exit the car. Rhea was relatively harmless. It’s hard to say with Aunt Midge. She knows Lucian played a part in helping with the drug dealer, but whether that’s enough to change her perception of him is up in the air.
The tired boards of the deck creak below our feet, as we walk the pier to the front entrance, the salty sea air and sound of seagulls taking me back to life before Blackthorne Manor. After passing through the invisible curtain of grease at the entrance, we step inside, the scent of seafood smacking me in the face. Irish pub music drones on in the background, where the regulars--Mac, Joe, Doherty and Paul sit in their usual seats around the bar. Conversation withers like a frosted vine, the moment they turn their heads toward us. Behind the bar, Aunt Midge eyes me up and down, and frowning, she tosses a towel onto the counter behind her before shuffling toward us. “What’s this?”
“We’re here for lunch, like I promised.”
“We?” She tips her head, and the moment she crosses her arms, looking past me toward Lucian behind me, I know she doesn’t approve. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Sure.”
Warm palms grip my shoulders, and perhaps Aunt Midge notices the way my skin reacts to Lucian’s more intimate touch because her frown deepens. “I’ll grab a table.” He strides toward one of the many open spots at the back of the bar, and I watch the other men eyeing him as he passes.
Once out of earshot, Aunt Midge tips her head to get my attention. “What do you think you’re doing?” Her gaze dips to my dress and back. “Wearing dresses now?”
“I told you. We’re having lunch. The dress was the only thing I had to wear in ninety-degree heat. Here.” I slip the check Rand issued me this morning for another week of work. “To help with the mortgage. Already signed it.”
“I’ll deposit it for you, but I’m not taking the money.” She folds the check, slipping it into her apron.
“C’mon, Aunt Midge. Don’t be difficult.”
“That’s another discussion. Right now, I want to know why you brought him here.”
“Why not?”
“Sounds too much like a date.” Again, her eyes trail down to my dress and back. “Looks like a date, too.”
“What if it is? I’m nineteen. An adult.”
“And he’s nearly twice your age, child!” She’s the master at whisper-yelling, but I don’t think she went unheard this time, as I look around the room to see all the men, Lucian included, staring back at us. “Look, I know he helped out with that Franco. But you don’t need to be getting involved with him, okay? It’s bad news.”
“You guys get a load of that? The Devil of Bonesalt himself.” Mac, one of the older fishermen sits at the end of the bar, hiking his thumb toward Lucian. “Since when do we allow monsters in our fine establishments?”
Two of the men chuckle, and only one of them shakes his head, but smiles as he’s doing it.
“Since the day you walked in, smelling like you crawled out of a watery grave,” Aunt Midge answers over her shoulder, as I lurch toward him. Always quick with the quips, which I imagine comes from working with these assholes all day.
Lucian waits in the corner, quiet, not bothering to respond to the man, at all.
“You don’t know anything about him.” My response is directed toward Mac, but my eyes are on Aunt Midge.
“Neither do you.”
“What do you suppose a man has to tell himself when he’s staring at that every day in the mirror?” Mac chimes in again, no doubt drunk.
“The same--”
Aunt Midge cuts me off, setting a hand on my shoulder, and shakes her head. “Enough, Mac. You can keep those comments to yaself.”
Still, Lucian doesn’t say a word, and I can’t tell if the idiot’s ignorant comments are starting to get to him, or not.
“I should’ve known better than to bring him here.” Teeth gritting, I shoot a glare toward Mac that he doesn’t bother to notice, too caught up in staring back at Lucian.
“It’s not my fault he’s garnered the reputation.” Aunt Midge glances back toward the bar. “These guys are assholes. What’d you think? They were going to welcome him with open arms?”
“Okay, well, if I can’t have my opinions, maybe a suggestion.” Mac is one slap away from my wrath. “I propose the ugliest bastard in the room buy a round of drinks for everyone.”