Page 1 of A Man To Remember
CHAPTER 1
JESSE
IF A BOW tie is considered a garment, the man staring at me from across the bar is technically not naked.
I put on my non-judgmental face, and ask, "What can I get you?"
I barely catch his order as he mumbles it around the tongue of a fit redhead who seems too eager to get him horizontal to mind me or the hundreds of other people filling the club.
Some would call it crazy. I call it a Tuesday.
The phone in my back pocket starts buzzing just as I slide the four margaritas he ordered across the bar top, but the next person in line is already reciting a long list of colorful beverages for me to prepare.
Five minutes later, the vibration against my left butt cheek becomes too insistent to ignore. Whoever's calling better have a good reason.
I pour the next beer deliberately slow, slowly enough to get Sawyer's attention by burning a hole in his skull with my eyes. He catches my stare, and I motion him over, shouting over the music and the usual commotion of Skin on Skin. "Will you manage alone for a few?"
I don't catch his response, but he nods and pats my shoulder before positioning himself right between our two posts, forcing the two lines to proceed in a zipper-like fashion.
Avoiding the death stares of people who now have to wait twice as long, I make a beeline along the bar and through the staff door. The second I close it behind me, the usual tension of a busy day rolls off my shoulders. It's also the exact moment my phone stops buzzing. Obviously.
I collapse on the small leather couch and light up my screen to see Jamie's picture above the line that reads7 missed calls. If it were anyone else, I'd be worried, but I know my brother well enough to be sure there's no fire for me to put out.
He answers the second I press dial. "Jess! Got a minute?"
"Sure." As many minutes as it takes for the guilt of leaving Sawyer alone in the lion's den to kick in. Probably three. "What's up?"
"You remember Austin, right?" I squint and scan my brain, but nothing immediately comes up. "My friend? From high school?" When I don't respond, he continues, "You know. Like mybestfriend?"
Miraculously, the guy's face comes into focus in my mind's eye. "Oh,thatAustin. Of course I remember." I'm only half-lying. "How's he doing?"
"Well, he's gonna be back in the city for the summer, you know, first time in years, and—"
"Back in the city? When did he leave?" I could swear I saw him around a few months back. Or was it years? Shit.
"You're kidding, right?" If that's an actual question, I'm not answering. "He went to Reno for college. Never came back." When I still don't reply, the resignation in Jamie's voice shines through. "You drove him to the airport."
"Did I?" Well, thank fuck no one got hurt in the process.
"Anyway. He's a photographer now, doing... um, photography, and he asked me to ask you if he could use the club for some photo shoots."
I scrunch my forehead. "Here? Why? What kind of photography does he do?"
Jamie clears his throat. "Oh, you know..." I don't, but I can practically hear him blush. "I'm not sure exactly. Some sex thing."
I stifle a chuckle. "Oh. Yeah, got it. He can come over whenever."
"Don't you need to ask your boss first, or something?"
I wave a hand in front of my face even though he can't see it. "Please. Amanda loves me."
Jamie laughs. "If you say so. Wait. Wasn't the owner a dude?"
"Still is. But Amanda's his wife, so she makes the decisions, obviously."
"Gotcha. Okay, thanks a bunch, man. Take care!"
"Cheers."
