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As soon as I walked into Fuzzy’s, the smoke hanging in the air stung my eyes, and the noise from the crowd of men shouting at the TV above the bar assaulted my ears.
From somewhere to my left, I heard Juliet yell, “Hey, skank!”
I looked over and saw her standing at a table, obviously in the process of taking someone’s order. Juliet’s long black braids were pulled up in a bun, and her work attire consisted of jeans, a Smashing Pumpkins T-shirt, and a pair of old Chuck Taylors.
Pointing at me with her pen, Juliet gestured to an empty booth behind me. “Sit there!” She grinned, her drawn-on eyebrows arching manically. “I’ll be over in a sec!”
“Yes, ma’am.” I gave her a little salute and did as I had been told.
Juliet had always been bossy, but she cranked it up whenever she was at work. You wouldn’t stiff a waitress if you thought she was crazy enough to chase you to your car and shake you down for more money.
I sat down in a wooden booth that looked like it had fought alongside Ulysses S. Grant in the Civil War and began perusing the drink menu.
Which was only about ten items long, including the beer section.
“Long time no see.”
I looked up and felt heat rush to my cheeks as Zach himself slid into the booth directly across from me. He looked exactly the way I remembered—light-brown faux hawk, smiling eyes, dark gray vest, tattoos peeking out of his open collar. He was the quintessential sexy bartender.
But what I hadn’t remembered was how fucking much he looked like Ken.
Jesus.
The resemblance was uncanny. If Ken drank beer instead of Gatorade and spent his free time getting tattoos instead of hitting the gym, that was. Zach’s body was a little softer, his look a lot edgier, and his personality, well…he had one, which was more than I could say for Ken.
He really was the perfect rebound.
“Hey!” I chirped, far too cheerful for a place that drab. “Zach, right?”
Oh, real smooth. Pretend like you don’t already know his full name and social security number.
“Yep.” He grinned. “And you are…” Zach rubbed his scruffy chin and stared at the ceiling before raising a finger in the air. “CC!”
I beamed like an idiot and rolled my eyes. It was the first time I’d smiled all day.
“So, Juliet tells me you’re havin’ kind of a rough day.”
What? She told him!
I shot daggers at my bestie with my eyes, but that bitch acted like she didn’t see me.
“Uh, yeah.” I tucked my hair behind one ear and returned my gaze to Zach, who was doing a bang-up job of at least pretending to be concerned.
His dark brown eyebrows were pulled together, and the corners of his full lips were turned town.
“I broke up with my boyfriend today…but it’s fine. I’m fine. It’s not like the cops were involved or anything.”
Zach laughed. A real belly laugh with his head tipped back and everything.
Ken didn’t laugh at my jokes like that.
“Remind me never to break up with you if getting the cops involved is standard practice.” Zach chuckled.
I could feel my nose beginning to tingle.
Oh my God, I’m blushing in my nose!
“Okay…” I said, batting my eyelashes and swinging my hair in what I hoped was a Beyoncé-esque move. “Don’t ever break up with me.” I smiled coyly and held his grinning gaze for approximately three seconds before I felt my armpits begin to sweat.
