Coming from someone who only wants a man who barely looks at me.
I’m such a hypocrite.
Lana laughs, and I wait for her to call me out on that comment, but she doesn’t. She just smiles at me and says, “You’re right. There are plenty of men out there.”
Lana knows about my crush on Arrow, she has to know, but she doesn’t tease me about it. Knowing Lana, she’s waiting for me to bring it up, waiting until I’m ready to talk about it. She’s good that way, very patient, but I haven’t missed the knowing looks she flashes me when I talk about him.
I take a quick shower and stand in front of the mirror, naked, to put on my makeup. A brown smoky eye makes my green eyes pop, and matched with a nude lip it doesn’t look like too much. I flat-iron my hair so it’s dead straight, then add some hair spray for a little volume on top. Deciding to go with a pair of black skintight skinny jeans and a black backless top, I slide my feet into my red pumps and spray a little perfume.
“You look amazing,” Lana says as I walk out into the living room. She’s put some music on and is pouring us drinks.
“Thanks,” I reply, taking the seat opposite her. I pick up the glass. “To a good night!”
“To a good night,” she repeats, and the glasses chime as we clink them together. I take a sip of the vodka and blackberry juice, then smile at my best friend.
“Why do I have a feeling we’re going to get into some trouble tonight?” I ask with a raised brow.
“Because you’re you.”
“Hey! I’m a well-respected, educated woman—”
She cuts me off with her laughter. “Yes, I know. Biological science specializing in zoology, you’re a huge nerd.”
“Like you can speak,” I reply, grinning. Lana is even smarter than me. I smile when she puts on her glasses, turning her sexy look cute. She’s practically blind without her glasses, and I’m glad she’s bringing them.
“I’ll call a cab,” I announce.
“Way ahead of you, Anna Bell, I already called one.”
“Oh, come on, not you too,” I complain.
She lifts her shoulder in a shrug. “It’s catchy.”
“Yeah, because it came out of Tracker’s mouth,” I reply, smirking at her.
She gasps and pushes her glasses farther up on her nose. “That is so not why!”
“Is too.”
“Is not.”
A horn beeps, interrupting our argument, the same childish words we’ve been using since we were four. We grab our purses, everything else forgotten, lock the front door, and slide into the back of the cab.
“What’s the first stop on our pub crawl?” I ask her.
“Knox’s Tavern,” she replies, glancing down at her phone. I tell the cab driver where to go and relax back on the seat, enjoying the slight buzz from the vodka. When we arrive, the bouncer asks for our IDs, which, at twenty-five, is a compliment. A song I’ve never heard before is playing, and I move to the beat as we walk up to the bar. I sigh as I realize we will be waiting here for some time, the line to get drinks is that long.
“This place is packed,” Lana says, looking around. “It’s pretty awesome though.”
I nod. “It is.”
Fifteen minutes later I’m giving our drinks order to one of the hottest men I’ve ever seen in my life. He has a scar on his face, but it doesn’t take away his masculine appeal.
“Two vodkas with blackberry juice, please.”
“We don’t have blackberry juice,” he replies, leaning forward and flashing me an odd look. Does no one order that here?
“Orange juice?”
He nods.
“Please.”
I hand Lana her drink and turn back to the bartender. “You wouldn’t happen to be hiring, would you?”
I need a job to make some of my own money. Rake keeps putting money into my account, telling me it’s no problem and that he has a lot saved, but I don’t want to use it. It’s just sitting there in my account and I plan to return every cent to him.
Mr. Sexy tilts his head and studies me. “You ever worked in a bar before?”
“Well, no—”
“Then, no, we’re not hiring,” he replies, cutting me off.
Jerk.
Lana speaks up. “She’s a scientist, I’m sure she can mix a few drinks.”
He doesn’t look impressed, even though I’m totally overqualified for this job.
A beautiful woman walks up behind the man, looking flustered. “Reid, we need to hire someone else; this is insane.”
Reid? Hot name for a hot man. Shame he’s kind of rude. His eyes soften when they land on her, his whole expression changing.
That’s love, right there. I wonder if I’ll ever see a look like that pointed in my direction.
“I know, babe,” he says in a gentler tone than he used with me.
She glances at me, and I grin widely. “I’m looking for a job.”
* * *
“I’m so old,” I mutter as I look at the time on my phone. One a.m. and I’m ready to go home. It’s kind of sad really. I look for Lana, who is currently on the dance floor with some guy. I don’t know who was more shocked when she said yes to his invitation, me or her. I’m assuming the many drinks she’s consumed have something to do with it. I, on the other hand, stopped drinking at bar two and am now ridiculously sober. I guess one of us had to be the responsible one. Who knew it was gonna be me? I sit back on the barstool and look around, my eyes widening when I see a familiar face. Everyone around him gives him a wide berth, and with good reason. Behind him trails Tracker and my brother.