The Bartender's Daughter

by Isabelle Flynn

  “It’s not that easy, Sam.”

  “Yes, it is. We just go back to the way things were before my dad died.”

  His body tensed. He wasn’t sure what they were going to do, but there was no way he’d go back to the purgatory of these last two years. He’d spent the first few days after Sam’s desertion wondering what the hell he’d done wrong. Then hate had slowly set in. She was like every other person he had been surrounded with. Michelle’s stories had cemented his belief that Sam had left him for all that Dylan St. James could offer.

  The biggest joke of all was that his family had more money than the St. James family could ever dream of.

  Sam pushed to her feet and walked to the edge of the bay, the lapping of the water just reaching the toes of her sandals. “What are you going to do with the bar?”

  The bar. She still thought he was the owner. He stood and followed her. He stood just close enough to catch the light smell of her sweet body lotion.

  “That’s up to you.” He stuck his hands in his pockets now. Whatever plans he had made before Ray died were shot to hell unless he could persuade Sam otherwise.

  She whirled around. “What do I have to do with it?”

  “A few months ago, Ray came to me with a proposition. I think he already knew that his time was limited, and he wanted to make sure his affairs were in order. I suspected something wasn’t right but he seemed healthy. I should have pushed, but I didn’t.” He was too preoccupied wondering if Ray had found out about his relationship with Sam to worry that Ray had his own reasons for the business arrangement.

  “He came up with two scenarios, two scenarios that very much have to do with you and your wishes. In the will, he gives you fifty-one percent ownership in the bar.”

  “The bar is mine?”

  Their gazes locked. The way she handled this determined their future in ways he wasn’t sure he felt comfortable with. “Yes and no. You own controlling interest. The rest belongs to me.” He raised his hands, palms out at the suspicion in her eyes. “I bought it at fair market value.”

  “What about my sister? Do I share that fifty-one percent with her?”

  “No. Your father left her the money from the sale of my half.”

  “What did you mean about there being two scenarios?”

  “You can continue to own the bar and leave management and day-to-day operations to me. Or you can sell your share. To me. Ray had the bar assessed, and I can offer you a reasonable amount.”

  “I don’t understand. What if I decided to sell the bar to someone else?” He tensed at the question. He wouldn’t let it happen. Splitting the bar with another buyer would kill it.

  “You can’t. I have an option to buy you out. In our agreement, you have to give me an opportunity to buy your share before you could sell it to someone else.”

  She seemed to take his measure before opening her mouth again. “Could you?”

  “Could I what?”

  “Could you pay for my half?”

  Unease settled over him. There was something in that look that put him on guard. “I could. Yes.”

  “How? What exactly have you been doing in the last two years?” Her green eyes darkened as their gaze connected.

  All at once he felt drawn to her. A need to tell her everything welled up. The sound of a car door drew his attention away from her. The silver Lexus gleamed in the morning sun, and the reflection blinded him to the newcomer until he was right in front of them. Dylan St. James wore the typical club attire, khaki pants, polo shirt paired with dark sunglasses and a thousand-watt smile.

  Sam walked away from him to meet Dylan at the edge of the driveway. He rubbed her arm and pulled her in for a hug.

  Lee wanted to punch that possessive look off his face.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I guess I don’t have to introduce the two of you.”

  “No.” Dylan looked up from his assessment of her face. “It’s good to see you again. I came to see if Sam was up for lunch and a little sailing this afternoon. Want to join us?”

  Before Lee could answer, Sam was shaking her head. “I can’t. I have to find some place to stay when you go back to New York. It looks like I have some unfinished business around here.”

  Awareness dawned in Dylan’s eyes as he looked from her to Lee. He turned his back, closing Lee off from the conversation. “I can work from here for the next week. We can stay in my parents’ beach house until we leave.”

  She answered Dylan but her eyes drifted to Lee, over his shoulder. “I don’t think I’ll be going back any time soon. My dad left me the bar. Well, part of the bar. I can’t go until I get that figured out.”

  “What about your job?”

  “I’ll let them know. They already have a temporary nanny from the agency. You don’t have to stay. I know you’re busy and you’ve already done so much by coming with me and giving me a place to sleep.”

  “Sam…”

  She stepped back before Dylan could put his hand on her shoulder. “We can talk about it over lunch. Lee, can I meet you at the bar tomorrow morning? Maybe around ten?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  She walked around the car and slipped down into the passenger seat. Dylan gave him a mock salute before getting in and peeling out. Lee waited until they drove off before getting into his Jeep. He’d have to wait until tomorrow to find out how long Sam meant to stay. Until then he’d grit his teeth and ignore the lingering feeling of her in his arms.

  Chapter Three

  Sweat slipped down her back as her feet pounded the pavement along Bay Drive. It hugged the shore and, with a view of the water, she hoped to keep her mind clear and calm. One entire night spent worrying over her conversation with Lee left her exhausted, and she still had no idea what to do. It all hurt. The morning sun was strong, and Sam could just make out a figure in the distance. Another morning jogger. Hopefully, no one ready to stop her for another condolence chat. She wasn’t ready to think of her father without regret and loss.

  Pulling her father’s favorite baseball cap down low over her eyes, she kept pushing herself further along. Eyes forward. As she took each step, the words he didn’t cheat echoing in the rhythm of her run. Had she been wrong about Lee? Why had Michelle lied?

  Sam had been head over heels in love with Lee, but she couldn’t think of any reason her sister would have been against their relationship. The mystery of it all was whether Michelle knew how serious things were between them or whether she was shooting into the wind, attempting to make Sam jealous over a crush.

  She needed to focus on the bar and work the rest out later. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her father. Did that mean keeping Ray’s, running it like she knew what she was doing? She had been bred to take over the bar, had earned a degree in business at her father’s urging in preparation for it. She had left it though, as much as she had left her husband. The marriage might be over for good, but Sam was more than just a little hopeful at the thought of getting her father’s dream back on the rails.

  “Sam?” She ran a few more steps before realizing that it was her name being called. The other runner had reached her and Sam stood straighter when she recognized the wide shoulders and long legs in front of her.

  Lee’s red Helly Hansen hat covered his eyes. Hopefully he didn’t see her focus in on how his gray shirt, soaked through, stuck to his muscular chest. She forced her gaze up but not before she felt a fluttering in her lower stomach. The smirk on his face left her with no doubt he knew exactly the kind of reaction she’d had. Years ago, she had to sit and watch as women attempted every tactic to gain his attention. From numbers on cocktail napkins to full on physical warfare, the bar bunnies wanted nothing more than to take this bartender home. It would have been funny, if she hadn’t felt like he was hiding something from her or, at least, hiding her from the rest of his life.

  She spun the cap off the water bottle she’d been running with and took a sip, trying to compose herself before spea
king.

  “I guess you’re a morning person too.”

  He pulled his hat off and dried the sweat on his forehead. “Not really but I have to be if I’m going to get a run in before work. How are you?”

  “Okay. I had a lot to think about. It’s all kind of overwhelming.”

  “Listen, I was just heading back to my place. Come with me and we can talk.”

  She hesitated only a second. “Okay.” Turning around she walked back the way she had run with Lee beside her. She’d rather have this conversation when she wasn’t covered in sweat but she wasn’t about to delay it any longer.

  They walked in silence before coming up to a small white picket fence. She tried to get some control over her thoughts, but the sight of the three story yellow house scattered them into the wind. The house was stunning in its location and appearance. Situated directly on the bay, it was in a prime location for view and proximity to town center. Sam looked at the house and realized something wasn’t quite making sense about the man beside her. How did he move up from tending bar to owning a half share of the business and living in a house like this? Even rent should have been way out of his reach.

  Lee gestured for her to walk ahead through the gate. She stopped staring and gathered her thoughts for the questions she didn’t know how to get the answers to.

  She started with the easiest one. “How long have you lived here?”

  “About a year.” He led her around the back and pointed to a pair of chaises. “Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee?”

  She shook her head and lifted up her water bottle, and he walked off through a set of glass doors.

  Taking a seat on one of the chaises, she still couldn’t adjust to the fact that Lee lived here. It was simply charming, expensive but in a comfortable way. One thought was impossible to banish. He was her husband and she had no idea what he’d been doing these past two years.

  It didn’t matter. She needed to talk to him about the bar. Once that was settled, they could handle their little marital situation. There had to be some way of annulling a marriage that never really got off the ground to start with.

  ****

  His wife was sitting outside on his deck, and he couldn’t get a single coherent word out of his mouth. The woman running toward him this morning was sexy as hell. A tight pink tank top paired with black bike shorts emphasized every curve and dip of her body. He almost didn’t recognize the cute blonde as Sam until he was right on top of her.

  He filled a glass with ice and water and then headed back out to the deck. From the side, he watched her for a few minutes. Her emerald eyes reflected the green depths of the bay in front of her. He wanted to slip the hat off her head and pull the tie from her hair. He wanted to see what she looked like under the shirt and sports bra. He wanted to nip her neck and see if she’d make those little sighs that used to drive him crazy. He was dying to know if the real Sam was still there.

  “I want the bar, Lee.” She spoke without turning her head, her eyes on the shore.

  He took a long drink of ice water, pretending it could completely stop his thoughts. “The bar?”

  She turned to him as he plopped down on the chaise beside her. “I can’t let it go. It would be against everything he wanted for me.”

  “What about what you wanted for you? You’re just going to up and leave your life in New York?” And Dylan?

  “I’ve already called and told the family I worked for that I won’t be coming back. They like the substitute and she’ll be a good fit for them. I haven’t spoken to Serena yet. She’s going to be upset, but it’s not like she needs my share of the rent to keep that apartment. I already have an idea on where I can stay.”

  The sliding of the glass doors had them both turning around to peer at the intruder. His baby sister stepped through in the skimpiest two-piece he’d ever seen. The need to cover her up and send her back in for a change was almost overwhelming, and he jumped up before he realized what he was about to do.

  “Joanna, what are you doing up so early?”

  She looked from him to Sam and then back again. Her forehead crinkled in confusion. “I thought I’d get a little sun in before I started on the big job hunt.” She tipped her head toward Sam. “I didn’t know you had a visitor.”

  Sam was already standing. “Actually, I’m just leaving. Lee, I’ll see you at the bar later.” She didn’t look at him or Joanna, and it didn’t take long to realize that she had jumped to the wrong conclusions. Again.

  He had to jog to catch up to her as she skirted around the house. “Sam, you don’t have to go.”

  “No, I really do. I’ll see you later.” Her eyes looked straight ahead and she kept on walking.

  No matter her reasoning, she’d spent the last few years with Dylan. There was no need to defend himself.

  The gate creaked as she swung it open. Every emotion of the last few days took over as he circled her wrist and turned her around to him. His body tightened and sparks ran up his spine at her nearness. Her perfect mouth opened to protest, giving him the opportunity to settle his lips on hers. Her body stiffened against his and then slowly melted. A lick on the bottom lip and she was opening to his tongue. He deepened the kiss, indulging in her sweet taste, while using her arm to leverage her up and into him. Her moan vibrated through his chest.

  A wave of need crashed over him. God, he’d missed her. If he was going to fall, she needed to follow him down. He let go of her arm, to reach up for her hair, giving her the freedom to pull away. She stepped back and put a hand to her kiss-swollen lips. “We can’t do this.” Her eyes focused on something behind him, and he knew before she walked away that Joanna had decided to peek.

  “Sam.”

  She was already halfway down the road and away from him. He didn’t chase after her. She couldn’t go too far and now they had more than a piece of paper tying them together. The bar would keep her from running away. At least, for now.

  He walked back to the rear deck, that kiss still surrounding him with an uncomfortable warmth. Joanna was spread out on the chaise Sam had just left. Two coffee mugs sat on the table beside her.

  “I guess I just interrupted something.”

  ****

  Husbands and wives shouldn’t kiss like that. Not when there’s no future in it for them. An hour later, after a very awkward car ride with Dylan, Sam still felt Lee’s lips on hers. His fingers still caressed the nape of her neck while she walked into Ray’s and looked around. He wasn’t there and she shrugged off the feel of him. She needed to concentrate on the business in front of her. Her body and all of its inconvenient needs would have to be ignored for now.

  She let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she had been holding when a look around the place did not turn up Michelle. She wasn’t ready to confront her sister or make a stand about the bar. She’d been ready to hand Sam’s share over the night before. Whatever her thinking, Sam wasn’t about to fold that easily. She pushed her shoulders back and went in search of Alan, her father’s manager, just the person to tell her exactly how the place was actually doing in her father’s absence.

  One long conversation later and she was sure her head was going to explode. The bar seemed to be in crisis. One beer distributor had failed to deliver the local favorite, a few of the taps needed repair, and she’d learned Lee had been fielding these little emergencies since her father went into the hospital. It hadn’t even hit her until then that her sister and Lee had kept the conditions of her father’s will from her at the funeral.

  She took pages of notes and looked over each one, marking them by priority until her eyes felt blurry from staring at the yellow legal pad. She needed a drink and some fresh air. The music blared out from the jukebox, and other than two or three tables, the dining room was empty. She headed behind the bar for a lime and a bottle of water.

  Sunlight filtered in as the door opened and Lee stepped in. She almost didn’t recognize the woman beside him now that she was fully dressed. If you could
call a mini-skirt and tank top fully dressed. She stifled the pettiness. Of course Lee would have a woman. It shouldn’t have torn her up like it did. Two years was a long time and she’d been the one to walk away.

  The two were in deep discussion, giving Sam time to watch them unobserved. The girl was pretty and her light blond hair the perfect contrast to Lee’s tanned complexion. They looked like they belonged in that house. Lee’s house.

  He leaned down and spoke into the woman’s ear. Sam watched as she turned around, took a seat at an empty table, and pulled out her phone. She was staring and didn’t notice Lee until he was right behind her.

  His breath moved the hair by her ear. “She’s my sister.”

  “Your sister?” She held her breath until he stepped back. She felt her cheeks heat. Not only had she been wrong but he knew it. He knew she had mistaken the woman for his. Worse, he knew she was jealous.

  “That’s nice.” She didn’t know what else to say. His smile was all knowing and sexy as hell.

  “It is nice, except when she’s being a pain in my… Actually, that’s something I need to talk to you about.” When he didn’t continue, she gestured toward the office door.

  “Do you have time now? We have a lot of things to discuss and I’d like to start as soon as possible.”

  “I do and I’m all yours, I just need to get Joanna a soda. I’ll meet you in back.”

  The words ‘all yours’ echoed in her head. She was halfway to the office when the door to the bar opened again. There was no mistaking that coif or the anger in the gait of the woman headed her way.

  “Samantha, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  Chapter Four

  Sam froze while her sister headed straight for her.

  “What?”

  “You think you can run away for two years and come back like nothing has changed?” Michelle stopped less than a half-foot in front of Sam, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at her sister.

  The instinct to protect her rose up over him. He reached Sam’s side before she had a chance to answer. “Ladies, let’s take this into the office.”