He hung his head. “I think it’s time for me to go.”
As much as I didn’t want things to end with him like this, I didn’t move to stop him as he turned toward the bedroom to get his things. When he came back out with his black duffel bag in his hand, a lump formed in my throat. All those months together and things were ending just as they began with him and that one duffel bag he brought with him that first night.
He walked up to me and kissed me softly. “Have a good life, Shay. Remember to have some fun on your way to the top.”
“El, I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what I was apologizing for. I just knew I was sorry it was ending like this.
“Don’t be sorry. I knew what we were. I always hoped for more, but you never lied and even though I think you and that guy are into each other, I don’t think you cheated either. You have nothing to feel sorry for.”
Hating how awkward this felt, I fingered his collar, wanting to feel him one last time. “I never cheated, El. When I was with you, it was only you.”
He pressed a kiss onto my forehead and gave me a weak smile. “Take care, smart girl.”
I watched him leave, unable to move from where I stood staring at my front door for a long time before I looked around my apartment and realized that day I’d always known would come had finally arrived. It had come a little early and not in the way I’d planned, but it had come.
Heading into the bedroom, I saw his side of the closet empty, hangers taking up the space where his clothes had been. As I grabbed one of my work shirts, I slid my hand over those hangers and took a deep breath. “Bye, El.”
Lola stood against the front bar wearing a huge smile as I walked toward her just as the nightly bartender meeting was about to begin. “Nice to see you again, Shay.”
“Yeah, you know how it is. I couldn’t stay away.”
“Stefan told me I’m back up at the front bar tonight and every night. Isn’t that great?” she beamed.
“Right where you belong, if you ask me.”
“Maybe he’ll put us together again. He should. We work terrific together.”
I looked over toward Stefan and smiled. “Well, you know how Stefan is. I can’t figure out why he does the things he does.”
“Gather up! We’ve got a big night ahead of us!”
Lola and I made our way to the circle of bartenders and servers who surrounded Stefan, and I saw Mika hang back away from the crowd. He hadn’t lied. I hadn’t been sure of what I’d find when I came back, but he’d been true to his word, it seemed. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any more problems with Mika from now on.
I listened as Stefan handed out the night’s assignments, loving how happy Lola looked as he announced her new position as permanent head bartender and everyone but Mika clapped for her. Once or twice our eyes met and I smiled at him, surprised at how much I was beginning to like this new Stefan. I was sure he’d show me that arrogant asshole part of him again, but for the time being, I enjoyed the bossman.
When he finished, everyone scattered to their places to get ready for a busy Monday night. Assigned to the front bar with Lola, I had to laugh when she asked how I really got the scratch on my face.
“You heard right. Mika tried to scratch my eye out.”
“I bet Stefan saved you, right?”
Still his biggest cheerleader. “Not exactly, but now that I think of it, I should have asked for combat pay to come back.”
“He really does appreciate you, Shay. I can see it in the way he talks to you.”
“I must have missed the appreciation side of our boss, Lola. All I’ve seen is the sexually harassing side and the one where he was so angry I thought flames might shoot out his eyes the other night.”
She giggled and said, “You’re funny, you know that?”
“I guess. I just say what I think.”
Handing me a bottle from under the bar, she smiled. “I think that’s a good thing. There aren’t enough people in this world who say what they think.”
I couldn’t help but wonder how someone who’d obviously spent a lot of time in bars could be so gentle and naïve. Lola seemed to be at least my age, if not older, but she had the soul of someone who’d never seen ugliness in the world.
“You’re too nice, Lola.”
“Not always,” she said as she twisted her face into a fake grimace.
“You always make excuses for Stefan, and you seem to like the one part of me that pisses people off the most.”
“Well, I told you, men like Stefan are just being true to themselves, like you are. I think that’s why I like both of you. There’s nothing phony about either of you. That’s how people should be.”
Kerry interrupted us with a laundry list of questions, so Lola headed off to the back bar to help her. As I crouched down to get the area under the bar ready for the night, I looked up to see Stefan leaning over staring down at me. “You need something, bossman?”
“Just wanted to see if everything’s okay with my new bartender.”
I stood up and shook my head. “I’m not new, Stefan.”
“Well, I was hoping that maybe we could say that this is your first night so we could get off on the right foot this time around.”
He had that same look on his face that he’d worn earlier as he left my apartment. His brown eyes sparkled, like he was enjoying himself. Maybe he was right. Maybe we should try to get along instead of always being at each other’s throats.
I reached my hand out in front of me to shake his. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Shay Callahan.”
He shook my hand and smiled. “And I’m Stefan March. Nice to meet you, Shay. I think you’re going to love working at Club X.”
His grip was light, even though his hand dwarfed mine. For the first time, I noticed how truly built he was and how attractive he could be. As I took my hand back, I smiled to him. “I’m sure I’m going to love it here.”
“Hey, Shay, glad to see you back.”
I turned to see Stefan’s brother Kane come from behind him. Always a nice surprise, he was all smiles for me tonight. “Well, I couldn’t stay away for long. Stefan convinced me everybody wins if I came back.”
“I’m sure they do. Mind if I steal my brother away for a moment?”
“No problem. I’ll leave you guys to it.”
Stefan’s expression had morphed into a sneer, and I walked down to the end of the bar to cut up some fruit. The two of them were still within earshot, though, and I heard Kane say, “You look like you’re making progress, but you’re still going to lose, Stef. And I’m going to enjoy it.”