The Bartender's Daughter (5 page)

He hated the sadness that crossed Joanna
’s face before she pushed it down. It made him crazy to think he couldn’t do anything about the things that bothered her. He looked to the hovering bartender and figured he could, at least, get her to smile.

“
Don’t tell me you haven’t been enjoying Bill’s company. That’s the only reason you wanted to come here. Don’t even try to lie.”

Joanna punched him in the arm, harder than was necessary.
“Shh. He might hear you, and anyway, it’s not like you had other plans besides working.”

Sam sat back down on the stool and eyed him.
“You weren’t at the bar. Where were you working?”

“
I own a few businesses in town. I was doing my rounds when Sloshy here called to see if I would meet her for a drink.”

His sister flirted with Bill and didn
’t hear the jibe.

“
What businesses?”

He took a long sip of his beer. He wondered if she was thinking about how much she could milk him for when they went for the divorce. She was either very good or her thoughts hadn
’t turned in that direction. Yet. After all Sam still thought she had a bigger fish hooked in Dylan St. James. “I own two souvenir shops and a small hardware store. What about you, Sam? Checking out the competition?”

“
No. I’ve been going over my father’s books for most of the evening, and I needed some air.” She pulled the tie out of her ponytail and finger combed her curls. She smoothed it all out and then tied it back up again. It was her typical nervous tic. “It’s bad, Lee. The bar is not doing well at all, is it?”

“
No, it isn’t. You still have time to get out.” He held his breath, waiting for her response. He should want her to leave but he didn’t. He wouldn’t think too deeply about his reasoning just now.

“
Wouldn’t that make everyone happy? Nope, I’m not giving up yet.” She shook her head and seeing the full glass in front of her, grabbed it and slurped it down.

“
Whoa. Slow down, tiger, or I’ll be carrying you and Joanna home tonight.” It was weird to see her drink alcohol. She never drank at Ray’s. It was a seltzer with lime or plain ice water. Then again, she might have developed a taste for appletinis and caipirinhas in the city.

She laughed.
“I don’t know about Joanna but I can handle these. There’s barely any alcohol in them.” She ruined the meaning of her words when she slipped off the stool awkwardly. “I’m going to use the restroom.”

Lee stepped back to let her get by. He watched her make her way to the
rear of the club and was oddly relieved she wasn’t making a break for it. He turned around to his sister to find her watching his face.

“
What?” He took another drink from his beer and hoped his nosy sister wouldn’t get involved. Things were complicated enough with Sam. He didn’t need her snooping around their history.

“
Nothing.”

It was said too slyly
, and he knew she was up to something.

“
Joanna, leave it alone.”

She shrugged her shoulders,
“Is there an ‘it’? I mean, Lee, did you totally forget that you’re practically engaged to Melissa?”

“
I’m not engaged to anyone.” Just married. To Sam.

She snapped her mouth shut and turned back to the bar. He drank the rest of his beer and slammed the glass down a little too hard.

Sam squeezed his forearm to get his attention when she returned. “I’m going to walk back to the bar to close up.”

“
At this time of night? You shouldn’t be out walking. We can stop at my house to pick up my Jeep and I’ll drive you back.”

She shook her head.
“It’s okay. Up until a week or so ago, I lived in Manhattan and walked everywhere. Anyway, it’s only a few blocks.” She stepped around him and gave Joanna’s shoulder a tap.

He couldn
’t hear what they said, but Joanna’s laugh rang out, just as she winked at Bill. Sam turned to go but he couldn’t let her. A protective instinct inside him reared up. He wouldn’t let his sisters walk around alone at this time of night, why would he let Sam? Especially after she still had the telltale pink cheeks of one too many of those drinks.

“
Come on, Joanna. I want to give Sam a ride.”

She huffed out a sigh.
“I told you—”

He stopped Sam
’s protest with a hand. “I want to check on a few things at the bar anyway.”

“
Fine,” Sam sighed.

Joanna grabbed her handbag off the floor
, and they followed Sam out of the enclosed patio. She waited for him to reach her, and then they walked side by side the two blocks to his Jeep.

He pulled his keys out when Joanna yawned.
“I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in a few days for my test, Sam.”

Joanna gave her a hug before strolling through the gate and into the house. He opened up the Jeep and they both got in. They rode the
five-minute drive in silence. He parked by the back and found Sam fast asleep, with her head tilted to the side. Without a thought, he reached up and smoothed the hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. She leaned into his hand, rubbing her cheek against his fingers. He ached for more.

He didn
’t think. He let need override every self-protective instinct he had, and leaned in to kiss the spot below her ear. The soft skin and her sweet smell made the years disappear. A small sigh escaped just as her mouth moved to his. He let her lead, as she nibbled on his bottom lip. Her tongue slipped out and soothed each little bite. He pulled back slightly when he felt her eyes open. Her eyes locked with his for only a moment before her hand slid behind his head and pulled him back down.

This time, he didn
’t hold back his hunger for her. It had been too long since he felt the smooth skin of her neck and now he reveled in it, kissing his way up to her mouth. Without stopping, he reached for her seatbelt and detached it, giving him access to reach under her shirt. Like always the desire between them burst into an all-consuming fire. Her little gasps and sighs urged him on. His hand settled on the lace of her bra just as headlights lit up the front of the Jeep.

They sprang apart. Sam pulled her shirt down while Lee adjusted his khakis. He felt like he
’d been caught necking his high school girlfriend instead of kissing his wife in the parking lot of their bar.

“
It’s Dylan.” She turned to him. “Lee, we can’t keep doing this.”

He stiffened at the name.
“Why, because your boyfriend might find out you’re cheating on him with your husband?”

Chapter Five

Maybe sticking around Oldport wasn
’t such a great idea. Her eyelids felt glued down and she struggled to open them with the morning sun beating on her bed. No, not her bed. A guest bed in Dylan’s parents’ beach house. She sat up and rubbed her forehead when that little movement made the pounding worse. She had enjoyed one too many of Joanna’s tropical drinks last night.

That kiss still made her body sizzle. She was so close to making a huge mistake. Getting involved with Lee on that level would be akin to opening up her chest and handing over her heart. She couldn
’t handle the heat that sparked between them when he touched her like that.

She stood up and braced herself, this time with a little less nausea. She pulled a few clothes out of her unpacked luggage. The stay at Serena and Dylan
’s parents’ house was only meant to be an overnight, which turned into a week that would be ending tonight, when she finally moved into her father’s cottage.

Twenty minutes later, after taking a shower and getting dressed, she was feeling much better. She stepped out into the living room and let out a sigh of relief when she found it empty. Serena had gone back to the city right after her father
’s memorial, but Dylan had stayed behind for a few days. It gave her time to find a place to live, but also opportunities for Dylan to try convincing her to give up the bar. She wouldn’t do it.

They talked about it last night and although he was disappointed she wasn
’t going back with him tonight, he seemed to think that it was only a matter of time. Even he didn’t have faith in her. She poured the last of the coffee into her mug and took it back into the bedroom to pack away the rest of her things.

She finished up and was rolling her bag to the front door when Dylan walked in.

“I grabbed breakfast for us from the main house. I’m going to miss Consuelo. She makes the best pancakes.” He put down a platter filled with them and a carafe of syrup he’d managed to hold with the crook of his arm against his body.

“
This is exactly why you need to go back. You’re getting spoiled. You need your morning walk to grab bagels from the bodega down the street.”

He laughed,
“I’m not getting spoiled. I am spoiled.”

She opened up a cupboard to pull out plates when Dylan stepped up behind her. His body warmed the back of hers. She stiffened as his lips descended on her neck. It felt wrong. Paralyzed by his closeness, she let him kiss his way down to her shoulder. When he went to turn her around, she pulled back.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”

“
Why, Sam? What are you so afraid of? I know you feel this thing between us.” He reached up and rubbed one thumb over her cheek.

She thought of Lee
’s hand stroking her. The way he sent her whole being into overload with every touch. It just didn’t compare to the low simmer of attraction between her and Dylan. “You know why this isn’t a good idea. I’m married.”

“
And separated. We’ll talk to my dad’s lawyer about getting you a divorce. We can get an investigator to find the guy.”

She pulled away from him and continued to set the table.
“I know where to find him.” She hesitated telling Dylan about Lee. Clearly they knew each other, but beyond that she wasn’t sure how deep the relationship went.

“
It’s LJ, isn’t it?” Again, Dylan came up from behind her. This time he turned her around. Anger etched across his perfectly sculpted features. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“
I didn’t know you knew him, and I’ve been a little busy with figuring things out to be ready to talk about it.”

“
It’s been two years, Sam. Cut yourself free and give us a chance.”

“
It’s complicated.” She should have filed for divorce right after she left Oldport, but she had chosen to ignore the entire situation to keep from feeling the pain of betrayal. Now she was mired in a bar she didn’t know if she could salvage and a husband she just couldn’t stop touching.

He eyed her with apprehension.
“What’s so complicated? He cheated on you after you were married for what? A few weeks?”

“
There’s more to the story. I don’t think he ever cheated on me. At least, not when I thought he did.”

“
It doesn’t matter when he was unfaithful. He can more than pay for the divorce. Let me talk to him. I’ll get this straightened out.”

“
How do you know Lee?” She stepped back from Dylan.

“
Our families have known each other forever. God, Sam, don’t you realize what family you married into?”

Whatever coffee she drank that morning churned in her empty stomach. She wasn
’t sure if she wanted to hear about Lee’s family from Dylan. “No, he never talked about his family. Not a word.”

“
He is incredibly wealthy. My parents are paupers compared to his family. I don’t know what he was doing slumming as a bartender.”

Her back stiffened even more at Dylan
’s unintentional insult. Of course, if Lee was as rich as Dylan described, it would have been slumming. She got this feeling that she’d been played. Was Lee rebelling that summer, giving up his cushy life to live in a small studio apartment near the bar? She remembered the rusty pick-up he drove and the way he always kept any discussion of his family or past to a minimum. She had to give it to him though. He never lied. He simply let her fill in the blanks. “He didn’t talk about them and I made assumptions.”

“
I wish you had told me his name. If you had come back with me last Christmas, you would have seen him at my parents’ holiday open house.”

She walked over to the wall of windows facing the bay. It was all a joke. It must have been a relief to him when she ran off. No wonder he never came after her.

She reached up for the necklace tucked under her shirt and pulled out the shiny silver band she had slipped on that morning. It was a sentimental move after their kiss last night. A stupid, silly sentimental move.

“
He was there with my cousin, Melissa. They’ve been dating for a while.” His arms came up around her. This time when he turned her around, she didn’t hesitate. She let him wrap her up in his support. “I’m sorry, Sam.”

****

From the bar, he watched Sam walk in, one piece of luggage wheeled behind her. Dylan followed her in, a duffel bag over his shoulder. The two made a beeline to the office. He swore Sam avoided making eye contact with him. Seeing her with Dylan after their kiss last night made his heart pound and his muscles tense. He stood there, staring at the closed office door until Joanna’s elbow hit him below the rib cage. “Damn, Jo. That hurt.”

“
I need you to tell me what to do next. I want to pass my exam on the first try, and you’re doing nothing but staring at your ex.”

She meant ex-girlfriend but he almost corrected her. No, she wasn
’t his ex. Not yet. They were still married. Was it so hard for Sam to give the institution of marriage a little more respect than to bring her boyfriend around him? He slapped the bar with his palm. “Joanna, study the book. I’m going outside for some air.”

He stalked out through the front door and walked a few paces of the dirt lot. He was too angry to be there. He should have grabbed the keys to his car and headed out. This wasn
’t going to work. He couldn’t own a business with her. There had to be some way to convince her that selling was best for her and the bar.

He swiveled around when the door slammed shut behind him. No avoiding Dylan now.

“I need to talk to you.” Dylan’s face was inscrutable.

“
Go ahead.” He loosened his shoulders and relaxed his pose. He didn’t need Dylan to know how much it bothered him to see him with Sam.

Dylan crossed his arms.
“I have to go back to New York for work. I’ll be gone for a few weeks. I don’t like it but I have to. Sam’s hurting right now with losing her dad. Don’t make things any harder on her.”

“
How would I make it hard for her?” It galled him that this guy thought it was okay to tell him how to handle his wife.

“
By not making the divorce as easy as possible. I’m assuming you want an easy out. You’ve got the most to lose. You never told her about your family and I know you didn’t ask her to sign a prenup.”

Lee gave him a once over. Of course, it was all about money. It always was.
“So you want me to give her a big settlement?”

Dylan laughed.
“No, not at all. I can take care of Sam. She doesn’t need or want your money.”

“
That’s what you think now.”

Dylan smiled.
“You don’t know her at all. She’s not like that. You’re married to one of the sweetest, most genuine women out there and you think she’s a moneygrubbing hang-on. You’re wrong, man, and it’s my gain.” He walked over to the Lexus and drove off.

Lee stood there staring into the dust kicked up by the tires for a few more minutes before walking back into the bar. So what if Sam had Dylan wrapped around her finger? If she was so in love with Dylan, she wouldn
’t go off like fireworks every time he touched her. Money changed people. It made them selfish and underhanded. It made them greedy and disloyal. It was only a matter of time before Dylan learned his lesson. He knew one thing. There was no way Sam was going to Dylan with any of his money.

He wasn
’t going to touch her again. They’d keep everything between them as impersonal as possible, and when he got a minute, he was doing what he should have done years ago, calling his lawyer.

When he walked back in, Sam was standing with her back to the door. Joanna was talking to her, her hands flying up in the air as she gestured to different parts of the bar. Sam took a gulp of water and then slipped something from her hand into her mouth. Clearly the night had more of an effect on her than it did on Joanna. He
’d found his sister up early, as bright and energetic as usual.

It was irrational
, but her happy mood only irritated him further. “Joanna, make a vodka martini.”

Her eyebrows quirked at his interruption
, but she dutifully mixed the drink. Sam kept her eyes on Joanna, but he noticed the way her shoulders stiffened and her chin tilted up. Why did she have to look the same as the young girl he fell so hard for? Dressed in a little summer dress, she looked like innocence personified, except she wasn’t. Maybe if her sister hadn’t used him to get back at Sam for some unknown transgression, they would have had a chance. The minute she decided to run to Dylan she destroyed any kind of life they could have had.

“
I have some work to do in the back. You’re doing great, Joanna.” Sam turned around without facing him.

He wasn
’t sure why he did it but he reached out for her arm and stopped her before she walked past him. “It’s time we talk.”

Red rimmed her delicate lashes
, but she didn’t react to his words beyond a small nod of the head. So she was cut up over her boyfriend leaving? She should have followed Dylan and left the bar and Oldport to him.

She continued walking to the small door in the back and he followed her into the office. They had to squeeze by her luggage. Sam took the seat behind the desk while he opted for the couch.

She played with her father’s hat. She’d taken to wearing or carrying it. “Why did you ask Joanna to make a vodka martini? She’ll be working the taps and making rum and Cokes more than anything else.”

That wasn
’t what he was expecting from her and he couldn’t process what she meant. “What are you talking about?”

“
You asked Joanna to make a drink that the typical patron would never order here. You didn’t just pick a drink out of the air. You did it because you have plans for this place. I know you, Lee. You’re a planner. Everything you do is because you’ve thought it out. It might be the only thing I actually know to be true about you. So I’m asking you now, what are your plans for this place? What is your plan for me?” The entire time she spoke, she kept her eyes on his. They were completely devoid of emotion.

He answered honestly.
“Sam, when it comes to you, I’ve never had a plan.”

****

She had to keep moving, keep her mind from focusing on the mess things were. The bar, her personal life, she needed a break from all of it. This morning had wrung her dry. She left the bar at noon, leaving Lee in charge, and walked toward the bay. They had decided to give Alan the weekend off, and that meant they would be splitting their time at the bar for the next three days. She intended to spend her time away from him, figuring out her father’s business and working out her own plan for the future of Ray’s.

But first she needed a place to sleep and now that her sister had finally handed over the keys to her father
’s fishing cottage, she’d have one that didn’t include Dylan’s constant pressure. He was the best friend she’d needed for the last two years. She’d seen him go from one woman to the next always thinking of him as the incorrigible brother she’d never have. Something changed in the last six months though, and his intent to become something more was creating a chasm she couldn’t bridge.