Page 83 of Holding The Reins

No, actual fishing. You know, the pole, sun, water?

Liv

Ok, so a date? With your one-night stand. Gotcha. ????

No, not a date. We’re just hanging out.

Ginger

So, a hang-out date?

Nash reaches over. “May I?” he asks as he snatches the phone from my hand and skims through the last ten messages as I laugh at his facial expressions reacting to my girls’ dirty minds.

Then he begins typing and I internally panic. He hands me back the phone when he’s satisfied and I read what he wrote, burying my head in my hands.

Hello Not Angels. This is Nash Carter. This definitely is a date. CeCe’s in denial about the whole thing, and I’ll give her back when I’m done with her. PS If we fuck I’m sure you’ll be the first to know. Have a good day, Not Angels, stop being so goddamn nosy.

“Oh my God.” I’m laughing so hard and shove my phone back into my purse. “You know you’re just fueling their gossip with that?”

“That’s the point. Now come on, we have one more job to do, let’s get moving so they can’t track us,” he says as he drops money on the table.

This is the best first hang-out-not-date I’ve ever been on.

The Horse and Barrel is dark when we enter.

“So this is what you do every Saturday?

“Pretty much.” Nash takes his hat off and throws it on the barstool then looks at me.

“I took it off so you can keep yourself under control while we work,” he says, grinning.

He pulls his UV fishing shirt off over his t-shirt and it creeps up just enough so I get a view of those abs. I hate that he’s right, I would do just about anything to feel his fingers push my panties to the side right about now.

“Stop thinking about it,” he calls as he wanders behind the bar.

I shake my head to rid my mind of my daydreams of his body.

“I should’ve never told you that.” I laugh.

“It’s all good, baby, I’ll have enough willpower for both of us, I’m well practiced after last night. We have a lot to get through. You can start by wiping down all the countertops, stool seats and tabletops.”

He tosses an opening and closing checklist on the bar top for me to view, and I skim over it and nod as he hands me gloves and a cloth, grinning the whole time.

“I’ll work on the inventory while you take care of this. I’ll be between here and the back, if you need me,” Nash says nothing else but turns on his Zach Bryan playlist through the sound system as we get to work.

I go through the list over the next hour as Nash flows between the stock room and where I am.

Polish the glassware

Polish any silverware and barware

Clean faucets and taps

Dust alcohol bottles on display

I check each one off my list and start on cleaning off the liquor bottles that are on shelves above the bar. All bazillion of them. The amount of work that goes into this simply amazes me. This man is a machine for both his businesses and this community. After staying with him last night and realizing he doesn’t get a lot of peace, I see why. It’s easier to keep busy, it’s easier not to get too close to people, to do everything on your own. That way, you have nothing to lose.

We work together in silence as we balance on this tipping point.

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