Page 4 of Never Stop

CHAPTER TWO

Easton

Ihated working Friday nights. I wanted to stay home with my girls, but it was my turn to manage the bar, and I had to make money for our wedding. My wedding with Dana was extravagant and had cost her father a pretty penny. Brooke didn’t have a father in her life, and this was her first wedding, so I wouldn’t deny her anything. I wanted Brooke to have whatever she wanted, and I didn’t care how much it would cost.

“Hello?” I asked, answering the phone in my upstairs office.

“Hey, Easton, it’s Bethy. I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well.”

I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. “All right, no problem.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Yeah… I’ll see you next shift.”

After hanging up, I texted Avery. Even though it was his night off, he was always on call—just like me.

Me:Bethy called in.

After a few minutes, he texted back.

Avery:Fuck. All right.

I returned my attention back to the inventory list I was working on. Now that Avery and I both had girlfriends—well,fiancéein my case, we both hated spending our nights working. We had two other managers besides Bethy, and I could have called one of them in, but I didn’t want to bethatboss—on a Friday night no less. I laughed slightly. Avery wouldn’t care. He’d thank me later for the extra cash he’d have for his future baby with his girlfriend. Nicole was about four months pregnant and I couldn’t be happier for the two of them. Avery was finally going to know what it was like to have sleepless nights and be up to his elbows in shitty diapers.

I was counting inventory when a text from my girl chimed on my phone.

Brooke:Hey! I took a nap and thinking of coming by now. Is it okay?

I smiled as I texted back:

Me:Of course. I’ll need to go down and bartend in about an hour.

Brooke:Okay, see you then. Love you.

Me:Love you, too.

“What time do you get off?”

I gave a sarcastic chuckle as my gaze flicked up to the brunette mid-pour. “Not sure. The boss,” I nudged my head toward Avery as he helped another customer at the other end of the bar, “works me pretty hard, so I never know.”

The brunette looked over at Avery and then back at me. “All right. When do you take a break?”

At that moment, my body started to tingle, and I looked up to see Brooke walking toward the empty barstool beside the chick. “When his fiancée shows up.” Brooke held her left hand up, showing off the princess cut diamond I’d given her a few days prior.

“Hey, baby.” I smiled and leaned over the bar to place a quick kiss to her soft lips.

“Sorry, didn’t know he was taken,” the brunette said.

“Yep, snagged him on a boat,” Brooke answered.

I laughed, remembering the cruise where we first met. We both didn’t know it then, but Brooke was right. She’dsnaggedme the moment my gaze met her emerald eyes. In fact, she’d stolen my heart that night.

I placed the brunette’s vodka cranberry in front of her. “Thirteen.” She handed me her credit card. “Leave it open?” I asked, motioning with a nod to her card.

“Yeah, I’ll go try my luck with the other…” She trailed off, and my gaze followed hers to Avery as he spoke to Nicole and some blonde broad.

“Nic came with you?” I asked Brooke.