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“That would be awesome.” Skyla loved when her friends came by Madigan’s. Even if the place was packed, she’d find them a place to sit and make sure they had a great time.
“Oh, maybe ask that hot Italian guy to work an extra shift tonight,” Hallie teased.
“You mean Nico?” Skyla asked in a teasingly accusatory way. She was honestly surprised Hallie even noticed him, considering how in love and committed she was to FBI Agent Caden Dobbs.
Hallie laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m all Caden’s, but I do have eyes.” The women shared a laugh and Hallie’s phone buzzed again. “Bye,” Hallie called out as she left.
Skyla gave her a quick wave and turned her attention to getting the place ready for a rowdy Thursday night crowd. It was nice having Hallie pop in today. At the very least, it gave Skyla something else to think about. Last night’s conversation with her dad had been replaying in her mind ever since she left him sitting smugly in their basement.
She’d left the house earlier than usual this morning, stopping at the gym for a longer workout and then taking a long hot shower before coming into Madigan’s to meet Hallie at eleven to discuss their Books and Booze marketing strategies.
Skyla had always loved Madigan’s, but the more Skyla thought about it, the more this place suddenly felt like a perfectly crafted prison. She hoped by making it more profitable than it already was, she’d be able to find a way out of her predicament. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Madigan’s, but after the way her father had spoken to her, everything he touched in her life just felt wrong - tainted in some way - and all she could think about was getting as far away from him and it as she could.
She hadn’t thought far enough ahead to consider how she would do it, or even where she would go. For now, she just needed something to look forward to, and offering daily lunches seemed like a good place to start.
Skyla was so focused on her thoughts and the tasks at hand that when her phone buzzed with a text message in her pocket, she startled so bad she nearly dropped the rag. She took off the gloves she’d put on to wipe down the tables and reached into her pocket to dig out her cellphone.
AJ: Need to see you tomorrow night
Skyla groaned. Friday nights were one of her busiest nights of the week. If someone was hurt, he would’ve insisted on seeing her immediately, which meant this was going to be another one of those meetings where he changed the rules on her. She sent him a quick reply.
Skyla: Can’t. Busy night.
She pocketed her phone and returned to wiping the tables that Nico was supposed to have done last night after closing. That man was seriously testing her patience. Her phone buzzed with an incoming message again, not ten seconds after she sent him the reply.
AJ: Non-negotiable.
Skyla groaned again, but this time she went into her office and pulled up the schedule for her employees. Almost everyone who worked for Madigan’s was already scheduled to work on Fridays. Except for Nico. She hated asking her employees to come in on their nights off. Most had families or were in school, but it looked like there was no way around it. Skyla had no choice but to ask Nico to work tomorrow. If he could come in, she would be free to meet with AJ, then pick up any slack toward the end of the shift. With a sigh, she sent a quick message to Nico.
Skyla: I need you to come in tomorrow night.
Nico replied almost immediately.
Nico: What time?
Skyla: Can you be here by 6?
Nico: No. Eight is the earliest.
Skyla: Ok. See you then.
Now that she’d arranged for someone to take over for most of the night, she messaged AJ.
Skyla: I can meet after 9.
Moments later, AJ replied saying he’d meet her outside at their usual place at nine. She didn’t bother replying, since the only thing that came to mind was telling him how much she hated him, but they had an agreement and it was obviously in her best interest to abide by it.
***
Blake sat at an outdoor bistro with Caden and Hallie. The two were talking about some new gardening project they were planning on starting this weekend, and he felt like a third wheel. He was thrilled they’d found each other, but seeing them so blissfully in love only reminded him that happily ever after wasn’t in the cards for him. Not after his dad walked out on him and Brennan when they were just kids, or how James had been taken from them when he was in high school, or how he’d been passed up to play professional football after college, or - his breath caught in his throat every time he thought about how close he’d come to losing his job, and his life, a few months ago. No, happily ever after was for people like Caden and Hallie, and even Luke and Orly. But definitely not for him.
“I should take this to go and head back to the office,” he said, not meaning the words to come out as abruptly as they had. He’d taken his own vehicle so as not to be dependent on Caden in case the other man wanted to extend his lunch hour, and Blake had plenty of work to catch up on at his desk. Besides, he felt bad intruding on his friend’s lunch date. Even though Hallie and Caden lived together, they didn’t get to spend nearly as much time together as they wanted to because of their work schedules. Running her store, The Mystic Cow, meant she often had to work weekends, and Caden was often traveling during the week for various cases.
“No, stay,” Hallie insisted, looking as if she’d done something wrong by wanting to spend a few uninterrupted minutes with the man she loved. “Caden was telling me last night about your sister, Brennan, and how she’s doing all these cool things in Florida.”
Blake shook his head. That was another topic he desperately tried to avoid. “I don’t think helping convicted felons is doing something cool.”
“Blake,” Caden said with a hint of warning. The man was nothing if not protective of the woman sitting next to him.
