Page 76 of Hound Dog
Enzo snorted a laugh. “You got bitch slapped.”
Haylee rolled her eyes. “Well, what’d you say to deserve it?”
“I was honest! I told her that she seemed nice, but I wasn’t into her like that.”
Enzo’s eyes narrowed at me. “That’s really all you said?”
I exhaled a sigh. “I might have added something about how this was unlike me, and I would normally have gone home with her knowing there was no future…”
My exact words were:any other night and we’d already be on the floor of your hotel room by now.
Yeah. This honesty thing wasn’t my forte.
I grabbed Haylee’s pint glass and held it up to my cheek. The cold condensation soothed the burning heat on my cheekbone.
“Hey!” Haylee complained.
“You owe me.” I pointed my free finger at her and tapped the edge of her nose gently.
She crossed her arms. “How do you figure?”
“You got into my head. I should have just told her I had an early morning and I’d text her tomorrow. That’s what I would have done if you hadn’t been all:be honest with her! She deserves that!”
Addy came up to us from behind the bar, magenta brows lifting as she saw me with the beer pressed to my cheek.
“First of all, that’s not how I sound. Second of all, I stand by my statement. Honesty was still the best policy.”
“Wouldyou have texted her tomorrow?” Addy asked.
Damn her. She knew the answer to that already, but she was making me admit it. In front of Haylee.
“No,” I grumbled. Of course not. “Butshedidn’t have to know that.”
“Until tomorrow,” Haylee said, folding her arms. “Now at least she won’t be staring at her phone for the rest of her vacation, waiting for you to call.”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “Thank God for that.”
Haylee yanked the pint glass from my cheek. “You don’t deserve my beer.”
Lucky for me, Addy was right behind her, already pouring a Guinness for me from the tap. “Didn’t you say she was a spin instructor?”
Enzo’s eyes went wide, and she launched herself toward me, feeling my forehead for a fever. “Youturned down a spin instructor? Are you sure you’re okay?” Then, leaning around me, she looked directly at Haylee. “He didn’t suffer any major head injuries on your hike, did he?”
“Ha-ha,” I deadpanned as Addy passed me the Guinness.
Addy turned to Haylee, hand on her hip. “Go on, Haylee. Get on up there and sing like a canary.”
She took a final sip from her beer and slid it toward Addy where she put it behind the bar for safe keeping. “Wish me luck!”
She did an adorable little skip thing up to the stage, then took the microphone as Joan Jett blasted through the speakers.
She adjusted her glasses, nose crinkling as she gave us a beaming smile from the stage just before she opened her mouth and belted out the first few notes.
The crowd went wild as she started singing. Addy slung the towel over her shoulder and leaned into me. “Best ten bucks an hour I’ve ever spent,” she said. “Already, we’ve had twice the crowd sticking around for karaoke, and I’m pretty sure it’s because of her voice.”
A man at the other end of the bar waved Addy over, and she took off to get his drink order.
I didn’t need to take my eyes off of Haylee to know that what my sister said was true. The place was packed. And most of the crowd was dancing and singing along with the karaoke.
