by Aubrey Irons
“Need a hand?”
Rowan’s voice behind me sends a shiver through me.
No, not a shiver. A tingle.
I think that’s worse.
“We’re fine,” I say quickly, standing up on my toes to push a salad plate up onto the higher shelf. Rowan ignores me, reaching up over me to pluck the precariously held plate from my hand and place it where it belongs.
“You’re welcome.”
“Oh, Row,” Jacob comes into the kitchen, and Rowan immediately steps away from me.
“You sure you can’t make it tomorrow?”
“Hands are tied Dad. Monday’s have been good.”
“People drink on Mondays?” Chastity says with disdain in her voice.
“All day,” Rowan tosses back, leaning forward to grin past me at her. Chastity looks scandalized.
“You still think you can part with some sodas and cups for the crews?”
He nods, sipping his beer. “Yeah, totally. I ordered extra for the week.”
“If there’s any way you could load the truck up tonight, we need to be there early tomorrow.”
Rowan shrugs. “No problem, Pop.”
“Great, thanks.” He turns and starts to head back to the living room where my parents are when he turns. “Why don’t you ladies go over with Rowan after dinner and give him a hand?”
“To the bar?” Chastity balks disdainfully after Rowan’s father leaves the room.
Rowan turns to her. “Hey, do you know much about poles?”
“What?”
I glare at him and he grins. “Nothing. And yes, we’re going to the bar. You can even meet my employee.” He leans close to Chastity, wagging his eyebrows. “She’s a lesbian, just as a heads up.”
Chastity’s eyes go wide. “A gay?”
“Big, big gay, yeah,” Rowan nods, and poor Chastity pales as she whirls back to me. “I am not setting foot into that den of filth, Eva. And if your father knew about this, there is no way he’d-”
“Climb on in and join the twenty-first century, sweetheart,” Rowan says with a roll of his eyes. “The water’s great.” He turns, nodding a chin at me. “You still in?”
“Yes.” I say it without hesitation, and he grins as Chastity gasps in horror.
“I’m going to grab my dad’s truck out of the garage. Meet you out front.”
“Eva!” Chastity gasps in horror after he’s ducked out of the kitchen.
“Chas, we’re getting soda and plastic cups. I don’t think my mortal soul is in any sort of danger.”
“Your father says the devil is in the details,” she says icily, scowling at me.
“Right, but not the Diet Coke.”
Her lips thin. “I worry about you, Eva.”
“Chastity, I’m just going to get some refreshments for tomorrow, okay? I’ll be just fine.”
“No, it’s more than that. It’s ever since you got back from Korea. It’s ever since you broke up with Joseph.”
My eyes narrow. “I didn’t break up with Joseph, Chastity. He left me for someone else. There’s a slight difference. And please don’t tell me you’re with my parents on that whole thing about how I should have done more to ‘keep him’.”
She bristled. “And if I am?”
“Then keep it to yourself,” I spit back. “Now, if you’re really not coming, I’m going to go do this and try not to get dragged into purgatory by way of a case of root beer.”
“Fine” she hisses. “And I’ll be in my room, praying for you.”
Chapter Eight
Evangeline
“So, she’s fun.”
I turn to Rowan in the dark cab of his dad’s pickup truck as he pulls up behind O’Donnell’s. “Oh, Chastity?”
He gives me a look and I smile and shake my head. “She’s…she means well. She’s just never been out of Georgia, and she maybe spends a little too much time at church.”
He whistles. “Wow, says the preacher’s daughter? How scandalous.”
“Coming from the minister’s son who owns a dive bar and was ogling my chest the other day, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I wasn’t ogling.”
I turn and give him a look.
“I was admiring.”
I do my best to scowl through the heated blush that creeps over my cheeks. “I am not that kind of girl, you know.”
“And what kind of girl is that.”
“The kind that thinks it’s cute when you say filthy things to her.”
“I didn’t think you were.”
“Yes you did,” I say quietly as he holds my eyes. “Well, I’m not, okay?”
“If you say so.” He steps out of the truck. I follow.
“I do.”
“What?”
“I do say so.”
He grins. “Well alright then, I guess we’re agreed. Not the kind of girl that gets all blushing and flusters when I tell her she’s got a fantastic pair of tits.”
And of course, my face goes red.
He smirks. “Glad we got that cleared up.”
He opens the back door to the bar, and music blasts out from up the hall in the bar area.
“So, you got that bruise fixing the pipe, huh?”
He turns, giving me a quick look before stepping through the doorway.
“That’s funny, I don’t remember you getting clocked in the face.”
“Strange.”
“What happened?”
Rowan shrugs. “Hey I’m just gonna go check on Jade and make sure she’s alright up there. You want anything?”
I shake my head.
“Beer?”
“No, of course not.”
“Right,” he grins, shaking his head. “I’d hate for you to have fun.”
I’m opening my mouth indignantly to say something in retort when he holds up a finger. “Hold whatever vitriolic thought that is. I’ll be right back.”
He leaves me in the hallway by the back door and disappears around the corner.
I take the moment to breath and get control of myself.
He’s wicked is what he is. And practiced at this. He’s too good at getting under my skin — too good at knowing what I’m going to say or think.
And I hate that it’s making me smile like this.
A minute later, he comes back around the corner.
“Here.”
Before I even know what it is, he’s passing the freezing cold bottle of beer into my hand.
“I- I didn’t want one.”
“No, you said you didn’t want one, but you do.”
I stare at him. “You’re very presumptuous.”
“I’ve been told. Did you hang onto whatever biting retort you had for me from a minute ago?”
I scrunch up my face at him. “I was just going to say that you don’t even know me, you know, even though you think you do.”
“Oh do I?”
“I know exactly what you think you see, by the way.”
Rowan grins as he sips his beer and leans against the hallway wall. “Enlighten me. We can compare notes.”
I purse my lips.
“Or don’t?”
I roll my eyes. “Fine. You think I’m this sheltered little church girl who doesn’t know how to have fun and hasn’t once done anything crazy. And you think being extra crude and dirty around me is going to get me all ruffled and scandalized.”
“Cock.”
I can feel my cheeks go bright red, my eyes going wide as he leans right into my face and lets the word slice through the air between us.
He grins as I stand there flustered and scandalized.
You know, exactly like I just said I wouldn’t be.
“You mean like that?”
I glare at him. “Is this you hitting on me or something?”
He laughs. “Should I be?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Angel, if I were hitting on you,” he winks, “believe me, you’d know.”
“Yeah, well, d
on’t.”
“I’ll try and contain myself.”
He chuckles as he turns and opens the door next to us, swinging it open to a room of shelves full of cases of beer and soda. I follow him in, still just holding my beer as he makes his way towards one of the shelves. He puts his drink down and effortlessly hefts two big cases of soda, his arms rippling as he lifts them and turns to head out the door. I set my untouched beer next to his and follow him back to the truck.
“So tell me about this time you went crazy.”
“Pardon?”
“You just said I was wrong in thinking you’re this little buttoned up church girl who doesn’t know how to have fun or go crazy. So, let’s hear it.”
“I’ve done plenty of crazy things.”
He grins. “Oh? Got a tattoo somewhere I’m not seeing?”
I blush. “No.”
“You sure? Should we check?” He winks at me as he drops the cases on the truck tailgate and turns to head back to the bar.
“Quite. And no.”
“No wild mornings where you woke up next to a stranger?”
My face wrinkles. “Ew, no, of course not.”
“Shocker. Grab that box.”
I frown as I grab a case of plastic cups and follow him back out to the truck. “And I supposed that makes me open for ridicule? Because I’ve never… you know.”
“Banged a stranger?”
My face goes hot. “Yes, that.”
He drops the second load of soda into the truck bed and turns, shrugging. “No, it doesn’t. It’s just shocking.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re a knockout.”
I freeze, eyeing him, but he just keeps walking back to storeroom.
“I was-”
Why are you telling him this? There’s no need to tell him about-
“I was engaged.”
He turns, a brow sharply raised. “Seriously?”
I nod. “It’s over now though.”
“What happened?”
“I was in Korea, doing ministries outreach.”
He nods. “Ahh, you met someone else, huh? Some handsome young minister swept you off your-”
“He did.”
Rowan’s face sours. “Dick move. Sorry.”
I shrug. “No, I mean, I should have been there.”
“What?”
“I shouldn’t have gone on the trip. I should have stayed behind and been with him. It was mostly my fault.”
He’s silent, but when I look up, he’s staring right at me.
“What?”
“That’s just…wow.”
“What?”
“That’s fucking depressing, that’s what.”
“What, the engagement breaking off?”
“No, you somehow believing that asshole leaving you for some other girl is your fault.”
“No, you don’t get it.”
“I do, believe me. Here.” He passes me the untouched beer I left behind on the shelf.
“Oh, I don’t-”
“You do, trust me.”
I eye him, my mouth going small before I finally take the beer.
“Shit after that story, I need a drink.”
I grin.
“So I guess this means you’re single, huh?”
I blush, my eyes snapping to his.
“Well, my father’s been telling me that he has a new suitable match picked out for me.”
Rowan chokes on his beer. “What?”
There’s a coughing sound behind us, and we both whirl towards the doorway.
I gasp and take a step back at the sight of the huge man in the black leather jacket glowering at us.
“Jesus, Gus,” Rowan swears. “There’s a front fucking door, you know.”
The man smiles thinly. “You want me doing this out front in your packed bar?”
Rowan’s face goes dark. He doesn’t say anything.
“That’s what I thought. So you want to go get it? I’m on the clock, Row.”
“What are you, hourly?”
The man grins a crooked, somewhat scary smile.
Rowan mutters under his breath. “Hang on, I’ll grab it.” He grabs my wrist and starts to haul me after him. “Let’s go.”
“Where-”
“You want to wait with him?”
I shake my head, letting him pull me past the big man, into the hallway, and into his office. Rowan shuts the door and drops to his knees by the safe. He cranks it open, and my brows go up as he pulls out a large stack of cash.
“What are you doing?”
“Paying the man.”
“Who is he?”
“Beer delivery guy.”
I frown at the wad of cash in his hands. “That seems like a lot of beer.”
“You’re an expert?”
“No.”
“Trust me,” he mutters as he closes the safe and stands. “You don’t want to know.”
We head back out to the large man, who’s outside now leaning against the front of Rowan’s father’s truck.
“Here.”
The man smiles as he takes the cash from Rowan’s outstretched hand. “That wasn’t so hard was it?”
Rowan glares at him.
“Hey, just doin my job, Row. How’s your head.”
I freeze, the dots connecting in front of me.
“Still attached, how’s yours? Still half empty?”
The man chuckles, a gravely, dark sound. “That mouth is going to get you in trouble some day, kid. If your little girlfriend wasn’t here, I’d remind you of that.”
“Not my girlfriend.”
The guy turns. “You want that reminder then?”
“I’m good.”
He chuckles darkly as he slips the money into his coat. “Have a good night, Hammond. I’ll make sure Rich knows we’re good for the month.”
The man is around the corner when I whirl on Rowan.
“He hit you?”
He waves me off. “It’s just a joke thing.”
“Rowan, I’m not an idiot.”
“Look,” he growls, his face suddenly stern. “You don’t need to know about this, okay? Trust me. Actually, no one needs to know about this, if you get my drift.”
I nod quietly.
His hand moves to my arm, and my eyes dart up to his. “It’s really nothing, alright? Seriously, I’ve got it handled. Can we just take it five steps back to what we were talking about before?”
“Which was?”
“Your dad having a new guy all picked out for you?”
I roll my eyes. “It’s not like that.”
“It sounds a lot like that.”
“My father just wants what’s best for me.”
“Right. What proud father wouldn’t want to auction his daughter off?”
“It’s not like that, I’m telling you.” I shrug. “Look I know how this sounds, but it’s a good match.”
Rowan whistles and takes a drink.
“What?”
“A good match?”
“Well he is!”
“Right. Except this isn’t feudal England and you’re not the Duchess Apparent ready to inherit your lands and titles.”
I roll my eyes. “Milton is a-”
“Milton?”
I frown at Rowan. “Yes, Milton. He’s a good, upstanding member of our parish, good with the church, and strong in the community. He’s a business owner, actually. Like you.”
“Angel,” Rowan suddenly steps closer to me, and I swallow quickly at the nearness of him.
“I’m willing to bet very good money he’s nothing like me,” he says quietly, the nearness of him suddenly tingling over me, and for a moment — for one brief moment, I find myself caught up in it all.
The handsome man, the easy smile, the perfect lips, the baritone voice that stirs something inside of me.
It’s all very easy to get caught up in. But suddenly, quickly, I remind myself who this man is, and I shake the silliness from my he
ad.
“You’re right, he’s not,” I say quickly.
Rowan grins, turning to lean against the truck next to me.
“Not nearly as charming?”
“I was going to say not nearly as untruthful.”
He laughs. “What’s that mean?”
“It means Milton would never lie to his family about mysterious bruises on his face. He wouldn’t have mysterious bruises on his face from big scary guys, actually.”
“Well where’s the fun in that?”
“Rowan.”
“I didn’t lie to my family, there’s just no need to tell them.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t particularly enjoy making my family worry about me. Trust me, they’re better off without this one.” He nods at the bottle in my hand. “Are you seriously not going to touch that?”
I give him a look before bringing the bottle to my lips and taking a small sip.
“Atta girl.”
We stand like that, sipping the beers and leaning against the side of the truck for a moment.
“So, you know this guy? Milton?”
“I- sort of. He’s a little older. My father knows him through the church.”
“You’re not at all weirded out about having an arranged marriage.”
“It’s not-”
“It’s not like that, I know, you’ve said that once or five times. I just mean, in the normal world, you meet someone, you click, you get to know them, and get to know what works with each other. You settle into it, and then you get married.”
I look at the ground, picking at the label on the beer bottle in my hands.
I didn’t know Joseph at all. Not really. I don’t know what “clicking” with someone means. He was a strong member of the community and with the church, of course. He had his eye on seminary school.
I really don’t know much beyond that my father thought he’d be a good match.
And then, there are parts of marriage that…well. There are parts of the process I’m not exactly familiar with.
Mostly parts that have to do with the wedding night.
I blush at the thought. I should not be having thoughts like that or thinking about things like that around this man. Not when he’s standing so close to me like this.
“Well, you sure sound like you know what you’re talking about.”
He grins. “I’m saying this on observation, not experience.”
He smiles at me, and this time, I smile back. “Thanks.”