His eyes told me he wasn’t buying my denial, but he smiled affably. “We’ll talk later.”
I didn’t want others to think I was affected by seeing Sam, so after another shot of bourbon, I returned to the party.
I was so proud of my brother. He’d worked his ass off his whole life to become CEO of the family business, but my asshole grandfather used the business as a carrot to bribe and cajole Ethan and my cousin, making promises he’d never keep.
A year ago, Ethan fake married Lucy in an attempt to win grandfather’s favor. Thankfully, he realized that his marriage was real and his work to please grandfather was a waste of time. He walked away from the family business to work for Dane MacLeod who valued Ethan so much, he’d just turned over the reins to him.
Thankfully, he didn’t walk away from the family business before he secured me access to the trust my grandfather withheld from me, illegally I might add.
I used some of the trust to buy this place. Today, The Sea Siren made enough money that I could live very well, so the rest of the trust was off earning interest. Yes, life was good. Or it was until Sam Clarke sauntered in.
When the party wound down, I called the rideshare company to get all the guests home. Thankfully, once Sam left to take Harper and Noel to the hospital, he didn’t come back.
Why didn’t he come back? Was he avoiding me?
Oh God. Seriously, Kate. You don’t want him here.
I pushed thoughts of Sam away and I worked with my staff to clean up.
“You should throw your brother more private parties,” Samantha the bartender said. “He and his friends tip well.”
“No doubt,” Dana added, counting the wad of cash in her apron pocket.
No doubt was right. I was sure there were a few Benjamins in there.
“Great job ladies. I’ll be in my office finishing up the accounting. Just head out when you’re done.”
“Will do.”
There wasn’t much accounting to do today since the only receipts I had were for the lunch crowd earlier. Ethan’s party was open bar and appetizers, but I did ask the staff to track what was ordered for inventory tracking.
“I’m sorry, we’re closed,” I heard Samantha say.
“Is Kate still here?”
Oh God. Sam? What was he doing here?
“Who wants to know?” Dana was a former biker’s girlfriend. She could have an edge that boarded on scary. She’d been on the verge of big trouble because of the crowd she hung out with. I gave her a job on the condition that she kept her nose clean. That didn’t mean she sometimes didn’t revert to her old ways when it came to handling trouble.
“I’m an old friend.”
I closed my eyes as pain seared my heart. Old friend.
“She’s back here, right?” I could picture him with his sexy smile and bright eyes that he used like a vampire to glamor women. Would Dana be immune? “I want to surprise her.”
“If she wants you out, you’re out,” Dana said. She was letting him in.
I sucked in a breath and then made myself look busy even though I couldn’t read the computer screen.
“Kate Barley.”
I held back my growl. I hated that name. I suppose with a name like Wheatly, it was a surprise I didn’t hear more plays on grain names.
“Sam. Of all the gin joints…” I didn’t finish the famous line from Casablanca. He probably didn’t know it anyway.
He grinned as he stepped into my office. “Are you going to ask me to play it again, Sam?”
I wasn’t going to ask him to play or do anything ever again. “I’m busy. What can I do for you?”