Page 16 of The Games We Play
“Mac’s feeling generous tonight,” Boone added with a smirk. “Everything’s on the house.”
Rhodes shot me a suspicious look, brows knitting together. I shrugged, popping the caps off two Coors bottles against the edge of the bar before sliding them over. “It’s one of those nights.”
Theo laughed, eyes knowing. “Lizzie piss you off again?”
I nodded, my lips pressing into a thin line.
Rhodes smirked as he took a sip. “Penny will be glad to hear everything is on the house.”
Her name hit me like a gut punch.
Instantly, my stomach twisted, the air shifting and tightening around me.
Being in the same room as her was hard enough. Pretending everything was fine? Even fucking harder, and unfortunately, I had to pretend way too often.
I’d chosen to ignore her the best I could the last couple of months, but I couldn’t take it anymore.
I desperately wanted her to hear me out. To listen to what I had to say. I knew I’d fucked up—I’d admitted my wrong—but she was a woman scorned, and I was in the doghouse.
I wasn’t giving up; I just had to find a way to alter my approach, yet every time I tried to corner her, to get a moment alone, she’d find an excuse to run.
Most times, she wouldn’t even acknowledge my existence, looking right past me like I didn’t fucking exist.
I schooled my expression, doing my best not to let the mere mention of her show on my face. Instead, I busied myself with cutting lemons for garnish, letting my friends fall into easy conversation while I focused on forgetting.
Penny and I had something good. It was fun, effortless—something we both benefited from. The secrecy of everything made it more intoxicating, adding to the pull, the tension, the depth of whatever the hell we were.
But I fucked it up.
Not much of a surprise.
The door swung open again, and this time, a few locals straggled inside. They headed straight for a table on the far side of the room.
Dudley was supposed to be working the bar with me tonight, but the bastard was late—no shock there.
I silently counted my blessings, hoping he’d actually show up so I could slip away, pull Penny aside, and end this shit once and for all. I couldn’t keep going like this. I couldn’t keep feeling sick at the sound of her name.
With our friends dating, there was no avoiding her.
Tonight, I was fired up. The interaction with my sister was fuel added to the raging fire inside me.
Stepping away from the bar, I ducked into the storage room to grab extra supplies. But when I returned, the group had grown.
Logan and Ellie now stood behind the others, slipping into the fold like they’d always belonged.
Lately, Logan had been coming around more than usual, and Ellie, Boone’s little sister, was finally home after nearly a year.
After a brutal breakup, she’d packed her bags and left Faircloud behind, choosing to spend some time alone and rediscover herself.
And honestly? I couldn’t blame her one damn bit.
Sometimes, running again sounded like the best possible answer, but I tried that once. This time, it wouldn’t fix the problems, because my biggest one would be walking through the door any minute.
Time ticked by,and I held true to my promise. Every drink I poured for my friends was on the house.
Luckily for me, Dudleyfinallyshowed up, which meant I could focus on them while also managing the rowdy crowd that had packed into the bar.
Music blared over the speakers, the bass thrummed through the floorboards, and the neon lights cast their usual warm glowover the space. The place was packed, double-stacked around the bar, people shoulder to shoulder, making it damn near impossible to keep up.
