face. “I was selfish. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, I just said I wouldn’t change a thing.”
He smiled a little. “You look beat.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll probably take a nap when I get home. Just an hour, and I’ll be good to go. I’ll do a quick review of the material.”
“What time is the exam?”
“Nine.”
John sighed, then frowned at his watch. “When can you get off?”
Hell, this is what she’d dreaded. “Soon.”
“Is Tommy in the back?”
Shaking her head, she looked toward the pool tables. It was crowded back there, too. She knew there were a lot of quarters lined up as folks waited their turns. When she glanced at the group in the front room, she caught Gordon and his cohorts staring at her and John. Her shoulders slumped. She didn’t even have the energy to volley a glare.
“Where is he?” John’s features had tightened, the tic at his jaw pronounced.
“Don’t, okay?” She heard Lisa call for her. “Just don’t.” She locked gazes with him for a second, hoping he received the message that she really needed him to back off, then she left to fill the latest order.
“What did you say to him? He looks mad.” Lisa had come around to wash glasses while Cassie got to work pouring four gin and tonics.
“It’s nothing. He just—” She sighed, pausing to sort out how much she wanted to admit. “He knows about my exam tomorrow.”
“Tommy still hasn’t called?”
Cassie knew better than to attempt constructing a whole sentence. It wasn’t so much that she feared every cuss word she knew would likely come out, but that she might burst into tears. Instead she kept her head down, knowing Lisa would get it.
“I wish I could handle the place by myself,” Lisa said, the sympathy in her voice not helping Cassie remain stoic. “Sometimes I can, but not tonight.”
“It’s okay, really.”
“I should pull Lou or Spider from the back. They drink enough, they should know how to bartend.”
“No.”
“Use me.”
Cassie and Lisa looked up at the same instant.
John stood directly in front of them on the other side of the bar. “Let me cover for you, Cassie,” he said, the softly spoken words affecting her in startling slow motion.
If she didn’t know better she would’ve sworn he’d touched her. Cupped her cheek, brushed a kiss across her lips, stroked his hand down her back. “What?”
“Please. Let me do this while you study.”
Damn him if he was what ended up making her cry. It was bad enough that the customers had seen her go all gooey with John. Crying was out of the question. She was the one who came to other people’s rescue. It was always her riding in to make everything right. She never needed anyone’s help. She carried the world on her shoulders just fine. Problem was, she couldn’t tell him to go away because her voice wouldn’t work.
“Your book is right here,” Lisa said, and moved the pile of rags. She waited for Cassie to respond, then gave up on her and said to John, “She can study in the storage closet right back here. It’s small but big enough, and she has earbuds to block the noise. If you need her she won’t be far.”
“She won’t be disturbed,” he said, so convincingly even Cassie believed him.
He came around to their side of the bar, which snapped her out of her trance. “No. You can’t do this.”
“Why not?” He picked up a clean towel and threw it over his shoulder. “Hey,” he said to Lisa, who’d slipped past him to return to the floor. “Will you handle the register?”
“Absolutely.”
Damn it, he wasn’t listening. Neither of the coconspirators would look at her. Though everyone else in the place seemed to be doing both. She gave a general glare in a sweeping arc, and by then she was able to face John with a good head of steam to steady her.
“John,” Cassie said deliberately, “the answer is no. You don’t know how to mix drinks.”
“Says who?” He glanced around at the occupied tables. “Lots of beer drinkers. So that’s easy. As far as cocktails go, tonight everyone’s drinking either gin and tonic, tequila sunrises or hard liquor...neat or on the rocks.”
“No, they’re not.” Cassie tried to yank the towel off his shoulder, but he caught her hand. “I’ve had orders for piña coladas, rusty nails and—”
“From this moment on, those are their choices. Or they can talk me through a drink I don’t know. It won’t kill anyone.” He smiled and squeezed her hand, low, where