Page 85 of Prime Time Romance

“Good night?” I fill a pint glass with water and hand it to her.

She takes it and draws a long sip. “The best. I haven’t danced that much in my life. I don’t know if you were watching me out there, but I was pulling out some pretty sweet moves.”

“I might have caught a few.”

She nods at the stacks of glassware waiting to be put through the dishwasher. “You were busy.”

I stack another glass on the pile. “Turns out this town likes to drink.”

Brynn taps her temple with her index finger. “Yet another Carson’s Cove tidbit I can tuck away for some undetermined future purpose.” She leans forward over the bar. “When we get back, we should really look for one of those bar trivia nights. One that’s dedicated to Carson’s Cove. I was a force to be reckoned with before we got here, but now I think we could clean up.”

My face must reflect my gut’s sudden jolt of unease because Brynn’s smile disappears. She tilts her head, her eyes studying me. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I shake my head in an attempt to dismiss the bad thoughts. “Just thinking about home.”

Brynn leans forward again and places her hand on top of mine. “We will get back, Josh. I promise.”

She squeezes my hand before letting go and sitting back in her seat. I load another tray of glassware and push it into the dishwasher. “Yeah, but not by Friday.”

Brynn stares down at her half-empty water glass. “I’ve been thinking about that too. What if we got home on Sunday? Or even Saturday? Is there any possibility that the bar will still be up for sale?”

I shake my head, having already considered every possible scenario. “Probably not. It’s an auction. They’ll price it low to guarantee a sale, and then it will go to the highest bidder. I guess there’s always a chance that person will sell to me later, or that they’ll try to open it and things won’t work out again, but that could take years, and as much as I want Buddy’s back, I wouldn’t want to wish that experience on anyone.”

Brynn opens her mouth, as if she’s about to say something else, but stops as Luce and Spencer reappear from the bathroom.

“Hey, you two.” Luce’s voice is slightly slurred as she slides onto the stool next to Brynn. “Looks like the rain’s let up. I’m going to see if I can sweet-talk someone into giving me a ride back to my farm so I can check on my babies.”

“I’ve got us a way home,” Spencer yells from across the bar. “We can drop you, Luce, if you come now.” He opens the front door and waits.

“You’re not taking your car, right?” I call after him.

Spencer waves me off. “Of course not. Let’s go, ladies.” He disappears out the front door.

Luce nudges Brynn with her arm. “You ready?”

Brynn looks from me to Luce. “Actually, I think I’ll catch up with you guys tomorrow.”

Luce leans in close and whispers something into Brynn’s ear. Brynn, in return, turns a deep shade of red before swatting her away playfully.

“Night,” Luce calls to me before following Spencer out.

Brynn busies herself by taking a long drink of water.

“You two seem to be getting on pretty well for archnemeses.”

Brynn smiles into her cup. “I really like her.”

“And him?” I ask, the jealousy from before bubbling up.

Brynn avoids my eyes. “No. But that’s why I stayed to talk to—”

“Hey, Fletch.” Sherry appears from the storeroom. “I’m going to head out in a moment.” She bends down to pick up a knocked-over chair. “You’ll take care of the cleanup?” She grabs two empty glasses from a table and places them on the bar.

“I got it,” I tell her, knowing I’m still making up for my earlier free round. She nods, her eyes settling on Brynn.

“Tomorrow is fine if you’re not able to get to it tonight.” She winks, then bends down and picks up something from the floor.

“Jesus H,” she curses, setting the object down on the bar. “Free drinks, and they still sneak in their own hooch. What is wrong with this town?” The object is a small silver flask.