Shaken Not Stirred (Mixology) (2 page)

“Oh, look. The man of the hour has arrived.”
Macon laughed again. He seemed to do that a lot at my expense. If
he wasn’t my best friend, he’d have never gotten away with it. Our
history made it different somehow. Besides, I usually managed to
throw it back at him.

My heart sped up slightly as I caught sight
of the musician that had me drooling every Thursday night. My
fascination with him went beyond his athletic build and piercing
brown eyes, although those traits didn’t hurt. What really got me
was his music. He sang the most haunting songs. They found their
way under my skin in a way that music usually couldn’t. “I think he
got hotter.”

“It must be that white t-shirt. It’s so over
the top.” Brody grinned. His teasing never went as far as Macon’s,
but he definitely did his share.

“I like that shirt on him.” I liked
everything on Lyle Waverly. In all honesty, I’d been dreaming about
him wearing nothing quite often. Although in those dreams, his
guitar usually blocked my view of his lower region.

Macon grinned. “Oh damn, she’s imaginary
fucking him again.”

“I am not.” I swatted at Macon. “I’m admiring
the view.”

“Really? That expression on your face says
otherwise.”

“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes.

“Brody, man. Is it healthy that we’re
supporting this perverse hobby of hers?”

“What makes it perverse?” I crossed my arms
over my black t-shirt. Unlike Brody’s, the logo on mine was small
and on one side of my chest. “I’m just trying to find the perfect
drink for him.”

“Because you’re convinced it’s the ticket to
getting a guy to like you. That’s not normal.”

I let my hands fall to my sides. “Who defines
normal?” He was wrong. I didn’t think it would make him like me,
but it would help me understand him.

“Oh no. No getting all philosophical on us.
We’re here to support you. Don’t put us through it.”

“Support me?” I ran a hand through my
just-past-shoulder-length dark brown hair. “My mistake. I thought
you guys were here to mock me and get free drinks.”

“Who’s getting free drinks?” Max, my boss,
picked that moment to join us. I’m sure it wasn’t random. He
usually kept a close eye on the outside bar when I worked it alone.
I think he worried about male customers bothering me.

“No one. Maddy would never do that.” Brody
took a long sip of his Coke.

Max put a hand on the bar next to me. “I’d
complain, but Brody works here and Macon brings in enough business
with his dates.”

I gave Macon a patronizing smile. “See, I
knew your man slut ways would serve a purpose one day.”

“Man slut? Is that really how you see me?”
Macon feigned hurt.

“Yeah, but what do I know? I’m the one with
the perverse hobby.”

“Perverse hobby?” Max gripped the edge of the
bar. “I told you that living with two men was a bad idea.”

I smiled at my protective boss. “It’s nothing
like you’re thinking.”

“Oh.” He noticed what had my attention. Lyle
was leaning against the railing, watching the sound. “You still
pining over that musician?”

“Yes.” I sighed. “Pathetic, huh?”

“Not pathetic, but unnecessary.”

“Oh? Are you offering your services, Max?”
Macon smirked.

“Me? Of course not.” Max turned pink. “She’s
young enough to be my daughter. I’m talking about that real estate
kid who is always hanging out when she works.”

I knew who he meant immediately. “Kid? Colin
is at least twenty-five.”

“That’s a kid.” Max always pretended to be
really old, but he only looked like he was in his fifties. “But
what’s wrong with him?”

“Nothing’s wrong with him,” I mumbled. “I
have a date with him tomorrow.”

“What?” Brody slammed his glass on the
bar.

“He came by earlier and asked me out again. I
decided, why not?” I tried to make it sound nonchalant, but I
understood their surprise. I’d been turning the guy down all
summer. I’m not sure what changed my mind. Maybe knowing I wasn’t
leaving made it worth the effort of going out on a date. It had
been a while since I’d been on one. Colin had caught my attention
the first time he walked in, but my mind was already
preoccupied.

Max patted my shoulder. “Good for you, but if
he treats you anything less than as a lady, you let me know.”

I smiled. “All right. I will.”

“Who says Maddy’s a lady?” Macon was ready
for the attack, and he ducked before my hand could make contact
with his face.

Max shook his head and walked off. He was
used to our banter.

“Where’s he taking you?” Macon’s voice rose
slightly, the only hint he might be moving from jokester to
protective friend. He could pretend all he wanted, but he cared
about me.

I made him a second Long Island and set it in
front of him. “Picnic on the beach.”

Macon sipped his drink. “So he wants you in a
secluded spot so he can seduce you. Are you sure you want to
go?”

Brody shook his head. “No. If that was his
goal, he’d have offered to make dinner at home. Picnic on the beach
means he’s trying to impress her. He wants to show his romantic
side.”

I opened a bottle of water. “I like Brody’s
version better.”

Macon snorted. “Of course you do. You’re a
girl.”

“Weren’t you the one accusing me of imaginary
fucking earlier?” I took a long sip of water. Even at eight o’clock
at night it was still hot out.

“Yes, but that doesn’t change the fact that
you want romance. You want a guy to sweep you off your feet, and
you’ll believe anything to get it.” He made a broad sweeping motion
with his hands.

“No, I just want Lyle to say more than three
words to me.”

Brody leaned forward on his elbows. “That’s
your problem. Your expectations are entirely too high.”

“Yeah, ridiculously high.” I set down a
chilled glass and grabbed the Johnnie Walker Red Label. I measured
out the liquor precisely, even though I could eye it better than
most. I liked to pretend I was putting my chemistry major to good
use when I made drinks. It made the four years I spent in college
seem worth it. If you really think about it, making drinks is all
about using the right ingredients with the right properties
together.

I finished and took a deep breath before
turning back toward my roommates. “Wish me luck.”

Brody gestured for me to lean in. “May the
Force be with you.”

“Your Star Wars nerdiness might be one of my
favorite things about you.”

“It takes one to know one.”

“Have I ever denied it?”

Macon leaned over. “No, but you hide it
really well. You lure guys in with those short dresses and skirts,
but little do they know they’re dating a total geek.”

“Geeks can be attractive. There’s nothing
exclusive about one or the other. Besides, I think I officially
lost my geek status now.” I picked up the drink and walked over to
where Lyle was plugging in and tuning his guitar. He played one of
those acoustics with a pickup.

“You’re still a geek!” Macon called after me.
“No amount of paper can change that.”

I smiled. I let Macon think he got to me more
than he actually did.

I stopped a few feet away from Lyle, but he
still hadn’t acknowledged my approach. I wasn’t sure if it was the
noise from the customers, or because he didn’t care to talk to me
until he had to. “Hey.”

“Oh, hey.” He glanced up and ran a hand
through his brown hair that was kind of long and screamed “surfer
boy.” Although the surfer and musician look overlapped
sometimes.

“Here’s your drink.” I’d given up asking him
if he had a preference weeks before. He told me to surprise him, so
I did. The only problem is he almost always took just one sip. I
was usually good at picking the right drink for people, but
evidently the skill wasn’t working on Lyle.

“Thanks.” He nodded and smiled slightly. He
didn’t have a toothy smile; it was more of a closed-lip thing, but
it still did something to me.

“You’re welcome.” I waited a minute to make
sure he wasn’t going to say anything else before heading back to
the bar.

Brody spun around on his stool as soon as I
got back behind the bar. “Did you at least get four words?”

“Nope. ‘Oh. Hey.’ And ‘thanks.’”

Macon swirled the ice in his glass. “That
jerk. He could have at least said thank you instead.”

“Maybe next time.”

“Or you could take my advice.”

I sighed. “Let’s enjoy the music.”

Brody rested his elbow on the bar. “You’re
the only one who thinks he’s that good.”

“Come on. His lyrics are incredible.”

Brody glanced at his watch. “He’s got a good
voice, but I don’t get why you are so into his songs.”

I shrugged. “You guys don’t get it.”

Macon rolled his eyes in that annoying way of
his. “Of course we don’t. We are far too lowly to understand the
message behind his music.”

Any chance to reply disappeared when Lyle
took the microphone. “Hey, everyone. I’m Lyle Waverly and here are
a few of my messed-up tunes.”

After a long intro, his low gravelly voice
broke in. I closed my eyes focusing on the lyrics.

Loving the loneliness…loving the empty
space. We can all take off our masks now, life’s about the
escape.

“Excuse me? Miss?” I opened my eyes and
groaned.

Macon and Brody laughed as I tried to rein in
my annoyance at getting interrupted.

“Can I get a Heineken and a Sex on the
Beach?”

“Seriously?” I said with more of an attitude
than I meant to. That’s how you know you work in a tourist trap. I
mean, non-beachside bars couldn’t possibly sell so many of these
things.

“Is that a problem? Do you not have
Heineken?”

“We have Heineken.” I turned around, grabbed
the beer, and made yet another Sex on the Beach. I tried to
concentrate on the music while I worked, but the guy ordering the
drinks was busy talking to my roommates.

“Here you go.” I set down the drinks after
adding the orange and maraschino cherry. As pointless as it
sometimes seems, garnish has its place. Presentation has more value
than you’d think. “Do you want me to open a tab?”

“Oh, no thanks.” He put down a twenty. “Keep
the change.”

I leaned against the back counter again right
as Lyle finished the song. Darn it. It had been a new one, and I
hoped he’d play it again. I was in need of a new song to
dissect.

Brody used the break for applause to lay it
on me. “Lucky Max didn’t see the way you treated that guy.”

“Come on. He deserved it.”

“Oh? Is there a sign that says don’t bug the
moody bartender while she’s listening to her dream boyfriend
sing?”

I crossed my arms, determined to enjoy the
rest of the set.

Lyle started singing again, and thankfully
this time no one interrupted.

“Oh my god, Maddy, you missed it.” Macon
downed his water. I’d cut him off after two drinks since he was
driving home.

“What?”

Macon leaned forward, his face stopping only
a few inches from mine. “He took three sips.”

“Really?” He rarely took two sips—and three?
It was a new record. I looked at Brody. He usually gave everything
away.

He nodded.

“Hmm, I guess he does like whiskey.”

Yeah, I was pathetic.

I peeked out the window again. Colin struck
me as the kind of guy who was on time or early, but he was already
twenty minutes late. After asking me out a half-dozen times, I was
beyond surprised that he might have been standing me up. I may have
initially rejected him, but that didn’t mean I wanted him rejecting
me, and despite the nerves, I was looking forward to seeing him
without a bar between us.

Some people would say accepting a date with
one guy while obsessing over another was a mistake, but I’d spent
the whole summer waiting for Lyle to show me even the smallest
amount of interest. It was time to give up. Instead, I focused on
Colin’s smile and his deep Southern drawl. His voice was warm and
sexy. I sighed, dropping the blind back into place.

“Chill out, Maddy. He’s late. You didn’t even
want to go out with him.” Macon shared his never-ending support
while he made a sandwich in the kitchen. Our condo, which was
really Macon’s condo, was an open floor plan with three bedrooms.
His parents bought it as an investment property, so he was living
in it and charging Brody and me rent. My parents and Macon’s were
close, and that was probably the only reason they didn’t try to get
me committed when I told them I was going to live with two guys. I
liked my living situation. It was cheaper than if I got my own
place, and the best part was I could ride my bike (as in bicycle)
to work. I didn’t have a car, and I didn’t plan on getting one
anytime soon.

I tossed my purse down on the end table and
sat on the couch. “He could have at least called and given me an
excuse.”

“You prefer for a guy to lie to you?”

“It’s better than sitting around waiting.” I
crossed my arms.

“Either he shows up or he doesn’t. Moping
around isn’t going to help. Want a sandwich?”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

A knock on the door stopped us from
continuing the conversation. I got up, but Macon beat me to the
door. “Hello. Can I help you?”

“I’m here for Maddy.”

“She was expecting you at noon.”

I groaned. Macon could be such an ass
sometimes.

I pushed Macon out of the way. “Hey.”

“Maddy.” Colin looked distraught. “I’m so
sorry. I got caught up with work and my damn phone didn’t get
service out at the project I was checking up on.”

“Oh, that’s okay. We can reschedule if you
want.”

His face fell. “Why? Do you want to? Do you
have somewhere you need to be soon?”

“No, but if you’re busy with work…”