Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
"Hi, Hayes," I say to the man behind her, a hint that she needs to move on. "Whiskey and Coke?"
"Just the Coke, please," he says as he steps up when Ruth steps to the side with a frown on her face. "I'm driving tonight."
I fill a glass of Coke from a can and hand it over to him. He shakes his head as if he saw the entire confrontation, but he's got a lot more manners than some of the folks around here and he'd never bring it up.
"I'll make sure his stupid ass gets home okay," he mutters before walking away with his drink.
The night continues, and when Claire rejoins me, I can see her eyes are puffy and irritated as if she spent a few minutes crying. I know today had to have been hard for her. It's the entire reason I asked Maggie if she'd work this wedding with me instead of her.
Claire, no doubt, had plans for her life when she married Hux, and it has to be hard seeing others begin their lives together when her happily ever after was so cruelly ripped away from her. Top it off with Barrett's behavior, and I imagine this has been a shittier day than she ever could've imagined. It looks like I can add one more complication to this mess I've allowed myself to get in the middle of.
She doesn't speak to me when she returns. She just gets back to work and does so mostly in silence, other than when she's dealing with those wanting a drink.
She helps with the meal service and pouring wine while I stay behind the bar and fill stronger drinks for those wanting them.
I keep my eyes on her nearly the entire time, and I hate the smile that she gives everyone. It's the same one she uses at the bar when she’s working, only now, I know for a fact that the woman is using it to hide so much pain. It makes my chest ache and creates a longing inside of me that keeps whispering that this situation is something I should fix. But even with that urgency heating me from the inside out, I have no clue how to make things better for her. Hell, I don't even know where to begin.
When the evening begins to wind to a close, Kristina Alexander catches the flower bouquet when Adalynn throws it, and Corbin McBride, both Kristina and Claire's boss at the vet's office, catches the garter. The two winners don't even look at each other and it makes me wonder if there might be something going on there. I also have to remind myself that it's none of my business.
"I can get this," I tell Claire when she starts to help me load the half-empty bottles back into boxes for transport.
She doesn't speak, but she looks at me in a way I take as a warning not to do her any favors. Maybe she's like me. When I get upset, I want to stay busy. I want to have things to do that might take my mind off what I'll have to face at a different time.
We make several trips to my truck, loading up the bottles and everything I can take with me tonight. Chase has agreed to help me get the actual bar back into storage tomorrow afternoon, so it's something I don't have to worry about tonight.
"See you Wednesday," I tell her before entering the house through the front door. I wanted to meet up with Madison and make sure we met the needs and her expectations tonight.
The woman is slowly dancing in the living room with Chase to no music, and I do my best to slip out before they see me. I don't want to interrupt such a private moment for them, but my movement catches Chase's eye.
"Hey, man," he says after pressing a soft kiss to his wife's head.
They reposition themselves, him standing at her back and softly resting his hands on her swollen stomach.
My heart skips a beat, a craving for something I never let myself imagine before, but I shove it away almost as quickly as it popped into my head.
"Just wanted to touch base."
"Tonight was amazing,” Madison says, a wide yet sleepy smile on her face. "There's an envelope for you on the entry table."
I lift my hand, tell them thank you for hiring me, and make my way out of the house.
To my surprise, Claire's car is still parked beside my truck in the makeshift parking lot Madison and Chase created for guests in their front yard.
I stand beside her vehicle for over a minute before she notices that I'm standing there.
Instead of rolling the window down, she opens the driver's side door, making me believe that my assumption that the thing won't start again is true.