thing. More responsibility meant staying in one place.
“Sarah, have you seen them?” Maria brushed past the bar and stared out the front window for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Thank goodness it was a slow day or her tables would be waiting forever for service.
“Maria, for the last time, if I see them, I’ll call you from the back,” Sarah said dryly. She could understand Maria’s anxiety. Her brother was coming home for a visit after his last deployment. They were a close family, wrapping anyone nearby in their warmth and love. More than once they had offered Sarah a place to live rather than the small above-garage apartment she rented. But Sarah had been living on her own for too long now. Abiding by parents’ rules—even if they weren’t her parents—would never work. Not again.
“Just make sure you do. I can’t wait!” Maria squealed and hustled back to server alley to roll silverware into napkins.
Sarah bit back a smile as she pulled a pint for a table. That sort of family devotion was completely foreign to her. Her own mother left when Sarah was just a child. And though her dad was no prize and Sarah would have left the bastard herself, her mother abandoned two children to the man’s wrath. Her brother Travis had done his best to shield her from the brunt of the man’s condemnation and criticism. But then he, too, left her. Left her to bear the full brunt of her father’s ugliness.
Sure, he went to basic training for the Marines, but he never came back for her. His letters, while good for distraction, didn’t get her out of the hell. And so she stopped responding. Stopped taking his calls.
Years later she regretted that choice. But pride kept her from running back to him when her husband abandoned her. Pride had her pulling up her bootstraps and doing it herself. And she was glad, in the end, that she had. Now she knew what she was capable of.
Anything.
The door opened and a gust of cold air blew in. She glanced up and studied the man walking through.
Maybe six feet, and though his torso was hidden in a winter coat, she could tell he was no slob. A quick glance at his face let her know it wasn’t Maria’s brother, whom she’d seen in pictures.
But he was new. At least, she’d never met him before. And tending bar at the most popular place to eat in town meant she knew almost everyone. Sarah took a second look as he walked in and glanced around.
Tanned face, though it was edging on winter. Maybe it was just his complexion, which matched his dark hair and slashing eyebrows. His hair was cut in a flat top. Obviously military, current or prior. Some men never could step away from the habitual haircut.
The man rubbed his bare hands together and blew in them. Then he walked over to the bar and sat down. Flashing her a smile that she judged as genuine, he asked, “Is there a hostess? Or do we just pick our own seat?”
“Looks like you already picked one,” she shot back, then checked her attitude. She struggled with men in general, taking everything the wrong way. Her automatic response was defensive and it had taken her until recently to stop assuming every male was worthless.
If he noticed her snotty response, his face didn’t show it. “The rest of the party is behind me.”
“Well, if you want to grab a table, you’re more than welcome. We’re informal here at this time of day.” In the near-empty restaurant at three in the afternoon, there was no need for a hostess.
He smiled at her, not saying a word. Sarah resisted the urge to check for leftover lunch on her cheek. But then he just stood, bar stool legs scraping on the floor, and headed to a table in a secluded corner. Odd, she would have figured he would take one in front of a TV screen.
She’d snapped for no reason. But he made her… He made her nervous. No, not nervous. Alert. Like some unknown voice was telling her to pay attention to him, there’d be a pop quiz later. When was the last time she’d felt like
“Sarah, have you seen them?” Maria brushed past the bar and stared out the front window for the umpteenth time that afternoon. Thank goodness it was a slow day or her tables would be waiting forever for service.
“Maria, for the last time, if I see them, I’ll call you from the back,” Sarah said dryly. She could understand Maria’s anxiety. Her brother was coming home for a visit after his last deployment. They were a close family, wrapping anyone nearby in their warmth and love. More than once they had offered Sarah a place to live rather than the small above-garage apartment she rented. But Sarah had been living on her own for too long now. Abiding by parents’ rules—even if they weren’t her parents—would never work. Not again.
“Just make sure you do. I can’t wait!” Maria squealed and hustled back to server alley to roll silverware into napkins.
Sarah bit back a smile as she pulled a pint for a table. That sort of family devotion was completely foreign to her. Her own mother left when Sarah was just a child. And though her dad was no prize and Sarah would have left the bastard herself, her mother abandoned two children to the man’s wrath. Her brother Travis had done his best to shield her from the brunt of the man’s condemnation and criticism. But then he, too, left her. Left her to bear the full brunt of her father’s ugliness.
Sure, he went to basic training for the Marines, but he never came back for her. His letters, while good for distraction, didn’t get her out of the hell. And so she stopped responding. Stopped taking his calls.
Years later she regretted that choice. But pride kept her from running back to him when her husband abandoned her. Pride had her pulling up her bootstraps and doing it herself. And she was glad, in the end, that she had. Now she knew what she was capable of.
Anything.
The door opened and a gust of cold air blew in. She glanced up and studied the man walking through.
Maybe six feet, and though his torso was hidden in a winter coat, she could tell he was no slob. A quick glance at his face let her know it wasn’t Maria’s brother, whom she’d seen in pictures.
But he was new. At least, she’d never met him before. And tending bar at the most popular place to eat in town meant she knew almost everyone. Sarah took a second look as he walked in and glanced around.
Tanned face, though it was edging on winter. Maybe it was just his complexion, which matched his dark hair and slashing eyebrows. His hair was cut in a flat top. Obviously military, current or prior. Some men never could step away from the habitual haircut.
The man rubbed his bare hands together and blew in them. Then he walked over to the bar and sat down. Flashing her a smile that she judged as genuine, he asked, “Is there a hostess? Or do we just pick our own seat?”
“Looks like you already picked one,” she shot back, then checked her attitude. She struggled with men in general, taking everything the wrong way. Her automatic response was defensive and it had taken her until recently to stop assuming every male was worthless.
If he noticed her snotty response, his face didn’t show it. “The rest of the party is behind me.”
“Well, if you want to grab a table, you’re more than welcome. We’re informal here at this time of day.” In the near-empty restaurant at three in the afternoon, there was no need for a hostess.
He smiled at her, not saying a word. Sarah resisted the urge to check for leftover lunch on her cheek. But then he just stood, bar stool legs scraping on the floor, and headed to a table in a secluded corner. Odd, she would have figured he would take one in front of a TV screen.
She’d snapped for no reason. But he made her… He made her nervous. No, not nervous. Alert. Like some unknown voice was telling her to pay attention to him, there’d be a pop quiz later. When was the last time she’d felt like
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