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Once outside, I groan into the phone, “Your timing is deplorable, brother.” His laugh rings in my ear. We talk for a few minutes as I update him on where I’ve landed. I knew he wouldn’t have a lot of time to talk, only enough time to check in with each other and make sure I was doing okay. I miss my team and hearing from him, regrets of leaving begin to pop up in my head. I shake the thoughts away. No, this is where I need to be for my sanity. Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I head back inside.
“Hey, come back here,” the guy at the door yells after I walk in. I turn to see if he’s having trouble with someone, but his eyes pin me. He nods when I point to myself, confirming he’s talking to me. “I need to see your ID.”
My eyes widen in surprise. “You’ve got to be kidding. I was already in there; I came out for a phone call.” I point inside.
He shrugs, holding his hand out. “My shift just started, so if you want in, I need to see it.”
I grumble, yanking the wallet out of my pocket. The last time anyone carded me was years ago. Right as I’m handing it over, Hudson comes out. He looks at the exchange and throws his head back in amusement. He slaps the guy on the shoulder.
“Tom, he’s with us.” He fights to keep his laughter in as I narrow my eyes at him. “I know he looks like a young buck, but I can vouch for him.”
“What the hell? I don’t look like I’m underage.” I stand taller, like that will help convince them otherwise.
He shrugs. “You do have a baby face.” Hudson can’t hold it any longer. That’s it. I’m growing a beard. Tom looks down at my ID and with a look of recognition I hoped wouldn't come, he says, “I’ve heard about you. You’re that badass SEAL that saved someone.” I paste a fake smile on my face and take my ID. I’ve saved a lot of someones. But people don’t know about those. An American civilian was being held hostage, and they awarded me a medal for leading the rescue. One article and suddenly everyone knows me. They don't know shit. They think it's cool to be on the receiving end of such an honorable accolade. I'd rather have my brother back. His death still haunts me.
He holds his hand out, his smile reaches his eyes. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
I shake his hand to be respectful. “It’s nice to meet you too, Tom.”
“Hey Tom, our beers are getting hot,” Hudson fires off, saving me from excusing myself. He’s Army, he knows. What happens over there always comes back with us, but the last thing we want to do is rehash those tales with strangers.
Although, at the table, Hudson wastes no time telling the guys they carded me. Let the jokes begin. Everyone gets their dig in, I sit back and let them have their fun. It’s easier to listen to this than talking about my past with strangers.
Draining the rest of my beer, our waitress shows up right on time. She stands between me and Cody. “Y’all need anything?” Her long tan legs catch my attention. I have to strain my neck to glance up at her. I should’ve swallowed the cool liquid in my mouth first.
My heart stops beating, causing my throat to close off mid-swallow. I lean forward choking, the liquid spewing from my mouth onto the floor and up my nose. The burn makes my eyes water. As I’m coughing the assholes around me get a kick out of it.
“You all right?” The waitress asks, patting my back. I nod, holding up a finger so she’ll wait for me to stop dying, but I can’t stop my coughing reflex. When I finally move past the coughing, she’s already gone. My eyes dart around the bar, looking for the woman who just took my breath away.
She’s standing behind the bar, a black shirt outlines her lean body, the V-neck showing off her cleavage. When her eyes catch mine, she smiles at me, then returns to making drinks. I slam my hand against Cody’s chest and he grunts.
“Who is that?” I jut my chin in her direction.
“She's out of your league,” he jokes.
I turn and glare at him. “What’s her name?”
“That’s Ellie,” Stone answers. I whip my head around to the bar in disbelief.
Either the universe is playing a fucking joke, or it’s kismet.
Chapter Eight
Ellie
I dip the glass into the lukewarm water and place it next to the sink to dry. My feet are killing me. Why did I take a double today? Oh, yeah, I felt bad for skipping out on Tori yesterday when I had a last-minute study group pop up. Thank god this is my last semester.
“Did you see Max’s new guy?” Tori purrs from behind me. She steps to the side of me, reaching for the vodka and makes a drink, not paying attention to the amount she’s pouring. She can make drinks with her eyes closed. We both glance at the table of men that frequent our bar almost on a daily basis when they're in town. The only thing different is the man staring back at me right now. Our eyes meet for a moment before I busy myself snatching a towel to dry off the sink area.
“I think he likes you,” she whispers.
Every day, I watch men flirt with women. They don’t sneak peeks, they stare, waiting for their chance to catch the woman’s eye. The slight smile with a tilt of the chin when they finally do. And her telling response, either opens doors or slams them shut. Single life is a wild world of body language. Sometimes I wish I had majored in psychology. It’s intriguing. I’ve mastered the disinterested gaze, ignoring the heated looks. But this guy is different, I can’t look away.
“He looks at me like he’s trying to place where he knows me from,” I say, leaning my hip against the counter, making myself look at Tori and not him.
“Do you think he does?” Her voice changes from flirty to concerned. Tori’s the only person who knows about my past. We met when I ended up here trying to drown myself from the disaster my life was in. Her uncle owns Ocean’s. She offered me a job that night and we’ve become great friends. I trusted her enough to tell her the truth. That’s where it stops though. It’s in the past. I don’t talk about it, and I sure as hell try my hardest not to think about it.
“No… maybe… shit, I'm not sure. He looks a little familiar. He won’t stop staring at me though. It makes me nervous.”
