Page 8 of And Then There Was Us
“Hey, you told me to tell you when it was three. It’s three fifteen. Sorry.” Art held up his arm for Hugh to see his watch.
Hugh patted him on the back. “Thanks, man. Let’s go over the notes for tomorrow; then I’ll take off.”
HUGH SHOWERED AND dressed in a pair of distressed jeans and a white T-shirt beneath a black cashmere sweater. He splashed on Eros by Versace cologne and slid his feet into his favorite pair of black boots before heading out to his garage.
He drove his Roadster to Old Town Tavern, contemplated parking behind the building, where Brianna had said she parked the night before, then thought better of it. He didn’t want to take a chance that she’d think he was a stalker, even if he was there for a second day in a row specifically to see her as she arrived at work. He mulled over not going in and taking a chance in a day or two. As with everything else in Hugh’s life, he was less than patient.The heck with it.He drove down the street and around the corner and parked in the public parking garage.
As a thirty-one-year-old race car driver, it took a lot to make Hugh nervous, but as he pulled open the heavy wooden door to Old Town Tavern, his nerves were on fire. One quick scan told him Brianna wasn’t there. He let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and disappointment settled heavily on his shoulders.
The blond waitress he recognized waved from behind the bar. “Hey there.” She pointed at herself. “Kat, remember?”
“Of course. How’s it going?” he asked as he climbed atop a barstool. He hadn’t given much thought to Kat’s looks the evening before, and now, without the distraction of beautiful Brianna or fluorescent Tracie, he noticed that she was quite attractive with big blue eyes and a tall, slender frame, though she wore a splash too much makeup and too tight of a push-up bra. Hugh had never been into blondes for more than a roll in the sheets, and tonight was no different as his mind drifted back to Brianna.
“Can’t complain,” she said with a smile. “Nice to see you again, Hugh. Sidecar?”
“No, thanks. Water would be great, thanks.”
She opened a bottle of Perrier and set it on the bar beside a glass of ice. “Who comes into a bar and orders water?”
“You’re right. Give me a sidecar, too.” He checked his watch. It was four forty-five.Where is she?
“Now you’re talkin’.” Kat made his drink.
“It’s pretty dead in here, huh?” he said, hoping she’d say something about Brianna. “Will it get busier when the game comes on?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s still early.” She leaned against the counter behind the bar. “So, Hugh, did you just move to town?”
He laughed. “Not really. I’ve owned my house for a few years, but I travel a lot.”
“Oh, what do you do?”
Hugh took a sip of water, trying to form an answer other than the truth. He really didn’t want to out himself in the one place he could let his guard down.
The door flew open, and Brianna hurried across the floor, looking down as she stuffed her keys in her purse. “I’m sorry. I swear I hate my stupid car. It wouldn’t st—” She stopped cold. Their eyes locked.
Hugh’s pulse kicked up a notch as he drank in the rest of Brianna—all the lovely curves he had missed the night before. Brianna didn’t just have a nice body. She was smoking hot. He couldn’t help but drag his eyes down her body, appreciating her slim waist, curvaceous hips, and long, luscious legs in tighter-than-tight jeans that disappeared into knee-high black boots. Hugh felt a smile stretch across his face. He drew his eyes back up to her face and knew that it didn’t matter what kind of killer body she had. It was those thoughtful, intense eyes that drew him in.Uh oh.She wasn’t smiling.
“Hi, Bree,” he said.
Brianna looked at Kat with her lips set in a tight line. Kat, on the other hand, sported a playful grin and raised her eyebrows.
“Um. Hi…Hugh,” Bree said before training her eyes on the floor and hurrying toward the back of the bar.
Despite his better judgment, Hugh felt himself turning on his stool, and watched her disappear through a door markedEmployees Only. In thirty-one years, he’d never been drawn to a woman’s face the way he was drawn to Brianna’s, and for the first time ever, Hugh had no idea what to do next.
Chapter Six
“SHOOT. SHOOT. SHOOT.” Brianna paced the stockroom floor, her hands fisted, her face a tight mask of nerves. “What am I going to do? He’s just a customer. Ignore him. Yes, I’ll ignore him.” She covered her face with her hands. “Darn it. Why is this happening?”
“Should I be worried about you?” Mack leaned against the doorframe of his office.
Brianna whipped her head around. “Oh my gosh. I had no idea you were in there. I’m sorry. I’m fine.”Great. Now Mack thinks I’m nuts, talking to myself in the stockroom.
“A person who’s fine doesn’t talk to herself with a look on her face like she’d rather be locked in the cooler than behind the bar. Is someone out there bothering you?” He pushed from the doorframe and headed toward the bar.
She ran to his side and grabbed his arm. “No, Mack. No one is bothering me. I’d tell you if they were.”
Mack drew his eyebrows together and crossed his arms. “Wanna clue me in about who isjust a customer?”
