Page 101 of Stolen Kiss

Jensen

The bar was empty,but that was to be expected, considering it was barely past twelve on a Wednesday afternoon.

I spotted a few scattered people, looking as if they had been here since the doors opened not too long ago.

I went straight to the bar top, sitting in the far corner. The bartender, a man in his mid-forties with a neatly trimmed dark beard, a full sleeve of tattoos on one arm, and brown eyes that looked like they had seen some shit came up to me.

“What will you be having?” he asked, his voice rough, as if he had spent the last two decades smoking two packs a day.

“Scotch on the rocks.”

He nodded and moved away. He didn’t take long with the drink. He set the glass down in front of me and walked away.

One of the reasons I liked this bar.

The bartenders usually left me alone with my thoughts.

I took a sip of my drink, savoring the burn on my tongue before I swallowed. I couldn’t get blasted drunk, not when I had to go back to work after this, but a taste was what I needed.

The chair next to mine was pulled out, and I didn’t need to turn to see who it was.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” Jace said to the bartender when the man came over to us.

I watched the bartender quickly make a drink for Jace before setting it down in front of him.

I tipped my glass up before taking a sip.

“Are we celebrating something or moping?” he asked.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.

He grinned.

“Moping it is, then,” he said before I could respond, and downed his glass, signaling the bartender to pour him another. Before the man could leave, Jace said, “Leave the bottle. I have a feeling we might need this.”

“We’re not getting drunk,” I protested halfheartedly. But fuck if getting drunk didn’t sound like a good idea right about now.

“That’s no fun. Then why the hell did you drag me out to a bar in the middle of the workday?”

“Thought you could just use a break. Don’t you have a multimillion-dollar business to run?”

He shrugged. “I have competent people.”

“Right,” I said drily. Jace said it like he didn’t micromanage the place. But nothing happened in his company without him knowing. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he could tell me the janitor’s bathroom-cleaning schedule for this morning.

His smile widened. He seemed to be in a better mood than usual.

“Ensley’s been asking me to let Elodie have a sleepover at our house,” he said.

“Asking? Or demanding?”

He shrugged and let out a laugh.

“You need to be careful, or you’ll spoil her silly.”

“With Evelyn as her mom? Yeah, I don’t think so. Evelyn will keep our kids grounded. I’ve no doubt about it.”

I didn’t doubt it either.

---