Danny's Main

“What in the hell, Da

“A week of silence, my ass. I came here the very next fucking day. Woke up with a pounding head, an empty apartment, and no memory of how the night had ended.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to see you, damn it. Ask you what the fuck happened between us.” His head snapped to the far right side of the bar, and he snarled, “I left my goddamn number with that worn-out redhead before I left.”

“You came here… to find me?”

His hazel eyes blazed so hot they singed her skin. “Uh, yeah. But clearly you’ve moved on. So…forget it.” His broad shoulders were tight, his face stony as he turned to leave, and Julie knew she’d never see him again.

In a voice loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough not to cause a scene, Julie called, “Da

Julie’s mind was spi

“You.” Da

Julie watched, entertained as Bu

As the place quieted, Chester made his way in from the deck. His eyes landed on Julie. “Things okay?”

“Yep.” Julie gri

Chester flicked his gaze over to an angry but reined in Da

“Sergeant Marcus, what a pleasure—”

“Do not pull that syrupy shit with me.” Da

Bu

The muscles in Da

“Hmm.” Bu

Unfortunately for her, Earl came out from the kitchen with cases of beer and gri

As if she could physically see the tension leaving Da

“It’s Earl, right?” Da

“Uhh, is this some sort of a test? Yeah, dude, I remember seeing you. I just said hi, didn’t I?”

And there went Da

“He can’t answer your questions, Sergeant,” Bu

“He was here looking for Julie,” Earl grunted over Bu

The room remained quiet as stares darted from Bu

“Next round is on the house,” Chester boomed, coming from who knew where to join the women behind the bar.

The crowd erupted in appreciative delight.

Had Julie not been standing as close to him as she was, she wouldn’t have heard him grumble, “Two choices, Bertha: finish the shift and get paid for the night, or walk now and don’t. Either way, your time here is over.”

“What?” Bu

“Been there, darlin’, and it ain’t worth losing customers. Previous offer’s officially off the table. You needed to make a scene, I can make one too. Leave my bar now.”

“Well, I don’t need this shithole place,” she huffed, attempting to fluff her Aqua Net-hardened hair while shimmying past the bartenders frantically filling orders.

Something in Julie snapped. After everything she’d lost, everything she’d survived, she had finally found some semblance of happiness at Chester’s Bar. And while she had no clue as to what would happen between her and Da

“Hey, Bu

“What the hell do you want, you little bitch?”

Julie reached into the bucket behind the counter and pulled out two quarters. Summoning her sweetest smile, she dropped the coins into Bu

***

ROOTED TO THE ground, Da

Each time a server had approached them, Da

Logic told him she was no more his than he was hers, but logic wasn’t making his feet move toward her. Logic wasn’t propelling air through his lungs. Logic had no place in his mind when he’d nearly ruined everything with speculation and accusation. Thank fuck the woman understood Caveman, because clearly logic had left the building. It took every ounce of military training and composure Da