Her Dirty Bartenders (Men at Work #5) - Mika Lane Page 0,19

to stay mad at her. We went back too far and had too much history.

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay. I knew you wouldn’t go if you knew, but I thought if you saw him there and realized it wasn’t going to be so bad, you could deal. You need the work, right?”

Yeah, I did need the work, especially since she’d fired me from her gym. But I’d promised myself I wouldn’t bring that up again.

I hadn’t seen Cab in years. I knew he and Marni had moved to Denver together, just to give it a try, and that their dad had even rented them an apartment to share in the beginning. But when Marni’s gym took off, she got her own place. I’d lost track of what Cab was doing. I never asked. I didn’t want to know.

And dammit, he still had those dimples. The ones that had bewitched me ever since Marni and I were little girls, when we would spy on him and his friends building forts and go-carts.

Yeah, I’d pretty much had a mad crush on him all my life. In the early years I couldn't even speak in his presence, that’s how he affected me. I’d tried to hide it, and while most people were thankfully oblivious, Marni knew. And she kept my secret like the good friend that she was.

“So, how was it?” she asked with a slight flinch.

Jesus. Did she think I was going to hit her?

“I don’t know who was more shocked, Cab or me. But it wasn’t fun or funny, Marni. You know how he broke my heart.”

Picking at her manicure, she was quiet. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t cool. I guess I hadn’t thought it all the way through.”

“Well anyway, those customers sure throw themselves at the bartenders. I don’t get it. Sure, the guys are good looking and all, but they’re kind of douche-y stuck on themselves types. They make drinks. Big fucking deal. What’s so impressive about that?”

I was on a roll.

Marni shook her head. “There’s more to it than that. They’re the face of the club. They’re like the hosts who make sure people have a good time and that they come back.”

How many of those women went home with the guys? Actually, I didn’t want to know.

Since I had the remote, I started surfing. I considered a shark thriller, but I knew they scared the shit out of Marni. She’d not been in the ocean since we saw Jaws as kids.

“I’m going to call home,” I said, unfolding myself from the sofa. “Haven’t checked in in a while.” I tossed her the remote.

“Hi, Mom,” I said, putting my cell phone on speaker once I’d closed the door to my bedroom.

“Estella, sweetie. Are you still in Denver?” she asked.

I plopped onto my bed. “Yup. Everything is great. I’m just taking a little break from driving so I can spend some time with Marni,” I lied.

They didn’t need to know the ugly truth about what was going down in my life.

Crashed car. Shit job. Offered a position as an escort. Bad reunion with old flame.

Thank you sir, may I have another?

“Oh, wonderful,” she said. “Maybe while you’re there you can see her brother, too.”

Was I the only person who hadn’t been aware Cab was still in Denver?

“Is Dad there?” I asked to change the subject.

“He just walked in. You timed it perfectly.”

Not really. I knew exactly when he got in on Thursday nights after having taken the train from DC. He traveled home to Philly every Thursday night and went back to DC, at least when Congress was in session, every Sunday night.

“Estella? Are you there?” Dad said loudly into the speakerphone Mom had switched us to.

“Hi, Dad. How was the train?”

“Wonderful. I think everyone should travel by train,” he boomed.

“How are things looking for the reelection?” I ventured.

This was a sensitive topic. When I’d bailed on marrying Vaughn one week before the wedding, you’d think my parents might have been pissed about all the money they were out of. I mean, they were pissed about that, for sure, but of utmost importance to them was how it would make them look.

Turned out a daughter flaking on her wedding was not ‘good optics,’ as Dad’s campaign manager had said.

Why didn’t he marry Vaughn, then?

After the announcement came out, the press had descended on my parents’ house like there’d been a murder. It was completely ridiculous. And when they found out I’d moved out of my townhouse with Vaughn, and