Bleeding Darkness by Brenda Chapman

Author:Brenda Chapman
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2018-04-20T00:00:00+00:00

chapter twenty-two

Lauren sat at the bar nursing her sixth vodka and soda, this latest one bought for her by the man in the business suit three stools away. He was older than she liked but appeared fit when he removed his jacket. They’d already made eye contact and exchanged a mock toast from across the bar when her drink arrived. She felt her resistance slipping despite knowing better.

You swore off one-night stands, she reminded herself. Remember how gutted and sick you feel after they leave.

The emptiness that had become part of her waking hours was falling away with every drink. She no longer cared that she was the odd one out in her family. The daughter her mother never wanted. The one expected to be a fuck-up. Mindless sex would fill the void for an hour or two.

I’m getting too old for this shit.

She turned away from him and when she looked back, a heavily made-up redhead with a low-cut shirt had a hand on his arm, talking into his ear.

Decision made.

Lauren lifted her glass and looked to her left. She’d felt as if she was being watched for a while but thought it was the man in the suit. Another pair of eyes met hers and she squared back around to face the bartender.

What, do I have a sign that says hot and ready on my forehead?

“Clint have the night off?” she asked.

He came closer, wiping the counter in circular motions with a white cloth. “He’s in tomorrow. Four o’clock. Anything you want me to pass along?”

“No, that’s okay.”

“The regulars are arriving.” He waved the rag toward the door as a crowd of men surged in with a blast of cold air. “They play pickup hockey every Friday night through the winter and then hit the Duke. Need anything else before I get busy?”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

The noise level went up several notches, drowning out Garth Brooks singing about friends in low places over the loudspeakers. Lauren took her time finishing her drink, not wanting another, but not wanting to leave the anonymous warmth of the bar. She sensed without looking the man standing next to her.

“I’m not interested,” she said.

“Good to know.”

The voice was familiar. She turned her head.

“You’re looking good, Lauren. Been a long time.”

Her heart jumped but she kept her voice level if slightly slurred. “I’m surprised you’re talking to me, Matt Delgado.”

“I’ve had time to think about things. Zoe wouldn’t have wanted me to freeze you out.”

She looked into the drink on the counter that she was gripping with both hands. “But that’s exactly what you did.”

“Mind if I sit for a minute?”

“It’s a free country.”

He got onto the stool next to her and set down his beer. “Sorry to hear about your dad.”

She kept facing straight ahead, working not to catch his eye in the mirror over the bar. “Thanks. My sister-in-law was murdered this week so we’re not exactly having the best of times.”

“I heard that. Horrible. How’re you coping?”

She lifted her glass. “Not well, obviously, but this is helping.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.