Page 21 of Under My Skin

Chapter Twenty-One

LUCY

As soon as the bike stops, I smack my brother hard on the back. He winces before his head snaps around to look at me, but all I see is my own reflection in his face shield.

I hit him again. And again. And pretty soon, my pent-up, frustrated words come out of my mouth with each blow.

“Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again.” I pause, my chest heaving.

I have no idea if it’s all the smacking that’s making me overexert myself, or if it’s the pure panic I experienced while this asshole split lanes the whole way here.

“Would you rela—” His muffled voice comes from his helmet, and I give him another set of whacks.

“You. Are. So. Stupid!” I’m not even sure how to properly dismount this thing, but without thinking, I jump off the bike and rip off my helmet.

I shove it at him, and he fumbles a little before catching it.

“Stupid!” I say one more time for good measure.

Spinning on my heels, I stagger a step backward at the sight of Everett leaning against the outside of the bar with his arms and ankles crossed.

There’s an amused lift to his lips, but it only makes me bristle. “What?” I snap .

He shakes his head, his eyebrows shooting up with feigned innocence. “Nothing.”

“Does he always drive like that?” I point my thumb over my shoulder without looking back at my idiot brother.

He shoves his hands in his pockets as he steps away from the stone wall. “I mean, he doesn’t never drive like that.”

I shoot Simon a glare over my shoulder. He’s finally off the bike and walking up to join us, not even looking phased by the fact that he could have killed us both. Looking back at Everett, my eyes narrow. “Do you drive like that?”

“Me?” he asks, placing a hand to his chest.

I nod.

He lets out a laugh. “No. And definitely not when someone terrified of bikes is riding with me.” He looks over at Simon, his grin growing. “ That was stupid.”

My brother rolls his eyes. “We’re all alive and well, aren’t we?” Throwing an arm over my shoulder, he gives me a light squeeze. “I’ll buy you a drink to make up for it.”

He goes to walk inside and nudges me forward under the weight of his arm. My wobbly legs are forced to move, and I shoot him another glare before ducking out from under him and walking into the bar myself.

As soon as I yank the door open, I’m met with the deafening sound of live music and excited chatter.

I take in everything around me. From the band playing a classic rock cover to the mountain décor, everything about this place screams Copper Ridge.

The wood accents and stone details alone are impressive.

No wonder it’s popular. If there had been a place like this while I lived here, I’d want to come all the time.

I jump when a hand touches my upper back but then relax once I realize it’s just Everett trying to get my attention.

He stands behind me, pointing to where Troy has grabbed a high-top table near the bar with Toni.

When I look up at Everett, I’m struck by our height difference.

The top of my head only reaches his chest. I only snap out of my daze when his jaw tenses, and he nods toward his friends before stepping around me to lead the way.

“About time you showed up.” Troy grins at the two guys before looking at me with all seriousness. “Not you. You can take as long as you like.”

I huff a laugh as I hoist myself onto one of the barstools. “Thanks.”

He winks, and I do my best to fight my smile.

It feels good to have someone flirt with me.

I can’t say I’m interested in Troy, but I won’t lie and say the attention isn’t nice.

Allison and I used to go out together, and I’d meet guys who were interested in me every now and then, but as soon as she started dating Dina, those days were over.

It’s a lot harder to meet a guy at a bar when you’re tucked away in a booth somewhere with a blissfully happy couple.

After a while, I just stopped going. I poured everything into getting my logo business, Summit Designs, off the ground and building my clientele.

I haven’t been buzzed since Allison and Dina’s wedding when I hooked up with Dina’s second cousin from Maine.

I mean, I can’t say I threw caution to the wind completely.

In my drunken state, I still had enough mind to make sure Dina didn’t have a problem with it.

She still likes to call me the most considerate drunk.

A wave of homesickness washes over me at the memory.

I miss wine nights with Allison and Dina.

I miss staying up too late and watching movies with them.

I even miss them trying to set me up with every straight man they know.

Those things feel like home, but ever since Allison and Dina got married, they’ve been happening less.

Where do I go from here? What’s in store for me after my unfortunate roommate sentence ends?

I pull out my phone to text Allison but check the time first. Colorado is two hours behind, so the wedding Allison planned is probably just about to wrap up. I’ll wait to text her once I know she’s done.

I lift my gaze to find Everett directly across from me. He’s still a part of the conversation with everyone else, but he keeps glancing at me like he can physically see the cloud of thoughts I’m lost in.

I blink, trying to clear my head and focus on whatever they’re talking about.

Simon excitedly looks between the other two guys. “Come on, how cool would it be? I’m proud of my heritage!”

Toni rolls her eyes. “What heritage? Do you even know where your family originates from?”

Simon drums his fingers on the table before saying, “Fine. I’m proud of my lineage? I don’t know. I just like my last name.”

Toni scoffs as she tosses her sleek black hair over her shoulder. “White boys.”

Before I have the chance to say anything, Everett shakes his head. “You’ll look like an asshole. I’ll do it if you really want it, but you’ll definitely look like an asshole.”

“You want to tattoo our last name on your body?” I ask, not bothering to hide my shock.

Simon doesn’t look nearly as embarrassed as he should. “On my back. I think it would be cool.”

I slowly shake my head. I can’t believe we’re related sometimes. “If you’re that worried about forgetting how to spell it, you should probably put it somewhere you can see it.”

Everett laughs, and his eyes crinkle. Knowing I caused it brings a smile to my lips.

“What’s your last name?” Troy asks, looking between Simon and me.

“Blake,” I answer before Simon has the chance to say anything.

Now it’s Troy’s turn to laugh, but it doesn’t give me the same satisfaction. “I don’t know,” he says like he’s weighing the options. “It could be cool. I’ll do it for you if this guy won’t.” He nods to Everett.

Everett holds up a hand to block out Troy as he looks at Simon. “Don’t listen to him. All he sees is dollar signs when you talk. I’m the one who cares about you. ”

Simon looks back and forth between the rest of us. “You guys really think it’s a bad idea?”

Without hesitating, Toni answers, “Terrible,” at the same time I say, “The worst.” Her eyes skate over to me under her pink bangs, and the tiny smile lifting her lips feels like the biggest compliment.

There’s something about Toni that makes getting her approval feel crucial.

No wonder Everett eats with chopsticks because of her.

With a groan, Simon relents. “Fine. I won’t do it.” He points a thumb at Toni. “I need to make sure she likes my body when she’s finally ready for me.”

Toni gives my brother a look of disgust, and Everett gets to his feet. “And on that note, I need a drink. Luce, you’re the only other sane person here, so what would you like?”

“Nope,” I answer happily. “Simon owes me.”

My brother tosses his head back. “The drive over wasn’t even that bad.”

I shove him playfully. “Speak for yourself. I need that blueberry Moscow mule to help me recover.” I point to a picture showcased on a screen with rotating menu items.

He glances up at the screen, rolls his eyes, and then gets to his feet. “All right. One Moscow mule coming up.”

“The blueberry one,” I emphasize, getting too much enjoyment out of this.

He gives me a sideways glance. “Yeah. Noted.” Turning his attention to Troy, Simon adds, “What about you? I might as well get it while I’m up there.”

“Thanks. I’ll take a Bud Light.”

Simon and Everett exchange a look, and it doesn’t take much for me to know what they’re thinking. Having so many breweries at our fingertips, ordering a Bud Light at a bar around here might as well be an unforgivable sin.

“Yeah . . . I’m not ordering that.” Simon says. He quickly shifts his attention to Everett. “What’s a good alternative? ”

Everett scratches the scruff along his jawline. “Just order him a Bud Light.”

“But it’s piss,” Simon says.

Everett grins. “I mean . . .” His eyes jump to Troy like he doesn’t want to offend him before his shoulders drop and he admits, “Yeah. But order him one.”

“It’s not that bad!” Troy says in an effort to defend himself. He looks at me, but I just grimace.

“Don’t look at her for help,” Simon says. “Lucy only drinks real beer.”

“And blueberry Moscow mules,” I hint.

“Right,” he says, unamused. Getting to his feet, he looks at Troy. “I’m just fucking with you. I’ll get you your shitty beer. Toni?”

Toni stares at my brother. “I’m not letting you buy me a drink.”

Everett sighs and gets to his feet. “Don’t worry, I’ll buy your Manhattan.”

Toni smiles at Everett, and it’s the warmest I’ve ever seen her.

Pointing to her smile, Simon says, “See, I want that. How do I get her to do that for me?”

Everett claps a hand on my brother’s shoulder. “Don’t be a creep.” He and Simon head toward the bar, and I’m mesmerized again by the way Everett’s dark T-shirt grips his shoulders and upper back. The faint lines of the tattoo that lies beneath creeping up the back of his neck.

By the looks of things, I’m not the only one who notices.

The petite bartender, with her brunette hair curled, beams at him as soon as he walks up.

Simon nudges Everett with his elbow, and I wonder if it’s because he wants him to be the one to order, or if it’s about the pretty girl standing in front of them.