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She pushed her way to the bar. She didn’t recognize either of the bartenders, though it had been a while since she’d been to the Iggy. She scanned the barback as she waited for them to be free to take her order.
Would she stick with tradition, or would she try something new tonight?
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.
“A rum and Coke and an old-fashioned,” she rattled off.
The bartender nodded and started getting the drinks together.
“I always loved that you drank old-fashioneds,” came an all too familiar voice at her shoulder.
She huffed a laugh. At this point she wasn’t even surprised.
She hadn’t seen André in two and a half years and now he was everywhere.
“Really.” She pursed her lips and bobbed her head. She didn’t want to look. Didn’t need to look. But after a beat she glanced up and found his eyes already on her.
“I do have to ask,” he said before she could say anything. “Are you following me?”
“Ha!” Her mouth tried to form words, but his audacity had taken them.
He grinned down at her, and she knew she was smiling. She knew it and she couldn’t stop it. Didn’t want to stop it.
“Put it on my tab,” he said to the bartender as he slid a tip across the bar.
That was a cool move.
She’d have to remember it for later in case she needed to be cool. He handed her the old-fashioned, he took the rum and Coke and picked up his own drink. She scanned him up and down.
If he’d worked that day, he’d showered and changed afterward. He was wearing dark jeans, a white button-up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and gray suspenders. It was a decidedly delicious look. His dark hair was combed back but it looked like he’d run his fingers through it a few times.
“What do you have?” she asked, eyeing the highball glass he carried.
“Gin and tonic,” he replied and gestured with it to the far end of the seating area. “I see Allison.”
Yep. She’d managed to commandeer a high-top table with three stools. How convenient.
She started that way and took a breath and stopped. “Are you here with people?”
André’s eyes skated over her face but didn’t stay. “I was. They just left. I was just going to finish my drink. I’ll say hello to Allison and I’ll go.”
She hadn’t meant it like that, but she nodded.
She waved to Asa on her way past him. André nudged her elbow.
“I already bought Asa a drink. He didn’t seem quite as hostile this evening as he did yesterday.”
Nikki chuckled. “Well, I explained things to him, so…”
Shit fuck. That was the kind of statement that usually begot follow-up questions which she did not want.
“Oh good. I was afraid you were going to leave that to me.”
He shot a lopsided smile her direction and she nearly stumbled. What the hell was that supposed to mean? What would André have said by way of explanation?
The same thing, right?
Of course the same thing.
