Page 37 of The Best I Never Had

He shrugs, but his eyes widen in glee.

I spot him a half second too late. He’s standing behind Thea and her new friend, dancing like he’s consumed half the alcohol in the bar. I’m about to call out to him when the drink in his hand tilts forward, pouring directly down the tattooed guy’s back. The guy jumps up, shrieking and shaking out his shirt before screaming in Johnny’s face. Johnny is all faux innocence, running over to grab a towel from the bartender. Before he can get back, Tattoo Man stalks off to the bathroom.

Johnny uses the towel to wipe off the alcohol that made it onto the seat before running back to me, waving his arm with a flourish and dropping into a deep bow.

“Your throne, my liege.”

“You two are fools,” I say around a laugh.

Tommy yanks my head down and plants a hard kiss on the top. “We’re your fools.”

Johnny grabs the back of my shirt, pushing me in Thea’s direction. “Go get your girl.”

I thank them, even though she’s not my girl. And she won’t ever be my girl. My best case is getting back to the pseudo-friendship we had earlier today. All I want right now is to apologize for biting her head off earlier.

As I close in, Harrison stands from his seat and jumps up on the stage. Addy howls next to him, grabbing at his arm with joy radiating out of her.

“You’re going to get us kicked out,” she hollers over the noise of the bar, the laughter mixing with the words until she’s incomprehensible. I look over at Thea, who’s watching her sister with a smile tinged with sadness, and I wonder what’s going on in her head.

I slide into the open seat, murmuring in her ear, “I’m pretty sure my brother’s about to make a fool of himself.”

She jumps at my voice, twirling to face me without realizing how close our chairs are. Her mahogany eyes are thrown wide enough to show off the flecks of gold and green hiding in their depths. Two, maybe three inches separate our mouths, and my eyes are drawn to hers like a beacon.

Thea glances behind us, and when I follow her gaze I find a half dozen of my cousins looking back with gleeful smiles, tracking every touch and glance.

She faces the stage again as she whispers, “Are they always like that?”

I chuckle, eyes still on her. “Always. There are too many of them and they’re too nosy for their own good.”

I turn toward them as I say the last part, raising my voice loud enough to be heard, and they scurry in different directions. Two of them run directly into each other, bouncing back and into innocent bystanders trying to enjoy their beers.

I hold up the drink before me. “A peace offering.”

She watches me for a couple of seconds, leaving me hanging in suspense. “An offering?”

“An apology,” I answer, needing to get this out before I chicken out and run back to the shadows. “For the way I spoke to you earlier. You were looking out for me. I’m sorry.”

She swipes the drink from my hand, taking a long gulp. “No need to apologize. It wasn’t my pla—”

“I want it to be your place,” I say without thinking. And I do. I want her insight and her challenges. In forty-eight hours, this woman has gotten me to admit things I never fully acknowledged before.

An emotion flashes across her face too quickly, like a shooting star you never got a chance to wish on. “You know we can’t spend time together. I told Addy she didn’t need to worry, and, even if I hadn’t, the more we interact, the more likely we’ll get caught in our lie.”

I know we agreed to that, but not talking to her when she’s so close feels impossible. Before I can argue, Addy comes back from the edge of the stage where Harrison’s still talking to the band. Her feet falter when she sees me next to Thea, but she plasters on that fake smile as she retakes her seat. She doesn’t know Thea told me that she told Thea to keep her distance from me.

God, this is already exhausting, and it’s only been two days.

She leans forward to talk to me around Thea. “What in the world is your brother up to?”

“I learned long ago not to question him. Fair warning, you will be embarrassed by the end of the night,” I say, lifting my cup of water in salute.

Thea tips her head as she watches him. “I never understood the urge to stand up in front of people like that.”

“What are you talking about?” Addy says with a little laugh. “You wanted to be a singer.”

“When I was fourteen and hadn’t realized I have neither the talent nor the patience for that kind of life.”

“She’s a lying liar, Owen,” Addy says, that fake smile twisting into something teasing and indulgent. “Don’t believe her for a second. Her voice is incredible.”