Honky Tonk on a Friday night was a rowdy time. The crowds were big, the music loud, and no one cared if they were hungover in the morning, so the drink orders were plentiful.
I swept my hair up off the back of my neck as I waited for Max to finish keying in an order.
“Where’s Knox tonight?” Silver called from behind the bar.
“Out with Lucian,” I yelled back over “Sweet Home Alabama.” The band was decent, but they were drowned out by the crowd singing over them. “He said he’d come by later.”
Max moved away from the POS and started throwing drinks on trays. “Tips are good tonight,” she said.
“Sounds like it could be a shots night,” I said with an eyebrow wiggle.
“There’s a new guy in your section,” Max said, pointing to the wall on the far side of the dance floor. “How’s the sleepover going?”
“Way messaged me to tell me to stop messaging her, and Gael sent me a picture of the girls doing mani-pedis and face masks,” I told her. “She looks like she’s having the time of her life.”
I dropped off two fresh beers at a table of equestrians and gave a quick hello to Hinkel McCord and Bud Nickelbee on my way across the bar.
I caught a glimpse of the new patron. He’d angled his chair against the wall, half in shadow. But I could still make out his red hair. The guy from the library. The one who had asked about tech support.
I felt a nervous tickle at the back of my neck. Maybe he lived in Knockemout. Maybe I was overthinking it, and he was just a regular person with a broken laptop who liked a cold beer on a Friday night.
And maybe he wasn’t.
“Here you go, guys,” I said, doling out drinks to a four-top that had turned into a six-top.
“Thanks, Naomi. And thank you for hooking my aunt up with that home health organization,” said Neecey, the gossipy waitress from Dino’s.
“My pleasure. Hey, does anyone know that guy along the back wall?” I asked.
Four heads swiveled in unison. Knockemout wasn’t much for subtlely.
“Can’t say he looks familiar,” Neecey said. “That red hair sure stands out. I feel like I’d remember him if I met him.”
“Is he giving you trouble,
Nay?” Wraith demanded, looking deadly serious.
I forced a laugh. “No. I just recognized him from the library. I didn’t know if he was a local.”
I suddenly wished Knox was here.
Two seconds later, I was really glad he wasn’t. Because this time when the front door opened, I prayed for the floor to open up and swallow me.
“Now who the hell is that dandy?” Wraith wondered out loud.
“Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no,” I whispered.
Warner Dennison the Third was scanning the bar, an expression of derision on his handsome face.
I thought about turning around and hightailing it for the kitchen. But it was too late. He locked eyes with me, not bothering to hide his surprise.
“Naomi,” he called just as the band cut off their song.
Heads turned to look at me and then back at Warner.
I stayed rooted to the spot, but he was on the move, weaving his way through tables to get to me.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.