Page 11 of Legends Luke

Luke felt a stab of anger on her behalf. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

“Nope. I’ve had one to go on a date with me and decide he preferred his ex. And I had one who only went out with me to avoid telling his family he was gay. If tonight didn’t work out, I decided to be done with the whole dating thing. I don’t have time for all the games.”

He looked forward to sharing the bit of information with Easton, who would probably ask Melody out on a date very soon.

“Who were you supposed to meet tonight?”

“Your brother knew him. Noah Spellman. We’ve been messaging each other on a dating app and decided to meet.”

“You dodged a bullet. He’s a dick.”

She barked out a laugh. “Yeah, well, I haven’t had a lot of options lately. It’s hard meeting people when you work as much as I do.”

He noticed how her gaze turned back to Easton, and as if his brother sensed her watching him, he winked at her and flashed his killer smile. Luke almost threw up in his mouth.

“Of course, if I hadn’t agreed to the blind date, I wouldn’t have met you or your brother. You’ve been very nice to me, and I appreciate it.”

Luke didn’t know what to say, so he took a swig of his beer instead. She smiled at him as if she knew a secret he wasn’t privy to, but then she looked away.

“So, you and Easton seem close.”

“He’s a pain in my ass.”

“He can’t be all bad if he can talk you into babysitting a girl so no one else has a chance to make a move on her while he’s working.”

Melody tossed a mushroom in her mouth, the picture of nonchalant grace. Years of schooling his expression to hide his reactions came in handy as he watched her. When her eyes finally cut to him, he admired the knowing gleam making them appear lighter.

“Are you going to try and convince me I’m wrong?”

He shook his head.

“Are you going to tell me your pain in the ass brother hasn’t pulled this on other women before?”

He shook his head.

“Are you going to warn me to stay away from him?”

The question had Luke hesitating only a moment before again shaking his head.

Melody sipped her mojito. “Are you going to tell him what I said about dating?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Do you want me to?”

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he retrieved it to read the text on the screen. His head whipped up, and he saw Easton checking his phone as well. They exchanged a look for a long moment before they went into action.

Easton hopped up on the bar. “I need everyone’s attention. Cut the music. Listen up!”

Luke waved to the waitresses, signaling them to start clearing the tables.

“What’s going on?” Melody asked as the bar got quiet.

“Listen up!” Easton continued. “The Fire is closing early. The time is here! We need everyone to clear out. Leave your money on the table. The waitresses will collect it. If you need a cab or an Uber, let one of us know immediately. Let’s go, everybody! Out!”

Excited conversation and the shuffle of footsteps shattered the silence. Easton jumped off the bar and approached Melody with regret in his eyes.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I hope you’ll come back because I’d love to see your beautiful smile at the end of my bar again. But we have to say our goodbyes for now.”

She raised a delicate brow. “Is this normal behavior, closing the bar early without notice?”

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