Bittersweet (Redemption #3) - Jessica Prince Page 0,37
in, so I tried not to listen to the gossip. Still, it didn’t fill me with warm fuzzies that Rina had hitched herself to them.
“No clue,” Buck replied on a grumble. “But can’t say I’m surprised. That girl’s a fuckin’ wreck. Always goes lookin’ for trouble if it doesn’t find her first.”
Farah sidled up to the bar a second later, pulling my attention from the rowdy table. “Just a heads-up, honey, you have a new table.” I looked in the direction she’d tipped her head and spotted Jensen and his friends at a high-top table near the bar. In my section. “You want me to cover them for you?” she asked, chewing nervously on her bottom lip.
Thankful for her concern, I looked to Farah and offered up a wan grin. It was all I could muster in my current exhausted state. “No, it’s okay. I’m trying this new thing where I don’t bolt out of a room every time he enters it. We’re attempting to be civil to each other.”
Her lips trembled as she fought back a laugh. “You’ll have to tell me how that goes,” she teased before glancing toward the pool tables. I knew exactly what she was looking at. That was where her man, Cannon, always hung whenever he came in, which was pretty much any time Farah was working. But he wasn’t there alone.
Tonight he was with his dad, Banks, my uncle Scooter, and the rest of their crew, Danno and Fletch, plus a few other guys . . . including my brother. As if this night wasn’t bad enough with Rina throwing her shit around, now Jensen and his boys had just walked in. It was like the start of a bad joke: A man and his buddies walk into a bar . . . Only the ending wasn’t funny at all: and get the shit beat out of them by a bunch of bikers.
“If you need backup, just say the word,” she said, letting me know she had my back. “Plus, Poppy and Wynn will be here any time now.” At the mention of our two other friends, I let out a sigh of relief. “Between the four of us, I think we can keep the menfolk under control.”
“Thanks, honey.” The muscles in my arms quivered as I hefted my tray up, something they never did, but I managed to keep hold of it as I moved around to deliver drinks and pick up empties. Once I made sure the rest of my tables were good for the time being, I headed over to where Jensen sat, pasting a cordial expression on my face. “Hey fellas. How’s it going?”
I knew Laeth Harker and Gage Langdon from seeing them around town and when they helped with Poppy’s drama a while back, but to say we were friendly would have been a stretch. They were firmly on Team Jensen, which was to be expected. However, the few times when words were required, they’d always been polite.
“Hey, Shane,” Laeth replied distractedly while his eyes perused his surroundings. He came in often, nearly every weekend, and always left with a different woman, so I was sure he was scoping out tonight’s talent. Gage replied to my greeting by jerking his chin up, ever the man of few words.
When my focus landed on Jensen I saw he was looking at my face, studying me closely. “You feelin’ okay, sunshine? You’re looking a little pale,” he said, his intuitiveness taking me aback.
“I’m good. Just a little tired. It’s been crazy here tonight. So what can I get you guys?”
They gave me their drink orders, and I quickly turned to head back to the bar, only to be stopped when Jensen’s hand wrapped around my arm. “You think we can talk when you have your next break?”
There was something in his expression that left me feeling a little unsettled. “Everything okay?” I asked as my brows pulled down in concern.
“Yeah, it’s good. I just need to talk to you about something. Won’t take long.”
“Okay, yeah.” I gave him a nod, a knot of tension suddenly tangling up in my stomach. “My next break’s in about thirty. I’ll come get you then. We can talk back in the office.”
His lips turned upward, and I felt a rush of heat in my core from just that one smile. “Thanks, honey. We’ll talk then.”
I moved quickly, anxious to put some space between us and shake off the warmth that was blooming inside of me