Summer Bender

by Jennifer Lucia

  I was starting to get angry at what I considered a gross overreaction. “Listen, Mr. Mays.”

  “Oh, I’m Mr. Mays now?”

  I ignored this. “Listen, Mr. Mays,” I continued. “I get that you have good intentions, but I must politely ask you to butt out. It’s none of your business. It’s a personal matter that I will deal with myself.”

  “Like hell you will,” he growled, taking me by surprise. “Jamie, if anyone ever threatens you like that again and I’m around to hear it, I can’t promise that I won’t find them and kill them. You’re going to the goddamned courthouse in the morning if I have to take you myself, and that is the last I’m going to say about this.”

  He stomped off, leaving me dumbstruck. Man, he really values his employees. Don’t be an idiot. Of course he doesn’t just think of you as an employee. I shook my head to rid myself of this thought. I did not need to be thinking of anything remotely romantic right now, no matter how growly and sexy and chivalrous the guy was being.

  Logan stomped back to the bar, slamming the divider shut behind him. “I’ll hang out with you up front today. Let’s use this as a chance for me to evaluate your bartending skills.”

  I agreed, if only to stop him from stomping off again. “So what is on the agenda for today?” I asked brightly, trying to keep the mood light. He grunted towards the television mount he was installing.

  “Want to give me a hand with this? Afterwards, we can sit down together and discuss making a weeknight specials menu,” Logan asked, picking up the mount and hoisting it up above the bar. He gestured towards his drill and a pile of screws lying on the counter. “Will you hand me those?”

  I nodded, grabbing the drill and offering it up to him. He accepted it wordlessly, then held his hand out for the screws. I dropped the screws into his hand, and he put them between his lips.

  As he drilled, I snuck a peek at the way his biceps flexed when he pushed into the wall. I tried to tear my eyes away, but was mesmerized by the way his tattoo moved and tightened with his muscles. Remember, no romance right now. Or sex. Besides, he probably thinks you’re pathetic after last night. This cooled me off like a bucket of ice-cold water, and I abruptly looked away from Logan, hoping my cheeks weren’t too red from embarrassment. He didn’t notice.

  I looked up at his progress to make sure he wasn’t going to need any further help, then walked over to the far end of the bar, putting on my apron. I looked around for anything to do, and settled on cutting lemons and limes. I took my time cutting, wanting to spend as little time around Logan as possible.

  “Hey,” Logan said, coming up behind me and settling against the counter, arms folded. “Listen, I’m sorry that I got angry when you came in today. I’m just worried for your safety.”

  “As an employer?” I asked, head still looking down at the cutting board.

  “Yes, as an employer,” Logan said, clearing his throat. “How else would I be concerned?”

  I pursed my lips, not wanting to say anything more to embarrass myself.

  “And...” Logan said, fiddling with a shot glass for a long moment. “And as a friend,” he said finally.

  I looked up. His gaze was boring a hole into my shoulder. I took my gloves off and moved into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and giving him a great bear hug. He was surprised, and stood stock still for a minute before finally reaching his arms up uncertainly to encircle my back. I wrenched my eyes shut and buried my face in his chest as he moved his hand slowly up and down on my back, comforting me.

  “Thank you,” I said, the words muffled by his chest. He drew me away from him, his blue eyes looking into mine as he nodded.

  “Jamie, what exactly happened with that guy?” he asked softly.

  “No,” I said, shaking my head vehemently. “We’re not talking about it. We are going back to normal. You’re not going to sit here and pity me. I’m sure that phone call was a one-off occurrence, and I’m putting it behind me and just ignoring him if he tries to contact me again.”

  “Pity you?” Logan asked, bewildered. “Why would I pity you? And you’re seriously delusional if you think I’m going to allow you to do nothing when a crazy person is after you.”

  “Excuse me, you don’t get to allow me to do anything. Just drop it. At least for tonight, please,” I pleaded. He stood in front of me, arms crossed, shaking his downturned head. Finally he looked up at me, fire in his eyes.

  “Fine. We will not talk about it tonight. But we’re damn sure talking about it tomorrow and I will not leave you alone up front today. Now let’s go do these menus,” he bit out. Glad for the reprieve, I walked behind him and sat at the counter where all the paperwork for the new menu specials were.

  We worked together quietly, glad for the distraction of the new television. I was glad he’d listened to my suggestions about how to improve the bar, though he hadn’t acknowledged that he had even seen my texts outlining my ideas. He just installed the televisions and made the menus, then handed them to me for revisions.

  A few people came in and sat at the bar, but they talked amongst themselves and didn’t seem to want to be interrupted. I looked down at my phone and saw that it was already a quarter to seven and Hannah wasn’t here yet. I sent her a quick text, but didn’t say anything to Logan because I didn’t want to rat her out. I kept a close watch on my phone for the next half hour, but no text came. I was starting to get pretty worried. Logan finally noticed something was up at half past seven.

  “Wait, wasn’t Hannah supposed to be here tonight at six?” Logan asked curiously, looking at his watch.

  I pretended to think about it. “No, I think she is supposed to work tomorrow at six.”

  Logan looked at me with pursed lips. “Nice try. I’ll give her a call and see what’s happening.” He called but didn’t get an answer. His frown grew deeper. “No answer. Do you mind closing with me if she doesn’t show up?”

  I shook my head. “No, of course not.”

  “Thanks. Now I have to go find those forms for write-ups.”

  Write ups? Nobody gets written up here. “Do you really think that’s necessary? Joe was pretty lax about stuff like this.”

  “Well, that’s probably why Joe was going out of business,” Logan said flatly. “I’m not trying to be the bad guy here, but we need some order here.” I frowned, but didn’t say anything.

  Hannah never showed up for her shift that night, which made me more and more anxious as the night went on. I finally got ahold of her at half past nine.

  “Hello?” came a sleepy voice, then “oh FUCK. I’m so sorry Jamie. I just went down for a nap at five and I guess I slept through all of my alarms. Are you angry?”

  “No,” I sighed. “But Logan is writing you up.”

  “Writing me up? That’s a thing?”

  “Yeah, apparently.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll just have to take my lumps and get...written up,” Hannah said, sounding too amused for the seriousness of the situation. I rolled my eyes. Hannah mostly tended bar for fun, and didn’t really need the job. She took it even less seriously than the rest of us.

  “Okay, well I need to close the bar,” I said. “Just checking to make sure you were alive.”

  “I love you,” Hannah said in a singsong voice.

  “I know,” I sang back, and hung up. “She’s fine,” I said, turning to Logan.

  “It’s just so irresponsible,” he grumbled, finishing off the last of the glasses that needed washing. “Let’s close up, and I’ll walk you home.”

  I started to protest, but he shook his head firmly. “Not a negotiation.”

  I didn’t want to feel the warmth spreading through my body at his gruff chivalry, but it was insistent. I felt...safe. I tried to shrug off the feeling, but it stayed, clinging to my insides like warm cocoa.

  We finished closing up, then walked back to my apartment together. Logan stood on my doorstep, facing me, and I looked back at him. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead sweetly
, surprising me.

  “You’re going to the courthouse tomorrow, right?” he asked, and I didn’t answer. He nodded to himself. He backed up and turned around, walking away from me and extending his arm in a goodbye. I took him not pressing the issue as a blessing as I watched him leave, then locked myself into my apartment. I was going to sleep like the dead tonight.

  As I was drifting off to sleep, one thing made me frown- Logan hadn’t even noticed how hot I looked today. I buried my face into the pillow and tried to push that from my mind- I really didn’t need to get involved with Logan Mays.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  I awoke the next morning and stretched out like a cat, luxuriating in the sun’s rays shining in through the window-I really had forgotten to draw my blackout curtains last night. Today was Thursday, and since I didn’t work Thursdays, I was going to do absolutely nothing today.

  I made myself a big pot of coffee and an even bigger stack of pancakes. I settled into my couch, getting ready for a long day of binge-watching mindless television. I was just to pick out a show to watch when there came a gentle knocking on my front door. I looked over at Luke, who seemed wholly unconcerned by the knocking and was way more interested in getting at my pancakes. I ignored the knocking, hoping it would stop, but it just became louder and more insistent.

  “Jamie, I know you’re in there, I can hear the TV going,” Logan called.

  Logan Mays was at my apartment at nine in the morning. I sat with my coffee, debating whether or not to feign being asleep. The knocking continued, and I sighed with resignation. I padded over to the front door in my bare feet and peered through the peephole. Logan was standing on the front doorstep, hands in his pockets, wearing a fancy suit. I undid the deadbolt and opened the front door, gripping the sides of my fluffy robe to keep it closed.

  “Hi,” I said, confused. “What’s up?”

  Logan looked me up and down. I patted my bird’s-nest of hair self-consciously, hoping to smooth everything out. He grinned, but didn’t mention my appearance.

  “I’m here to take you to the courthouse. I figure if you won’t do it on your own, I’ll just make you.”

  I stared at him, mouth agape. “You’ll make me? You’re overplaying your hand, Mays.”

  “Can I come in?” he asked, not waiting for an answer. He stepped past me through the doorway. “Do you make pancakes for your dog in the morning?”

  I looked over at the couch. “Urgh!” Luke was looking up at me guiltily, a pancake hanging from his mouth, and syrup covering his snout. I started towards him and he jumped down from the couch, swallowing the pancake whole. So much for a giant, carby breakfast.

  “Let me take you to breakfast and then we’ll go to the courthouse together. I have a lawyer friend in town who is going to help us with the whole process,” Logan said, helping himself to a cup of coffee in my kitchen.

  I patted my hair again, looking down at my tiny pajamas, which were no longer covered by the robe. I was suddenly very aware of the fact that I was not wearing a bra, and I crossed my arms over my chest so that the sides of the robe shut. Logan cleared his throat and looked pointedly out the window.

  “I’m not even showered or dressed. I can’t go out to breakfast like this, let alone a government building,” I said, hoping this would deter Logan.

  It did not. “I can wait,” he said, settling on the couch and inhaling the steam from his coffee. “Where’s the remote?”

  I moved to stand in front of him, hands on my hips. This made my robe gape wide open, giving Logan a clear view of my chest. “You can’t just boss me around like this.”

  Luke gave me a cocky smile, quickly glancing down at my chest then back up to my face. “I believe that’s one of the perks of actually being your boss.”

  I threw my hands up, exasperated. “Okay, you win. I’ll go take a shower and get ready. I have to wash my hair though, so you’ll have to wait a little longer than you would normally.” I didn’t really have to wash my hair, but I figured any bit of stalling could prolong the time before I had to go to the courthouse.

  “I’m fine here,” Logan said, gathering Luke into a ball on his lap. “Luke and I will cuddle while you get ready.”

  Watching Logan cuddle my dog made it hard for me to resist inviting Logan into the shower with me. Well, at least now I have that mental image to keep me company in the shower. I turned and walked down the hallway to the bathroom, taking care not to look back at Logan so that I didn’t throw myself into his lap.

  I took my time in the shower, needlessly lathering my hair over and over again. When my skin was rubbed raw, I stepped out of the shower and stared into my fogged up mirror, checking for any embarrassing facial hair I may have missed. All clear. It was disconcerting to be naked in the bathroom while Logan Mays sat just a few steps away in my living room.

  I tied my towel around me, cracked open the bathroom door, and when I saw that Logan was engrossed in a television show, I darted into my bedroom. Shutting the door behind me, I dropped my towel again.

  What does one wear when they’re being dragged to court to escalate a situation that doesn’t need escalating? I shook my head. You’re an idiot. This situation is already escalated and you are just cowing to Derek’s intimidation.

  I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to quash the panic attack coming on. I sat on the floor of my closet for one minute, inhaling deeply for ten seconds, then exhaling slowly for ten seconds, and repeated the process. I successfully averted the impending panic attack, then stood up and chose a dress at random, not really caring which one I chose. I smoothed the edges down (it was a little wrinkly from months of being smashed in my closet), and combed my fingers through my hair.

  I put on a bit of eyeliner and mascara and went into the living room, where Logan was being kissed thoroughly by Luke. “So where do you want to go to breakfast?” I asked, and Logan’s head snapped around. He looked at me and frowned.

  “You are dressed pretty casually for what we’re doing today,” he said disapprovingly.

  “Yeah, well, this is what I have. Be grateful that I’m going with you at all,” I replied.

  “You look very pretty,” Logan said quickly, making me grin. “So, breakfast. You’re the one that lives here- what is a good place to get breakfast?”

  “Well, my favorite breakfast spot is Zag’s,” I said. “Hannah and I are a little obsessed with the place.”

  “Zag’s it is,” Logan proclaimed. “Let’s see what this obsession is all about.

  “Okay, I’m going to walk Luke quickly before we go.” I grabbed his leash and Luke bounded over to me, knowing exactly what that leash meant. I put on some comfy wedges and turned back towards Logan. “Coming?”

  “Lead the way,” he said, walking behind me and putting his hand on my lower back again. He had to know the effect that hand had on me, and was doing it just to bend me to his will.

  We went for a quick walk, dropped Luke back off at the apartment, then headed down to Logan’s car. It was a sporty little black thing that looked fancy, as far as I could tell, but I’m not really a car person. I couldn’t tell you if it was a Ford or a Maserati.

  Logan opened the passenger door for me, guiding me in and shutting the door behind me. “Trying to make sure I don’t leave?” I teased when he got into the driver’s side.

  “You have no idea how close to the truth you are,” he said seriously, turning the key in the ignition. I frowned at him, then gave him directions to Zag’s. It wasn’t even a five minute drive from my apartment, but we spent about twenty minutes searching for parking.

  We only waited about ten minutes to be seated, and were greeted immediately by our server, a pretty redhead. Once we ordered our drinks, I busied myself with looking at the menu. I looked up at Logan suddenly, remembering something he'd said earlier in my apartment.

  "Wait, what do you mean you have a lawyer friend here? Didn't you just move here like a week ago?"

  He looked up from his menu, confused b
y the question. Then his expression cleared and he said, "Oh, I know plenty of lawyers all over. Occupational hazard. Hey, have you had the Greek omelet here before?"

  "Yes, it's delicious. You know plenty of lawyers all over? What does that even mean? And Logan, you're being very nice by doing all of this for me, but I have to tell you- I really can't afford a lawyer right now."

  "Don’t worry about that," Logan said, smiling at our approaching server, who was gawking at him with unabashed lust in her eyes. I had an urge to jab my fork into those eyes.

  "I'll have the Greek omelet, extra feta and extra mushrooms, with home fries and wheat toast," Logan said, handing Flirty his menu. "Oh, and two bloody marys. We're probably going to need them today."

  "Good idea," I said. Liquid fortification goes a long way for me. "I'll have the Deluxe Platter with extra bacon, eggs over easy, grits, and rye toast." I handed my menu over and smiled back as our server thanked us and said she'd be right back with the drinks, batting her eyelashes at Logan.

  "Grits, huh?" Logan said. "What are those like?"

  "You've never had grits?!" Momentarily distracted, I stared at Logan. “You are such a Yankee.” He grinned at me. I went back to my original point. "You're not paying for my lawyer, Logan. That's way too much for someone who I have just met to do."

  He waved his hands dismissively. "Don't worry about that."

  "Oh my GOD, stop telling me not to worry about things. It’s a little controlling, honestly, and I cannot have a virtual stranger paying my legal fees to protect me from my psycho ex," I said, whispering and looking around to make sure I didn't know anyone in the dining room.

  "Jamie, this is a personal friend of mine who is not charging you for her services. I knew her from college, and we've kept in touch over the years. It’s not a big deal, so I suggest you take this favor and don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Now drink your bloody Mary,” Logan ordered, pointing at my drink.