soft, white-collar hands, since he held a soft, white-collar job. “Thanks for your concern, but I got this.”
Outside the front door, he said nothing while I dug out my keys.
“Look. I appreciate you sticking around, but as you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
“Then explain to me how you planned to lock up the building with a can opener.”
I glanced down. Sure enough; I’d clutched the carabiner with my random mini tools in my hand, not my key ring.
Goddammit. What was wrong with me?
You’re not invincible. This breakup has affected you.
After I locked up and set the alarm, I turned around and Nolan was right there. Nearly nose to nose with me. No sarcastic smirk on his too-perfect lips. No mean glint in his mesmerizing laser-blue eyes.
“Just because you’re not currently sobbing over the breakup doesn’t mean you’re not distracted by it. Get pissy with me, Gabriella, but I’m not letting you get behind the wheel to drive home when you’re acting like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like the poster girl for road rage.”
Girl. As if.
But you are a little ragey, Gabs, admit that.
“Well, lucky for you, ace, I’m not headed home.”
“Doesn’t matter where you’re going. I’ll drive you.”
I blinked at him. “Did you seriously just offer to drive me to the bar?”
“Which bar?”
“Buddy’s.”
That gave him pause. “You sure you wanna go there?”
“No, Nolan, I’d rather go to Flurry,” I retorted. “That’s your usual hangout, isn’t it? But since I don’t own the type of clothes that’d pass their snooty dress code, I’m going to Buddy’s. Plus, half-price happy hour drinks started at nine. Some of us have to stick to a budget.”
“Then Buddy’s it is.” Nolan gestured to his car.
His sleek, two-door sportscar, painted a gorgeous bright blue with glossy black accents, hogged two parking places. Just as I opened my mouth to call him out on his assholish parking behavior, a series of beeps sounded, and the car doors moved.
Up.
Holy shit. It had doors similar to the DeLorean in Back to the Future. It might’ve been the hottest car I’d ever seen.
Not that I’d tell him that.
But my awe must’ve been apparent because I heard him snicker.
“Admit it. The doors are wicked cool.”
“They do have that alien spaceship vibe, Chewie.”
“Chewie?” Nolan laughed again. “I’m definitely more Lando Calrissian than Chewbacca.”
“Dream on. So is this a new toy? I’ve never seen you drive it.”
“It’s not a new car, but it’s new to me. I bought it to celebrate after I was named future CEO. It’s not great in the snow, so it’s been stored. Today looked decent so I took it out.”
Winters in Minnesota were brutal, but we’d had above-average temps the past week as we drifted into spring. “What kind of car is this?”
“Bugatti Veyron.”
“Never heard of that brand.”
He shrugged, not surprised I wasn’t familiar with a vehicle that probably cost over a million bucks.
“Get in.”
It was cool watching the doors slide shut. The flashy blue leather interior and knobs and buttons in weird places gave it that exclusive vibe. This vehicle most likely cost more than I’d earn in a decade. Or a lifetime, the way my career had gone of late.
Nolan pulled out of the parking lot. “Buddy’s. You’re sure?”
“I’m sure it’s no surprise to you I like dive bars with cheap booze.”
Buddy’s was only two miles down the road from Lakeside Ice Arena. But a mile across the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak. I’d started hanging out here after my first night working at Lakeside more than a year ago. I’d needed a drink after dealing with my boss at the time, a little troll of a man with an inferiority complex, who, thankfully, was no longer employed at the rink. I still dropped in occasionally, but not nearly as much as I used to.
Nolan eyed the parking area with distaste, choosing to parallel park beneath a streetlight. As soon as he opened the doors, I bounded out of the car and headed to the front entrance.
Being at Buddy’s soothed me, the knowledge that some things resisted change. Rusty metal siding formed an entryway. The bullet holes in the scarred metal door were from an incident years past between a jealous girlfriend and her cheating boyfriend. The door hadn’t been replaced, since it still served as a badge of honor for the owners and a helluva conversation piece for the regulars.
Inside the doorway, I scanned the space. With only about a dozen customers, it was a slow night.
“Gabi!” a voice boomed from behind the bar.
My gaze