I walk to the stage and see the band setting up. I’m not even going to get started with why they’re not playing yet. Instead, I veer to the right and head to the deejay.
“Hey, band said not to turn on the music, and I couldn’t find you,” Mack says.
“No problem, but they can fuck right off. They’re more than fifteen minutes late. They’ll be lucky if I don’t kick them off. Go ahead and start something. It’s Friday night. We can’t have nothing going on,” I grumble, not upset with Mack at all. He usually works hand in hand with the band, but when they get like this, he’s best to steer clear and wait for me.
“Sounds good, Beau. I see Lily is here again. What’s up with that?”he asks.
“Seeing where things go. I’m waiting for Vince to come in half-cocked, though, so may need to keep your eyes peeled to help Brigger out.”
“Will do. I’ll watch for Vince. Though, he doesn’t usually come in until Saturdays when the tattoo shop closes early.” Mack and I both know that all too well. Duke has done ninety percent of my tattoos. The other ones are from when I was stationed in the Army. There was always somewhere new—more bars, tattoo shops, and a hell of a good time. When I got out, I had stashed a lot of money away and knew what I wanted to do, got my shit together, and here we are, fourteen years later, and the Tipsy Cow is thriving and in the black. I’m not a billionaire by any means, but I do well for myself. The apartment above the bar is just that, an apartment. It’s not my permanent residence, it’s here for any of us to use if we have a long-as-hell night and can’t make sense of driving.
I’d much rather my staff be safe than be sorry. My ranch is up the road, but nights when we’ve got a band playing and we have a full house, I’ll crawl my ass upstairs and pass out. That’s why I offered it to Lily. The lines are already blurred, though the rules have yet to be set, and I’m already thinking that keeping this thing between us fake will never work out.
Chapter Four
Lily
I still feel like I’m being spun around on the dance floor, dress flapping up with every turn, and when Beau brought me back into his fold, my arm around his waist, his on my shoulder as we moved together perfectly, it definitely felt like I was living a dream.
We danced to three songs in a row before it started getting crowded at the bar and he had to get back to work. Beau left me with a heated look and said, “If I don’t get to tell you good night, I’ll text you.” He kissed my forehead before leaving me. I rocked back on my heels, giddiness consuming me. No one could stop me from feeling this happy.
“Someone sure looks like she’s still spinning,” Amelia jokes. These girls. They’ve been my friends for what seems like forever.
“I’m glad you’re having a good time, but I think it’s time for me to head home. Thank you for inviting me,” Wren says. She’s not wrong—we all lead busy lives, and mine starts when the rooster crows tomorrow.
“Always, come on. I’ll settle the tab, then we can walk out together.”
“Good luck with that. We tried to, but it was already paid.” Amelia drinks the last of her margarita. It makes me grab mine to do the same thing, suddenly parched after all the dancing Beau and I did.
“I’ll have to thank him for that later.” I look for him but see he’s talking to the deejay. My gaze homes in on his body, memorizing everything I can about him. His dark brown hair with specks of gray at his temple, dark brown eyes that are framed by long minky eyelashes that I’m ridiculously jealous of, skin darkened by the sun, and tattoos that travel up both arms. His black shirt, perfectly molded to his upper body, jeans, and a pair of worn-in boots complete Beau, giving me the need to fan myself.
“In more than one way,” Amelia jokes, causing us all to laugh.
“Alright, crazies, let’s go.” The three of us loop our arms with each other, so we don’t get lost in the maze of people drinking, dancing, and having a good time.
“We should have driven together,” Wren says when we finally make it to our cars.
“Probably, but sometimes we all go in different directions, which reminds me, I think I’ll be stopping to get a cheeseburger, fries, and milkshake,” I tell the girls.
“Not me. All I want to do is grab a shower and go to sleep,” Amelia and Wren chime in, at practically the same time.