Page 20 of More Than Nothing
Elenie blinked as Summer chuckled. And then she sat back as the two took control of the conversation, steering it with the chaotic speed of a runaway bobsled through a dizzying array of topics. None of them involved her family and all were light, fun, and frivolous. They were letting her off the hook for now.
Summer had the unguarded openness of a child; she was irresistibly appealing. Talking twice as much as Caitlyn, she explained she’d been dating Dougie for almost three years. Caitlyn, more measured, sarcastic and brutally blunt, continued to study her—reticent but not unfriendly. She and Milo had been married for eighteen months.
“Roman and my husband kicked up hell, side by side, as teenagers. Now they’ve turned into a couple of the most responsible, upstanding men the town has ever seen. I tell Milo I’ve been short-changed. I fell for a bad boy, not a pillar of the community. What the hell?”
“Nice is always underestimated.” Elenie sipped her drink. “And kind and honorable is absolutely everything.” She pictured the strong, trustworthy face of the police chief and felt a pull in her chest.
Caitlyn leaned forward, elbows on the table, and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Roman Martinez is also fucking hot.”
Elenie came close to snorting Purple Rain from her nose. A flush roasted the back of her neck.
“More drinks?” Summer gave her glass a forlorn tilt.
“I’ll go—it’s my turn.” Elenie stood and gathered the empties.
“Another orange juice for me, please,” sighed Caitlyn.
Wiggling into a gap at the bar, Elenie waited her turn, humming the chorus to a Taylor Swift number. She felt carefree and young, her shoulders relaxed for once in her goddamn life. It made it all the more shocking when a sweaty pair of palms skimmed the sides of her thighs and pushed upward under her skirt.
“Dammit, Craig—keep your hands to yourself!” Elenie careered into the person behind her.
“Ah, but that’s no fun, Ellie.” Leering and swaying in equally alarming measures, Craig Perry reached for her again, eyes on her chest despite her simple t-shirt being far from revealing. “It’s about time we had that date you’ve been promising me.” He leaned in, pushing her back against the bar. His breath smelled of cigarettes and peanuts. “You know you want to.”
Loud and brash, Perry was in property development, hung around occasionally with Tyson, and had “business dealings” with Frank. Elenie didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him. Proud of his English roots—“Essex boys have heard it all, seen it all, done it all,” he’d told her more than once—Craig made her skin crawl. She smacked his hand away.
“But I don’t want to.” Elenie retreated as far as she could. “Girls don’t like it when you grope them without asking. And cocky guys who won’t take no for an answer are a bit of a turn-off.”
He let out a low, sarcastic whistle. “Wow, full of yourself much? Remember who you are, love. You’re a Dax. A waitress. You’renothing special. And, if I ever do decide to get my hands dirty and take you out, you’ll count your lucky stars.”
He crowded her closer, his aftershave burning the inside of her nose, eyes alight with the thrill of a chase.
“I don’t think so.” Caitlyn’s voice was deadly. A glance over Elenie’s shoulder found the two girls flanking her, slight but fierce. Caitlyn, no less scary for her baby bump, looked ready to take on the entire British Army, not just one underwhelming expat. “I’m pretty sure our friend said ‘no,’ dickface.”
Elenie swung back to Craig and cocked an eyebrow.
He swore under his breath, raising both hands in mock surrender. “Christ, this is why people talk about you, Elenie. You’re such a fucking loser.” Grabbing his beer from the bar, he pushed past her and headed back to his friends.
Summer signaled the bartender; Caitlyn bumped against her in unspoken sympathy. Elenie blew out an embarrassed huff of breath.
“Skitstövel,1” she muttered. “Sorry, girls. Way to ruin the mood.”
“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” Caitlyn smirked. “That’s the most fun I’ve had in months. There’s nothing like taking down a sexist scumbag to bring girls together.”
“Let that be a lesson to sleazeballs everywhere!” sang Summer, drumming on the bar with her delicate hands. “More drinks for the Dream Team over here—as quick as you like!”
1 Skitstövel (shitboot / asshole)—Swedish
Chapter 10
Roman
Roman watched her leaning on the wooden fence and took a moment to raise an imaginary hat to small-town living and familiar faces. The possibility of seeing Elenie Dax had been a consideration when he’d accepted the request to judge the fancy dress riding class at the town fair.
She was his way into the inner circle of the Dax family. If he stood any chance of getting the lowdown on Frank, it would have to be through her.
Face relaxed, she ran her eyes over the gaggle of children in costumes as they ran to their ponies, boosting themselves into the saddles and drifting out to ride in a wonky, egg-shaped circle. He hadn’t seen her out of her waitress’s uniform before and she looked like a summer’s day. Her cropped jeans were the palest blue, soft and worn like old favorites. She’d paired them with a simple tank top, striped in white and pale green. Elenie closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun. He hesitated to disturb her.
“So, which one is your pick?”
