Page 19 of Watch Me

Ethan crawled out of bed. “I mean, sex twice a day is great cardio.”

“It sure is.”

He walked over and kissed my lips softly. “Go back to sleep, baby. I’ll see you tonight at Judy’s.”

“Okay.” I smiled and pulled the sheet up, ready to get another hour of sleep because I hadn’t gottenmuchthe nightbefore.

Judy’s was slammed.

It usually was on a Friday night, and I made good money, which made it all worth it. Once I got my certificate, I’d find a job assisting at crime scenes, and I wouldn’t need to work at the bar. I was looking forward to only working crime scenes and following my dreams. While I didn’t know what hours I’d be working, I pictured having dinners with Ethan every night, and I imagined us having lazy weekends when we caught up on TV or took a weekend trip somewhere—depending on his caseload, ofcourse.

“Need anything?” Derrick questioned after he restocked cleanglasses.

“Ice, please.” I didn’t look over at him as I keyed in the drink I’d just made for acustomer.

He stepped closer to me. “Do you like to eat ice?”

I balked at his question and turned my head to look over at him. “Why?”

He shrugged. “I heard once that if you eat ice, you’re sex deprived.”

I chuckled. “Nope, don’t eat ice.”

“So, your boyfriend is giving it to you good?”

I stopped and fully turned to face Derrick. He had been flirting with me since day one, and I would always brush it off, but it was getting tiresome. I got within an inch of him and leaned forward to whisper into his ear, “Nightly.”

“What can I getcha?” I asked as I turned to face the new customer at the bar. He was about my age with dark brown hair and dark eyes.

“Whiskey, neat.”

“Any brand in particular?”

He looked up at the bottles lined up behind me, and I turned to see that Derrick had walked off. “Redbreast.”

I reached for the bottle of whiskey and poured a glass for him. “Here alone?”

He smiled. “Is it that obvious?”

I chuckled. “No. Just making small talk.”

“Fair enough.”

I slid the amber liquor to him, exchanging it for the money he handed me.

“Are you having a nice night?”

“Just a bit busy,” I replied as I finished the transaction on the POSsystem.

“That’s good, right?”

“It is. Let me know when you need another.” I moved to the next customer. “Refill?”

The blonde looked to her martini glass and then met my gaze. “Sure, why not?”

As I began to make her cosmo, I noticed the man next to her stared at her as though he was waiting for her to look over at him. She was alone, he was alone, and we were in a bar where people seemed to meet their soulmates. At least that was what Ethan had told me about his sister and her husband. In the time Ethan and I had been back together, I hadn’t seen Ashtyn. When we were kids, she and I hadn’t been friends. She was five years younger than me, and at that age, five years was a huge difference, but I liked her. Ethan also had a younger brother, Carter, who was the middle child and two years younger than me. He was a doctor, and I had yet to see him either. I wondered if they knew Ethan and I were back together. What would they think? What would his parentsthink?

Before I could try to play matchmaker, the man who consumed my thoughts walked in through the door of Judy’s. Our gazes locked and we smiled at each other. My heart beat faster, the blood flowing withexcitement.