Beautiful Mistake(48)

“Then tomorrow. It’s Sunday. What do you usually do on Sunday?”

“Benny usually goes to work in the morning. My sister and I play music. We’re not allowed to play it when he’s home.”

“When he leaves for work, come here. I want to speak to you and your sister. Together.”

She was quiet for a while. When she finally did speak, her voice wasn’t convincing. “Okay.”

“You’ll come? And bring your sister?”

“I’ll try.”

I waited until I heard the door to the confessional and then the church open and close. It would probably take a few minutes to unlock her bike, and I knew the direction she came from.

The last thing I wanted to do was scare her when I followed her home. But if she didn’t show tomorrow, I needed to know where I was going.





Rachel



Mind-blowing sex had after effects. It was not even nine o’clock, barely halfway through my shift, and I was dragging my ass. Even that thought, though, made me smile to myself. I’m dragging my ass. The ass that Caine had his hands all over last night…and this morning.

Ava caught me daydreaming. “Oh my God. You had sex with Davis.”

“What are you talking about?”

She tossed her tray on the bar next to some random guy who was immediately interested in our conversation. “I can see it in your face. You’re normally all…” She waved at her face while she scrunched it up to look like she might be in pain. “…uptight looking. Now you’re not.” She slapped the back of her hand against the guy drinking his beer and asked his opinion. “Am I right? She definitely got laid.”

The guy examined my face carefully.

“Please ignore her.” I walked down to the other end of the bar where no patrons were sitting. Ava followed and took a seat on an empty bar stool.

Getting back to work, I wiped down the counter, attempting to ignore her, but she just kept staring at me with a goofy smile.

Sighing, I stopped. “What?”

“You’re really not going to tell me anything?”

“It’s not what you think.”

“So something did happen with Davis. Spill it!”

“Davis and I went to dinner last night.”

“I knew something happened. You have that look on your face like you’re in love or lust.”

I hoped it was the latter that gave me butterflies in my stomach every time I thought of Caine West, because I was certain the former was not a good idea. Ava took my starry-eyed, glazed-over face to mean the latter.

“Sex looks good on you.”

Luckily a couple walked in and wanted to be seated, providing a temporary reprieve from Ava’s grilling. Even though she had a big mouth, I knew she’d never tell any of my secrets—that wasn’t what kept me from telling her the truth. As silly as it sounded, I just wanted to keep what had happened between Caine and me to myself. I wasn’t ready to overanalyze what was going on. I chose to remain in my own private, ignorant bliss for as long as I could.

That wouldn’t be very long, though.

Around nine o’clock, I was shaking up a Cosmo in a silver shaker, not paying attention, when Ava’s voice surprised me. She spoke in that sing-songy way that most girls grow out of around the time they ditch their training bras.

“Hiiii,” she lilted. “I wonder what brings you here tonight?”

I looked up to find Davis at the end of the bar, shrugging out of his jacket. Guilt smacked me in the face. Damn it. Why hadn’t I responded to his texts this afternoon? He waved, and I motioned that I’d be a few minutes. There was nothing keeping me from walking down there, so I had to create some reasons. I filled a customer’s beer and chatted with him for as long as I could, then offered to close out a tab for a guy who wasn’t nearly ready to leave. That was the extent of my customers, so I was almost out of stalls when I saw Ava coming toward the bar. Hopefully she had a drink order.

“Go take a break. I’ll cover for you.” She winked. “And I don’t have any reason to come into the stock room at all, if you happen to want some privacy.”

Guilt fueled my panic. As I glanced down the bar, Davis smiled, none the wiser that my armpits were damp, and I felt slightly nauseous.

“Actually, can you help me with something in the kitchen?”

Ava’s brows furrowed. “Sure.”

“I’ll meet you back there in a minute. Let me just get Davis a drink.”

“Okay. But you’re acting strange.”

“Just go.”

“Fine.”

I took a deep breath and walked down to the end of the bar. Forcing a smile, I said, “Hey. This is a surprise. I didn’t know you were coming.”

“A good surprise, I hope.”

Ummm. “Of course. I just need to take care of something in the back. What can I get you to drink? You want the usual?”

“That sounds good. Thanks.”

Somehow I managed to mix Davis’s Tanqueray and tonic without spilling it and serve it with a smile. “Be back in a bit.”

Ava was waiting in the kitchen. “What’s going on? You looked like you were on cloud nine ten minutes ago, and now you’re miserable since Davis showed up? I take it you weren’t expecting him.”