He’s wearing his glasses, and my stomach flutters. My gaze leaves him for a moment to look around the office. It’s full of the standard stuff, including the calendar for this month’s entertainment written on a big white board. My eyes study the concert posters hanging on the walls until they land on handmade drawings pinned to a bulletin board behind the desk.

  “Did Oliver make those?” I step inside and shut the door behind me.

  Latson looks over his shoulder. “Yeah.” He faces me again. “Did you come to look at my art gallery?”

  “No, but it’s a perk.” I walk over to get a better view. I hesitate when I get next to his desk. I’m not sure if I should go behind it. “Do you care if I –”

  “Get over here.”

  He stands and reaches for me, pulling me into his arms. “I’ve been dying to touch you all night.”

  I wrap my arms around his waist and snuggle against him. “This violates the five foot rule.”

  “It’s three, and I don’t see you complaining.”

  I stifle a laugh. He runs his thumbs over my lower back as we stand pressed together. I take a deep breath and inhale his scent. “Why do you smell so damn good?” I ask. “It’s distracting.”

  He kisses the top of my head. “I think you answered your own question.”

  His hand leaves my waist and removes his glasses, then appears under my chin. I lift my face toward him and as soon as our eyes meet, he lowers his mouth to mine. It’s a heated kiss, like we haven’t seen each other in days, and I’m quickly forgetting the reason I came in here. It doesn’t take long before his hands are in my hair and mine are digging into his back through his ridiculous I licked it shirt. Latson’s hands travel to my waist and he turns us, backing me against his desk. Gently, he lifts me up to sit on the edge, and I wrap my legs around his hips to pull him close. Just as my hands find the bottom of his shirt and slide underneath, the office door opens.

  “Hey! I finally heard from –”

  Dean’s excited voice echoes and I nearly jump ten feet in the air. Latson catches me before I fall off the desk and laughs. “Dude. Ever heard of knocking?”

  “I’ve never had to before.” I can sense Dean’s amusement. “I see things are progressing nicely. Hi, Jen.”

  I turn my red-stained face toward Dean. “Hi.” I start to stand.

  “Don’t leave because of me,” he says. “Actually, I’m glad I caught you two together.”

  “What’s up?” Latson asks as he helps me hop down.

  “I finally heard from Roxanne. I’m in.” Dean’s smile could light up a stadium.

  “Yeah?” Latson leaves my side to give his brother a high-five and pull him into a one-armed hug. “That’s great, man.”

  “I got the first five months of the tour, the North American leg.”

  “You’re going on tour?” I move closer to the guys. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. I’m opening for Ariel.”

  I remember the Wikipedia article and glance at Latson. “As in Ariel Allyn? Didn’t you two date?”

  “A lifetime ago.” Latson wraps his arm around my waist. “When do rehearsals start?”

  “Next week. I’ve got Drew on drums and Paul on bass.” Dean looks at me. “That’s where you come in.”

  “Me?” I’m confused.

  “I need the rest of my band.” He pauses. “I want you on guitar. What do you say?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “I …” I stutter.

  There’s no way I heard him right.

  “I’ve never p
layed for an audience bigger than a wedding.” I gesture toward Latson. “You want him, not me.”

  “He won’t come.” Dean crosses his arms. “I asked him months ago, when I first started working this gig. I asked him again the night we played on stage. His answer was still no.”

  “Why?” I look at Latson. He looks apprehensive, possibly torn. “You should go.” I nudge him with my elbow. “You love to play.”

  He shakes his head no. “I have Oliver. He doesn’t need to live on the road.”

  “It’s only five months, right?”

  “You don’t …” He sighs. “I’m not traveling with a seven-year-old, and I won’t leave him behind. He deserves better.”

  Latson’s arm leaves my waist and he heads behind his desk. Did I upset him? I didn’t mean to.

  “Jen.” Dean redirects my attention. “What do you think? How does touring sound?”

  “I don’t …” Again with the stuttering. I don’t understand why he would want me. I don’t know any of his songs. I’ve never performed on stage. I own a used acoustic guitar. “I need some time to think about it. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “I get it.” Dean steps toward me. “But, keep in mind, everyone has to start somewhere.” He pulls his phone from his pocket. “Why don’t I send you the information and you can look it over? What’s your email address?”

  I give it to him, along with my number. He types them into his cell. “Check your email when you get home and let me know if you have any questions. Rehearsals start in a week, so I need an answer soon. Within twenty-four hours, if you can manage it. If you say no, I need to go to Plan B.”

  “What’s Plan B?”

  “Begging.”

  My forehead pinches. “Begging? As in begging me?”

  “I really want you to say yes. You’re good, and I don’t say that lightly. When I heard you play before my show I knew. Then, at Gunnar’s, you nailed it. You can do this. You should be doing this. Not bartending.”

  Wow. I’m just about to thank him for his compliment when Gwen limps through the open door. “Did you forget about me?”

  Aw, crap. “I’m sorry. I got caught up.” I turn around to face Latson. “I came in here to tell you that Gwen needs to go home. She’s in a ton of pain.”