“That means I’ve got an hour left.”
“Not in my bar you don’t. I own this place and I’m saying you’re done here.”
“What’s the problem, man?”
The bar’s owner was in his late forties, a tall, balding man with a lean face. Scott wasn’t acting out of the ordinary, so couldn’t figure out what was the problem.
“The problem,” the bartender said as he leaned closer, “is that I saw you kissing my girlfriend’s hand a few minutes ago. Now get the hell out of my bar.”
Scott thought about the lovely Tina and cringed. “I had no idea she was your girlfriend. She invited me over for a drink and—”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence as the bartender grabbed at the scruff of his collar. Without thinking, Scott slammed the man’s hand to the wooden counter, stopping just short of breaking it.
The bartender yelped in pain, then yanked his hand away.
“I told you,” Scott repeated quietly, “I didn’t know.”
“Luke, is everything okay here?”
Scott turned and saw the tiny waitress standing at his side. She was even smaller up close, her big eyes blinking at him from behind round glasses. As far as he could tell, she didn’t wear a speck of makeup, her pale skin clear without it other than a dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her red hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail at the nape of her neck. She bounced on her toes, looking warily from Scott to Luke.
“Everything’s fine, Lexi,” the bartender said coolly. “This customer has had enough. He’s leaving.”
“So Lexi’s the bouncer?” Scott smiled at the mouse. “Are you going to throw me out?”
“You don’t seem drunk,” Lexi observed.
He knew the bartender was right even if he’d never own up to it. Scott wasn’t much of a gambler, but he’d perfected a poker face. Nothing good ever came from admitting he’d had too much to drink. Especially at a bar. “I’m not,” he answered, even though he knew it was a lie. “But I’d like to be.” He settled into his chair and gave her a broad smile.
A streak of pink crept up from the neckline of her Riley’s Bar T-shirt, coloring her neck and cheeks. A muscle in Scott’s abdomen tightened. He imagined her entire petite frame covered in those sweet freckles and flushed pink with desire. For him.
Whoa. Where had that come from? He blinked several times to clear his head.
“Do you have something in your eye?” the mouse asked. “I have eyedrops in my purse if you need them.”
So much for his charm with women. He was rusty these days. “No,” he answered.
“He don’t need anything,” Luke interrupted. “He’s on his way out.”
“No wonder your bar is so run-down.” Scott bit out a laugh. “If this is how you treat your customers...”
He saw Luke’s eyes narrow a fraction. “My customers don’t bad-mouth my bar. This establishment happens to be a local favorite.”
Scott made a show of looking around at the nearly empty stools and tables. “I can see how popular you are. Yes, indeed.” He glanced at the waitress, who gave a small shake of her head before dropping her gaze to the ground.
Somehow the disappointment he read in her eyes ground its way under his skin, making his irritation at being kicked out swell to full-fledged anger. He didn’t know why it mattered, but suddenly Scott was determined not to let the bartender win this argument. Nobody in this one-horse town was going to get the best of him.
“I’m not leaving until I get another drink.” He crossed his arms over his chest and dared the other man to deny him.
“Maybe you should just give him one more,” Lexi suggested softly.
“No way.” Luke reached for the phone hanging next to the liquor bottles. “This loser is finished, one way or another.” He pointed the receiver in Scott’s direction. “I’ll give the police a call. Tell them I’ve got a live one making a disturbance down here, and let them haul you away.”
The last thing Scott needed was his brother finding him in a town bar tonight unannounced, let alone making trouble. Scott wanted to talk to Sam, but on his terms and in his own time frame.
Sam had moved to North Carolina several years ago and was definitely protective of his new hometown. Scott told himself he’d stopped caring about his brother’s opinion years ago, but that didn’t mean he wanted to go toe-to-toe with him tonight. He knew it would be easier to cut his losses and walk out now, but he couldn’t do it. Not with Lexi and Luke staring at him. Backing down wasn’t Scott’s style, even when it was in his best interest.
His gaze flicked to the front door, then back to the bartender. “I noticed a for-sale sign in the window,” he said casually.
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “You in the market for a bar?”
“Someone could do a lot with this space. Make it more than some two-bit townie hangout.”
“Is that so?” Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “Why don’t you make me an offer, city boy?”
“Why don’t you get me a drink and maybe I will.”
A slow smile curved the corner of the bar owner’s lips. He turned and grabbed a bottle off the shelf.
Lexi tugged on Scott’s sleeve. “It’s none of my business, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to discuss a possible business transaction now. You might want to wait until the morning.”
“I think this is the perfect time,” Scott said and leaned closer to her, picking up the faint scent of vanilla. How appropriate for a woman who looked so innocent. “And you’re right, it’s none of your business.”
The bartender placed a drink in front of Scott and clinked his own glass against it.
“Be that as it may,” Lexi said, tugging again, “in order for a deal to hold up, there is the matter of due consideration. That won’t apply if one or the other party is proved to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
Scott shrugged out of her grasp. “Honey, are you a waitress or a lawyer? Because you handle those big words a lot better than you do a tray of glasses.”
“That’s right.” Luke’s eyes lit up. “Julia said you were an attorney when she got me to hire you. Said you worked your way through law school waiting tables.”
“She did?” Lexi had worked her way through law school clerking at her father’s firm. She hadn’t waited on anything other than an airplane before tonight. Still, she nodded. “I did. I am. An attorney, that is. I’m currently taking a break.”
Scott eyed her. “As a cocktail waitress?”
Her lips thinned, which was a shame because he’d noticed they were full and bow-shaped. “For now.”
Scott couldn’t resist leaning closer again. “You might be the walking definition of the term ‘don’t quit your day job.’”
“You’re a jerk,” she whispered.
“Yes, I am.”
Luke clapped his hands together. “This is perfect.” He took a step back and flipped on and off the light switch next to the bar. “We’re closing early, y’all,” he shouted to the lone couple in a booth toward the back. “Clear out now.”
Ignoring the groans of protest, he pointed to Lexi. “You can write up an offer for the pretty boy. Better yet, there’s an old typewriter on my desk in the back. Grab it and you can make the contract.”
She