Page 58 of For the Record
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It still felt weird that Rachel was connected to my family and friends in a way that wasn’t through me.
But it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that she was at Romfuzzled tonight, propped up in one of those tiny skirts, with two small pink bows tied in her hair and her head tossed back in laughter at whatever my sister was whispering to her. They sat in a large round booth in the back like normal, with Nathan on one side of Calla and Rachel on the other. My head swiveled to the bar to see Luke making drinks and Layla ringing up tickets. Crew was talking to a blonde at the bar, and by the look on her face, things were not going as he planned.
I opted for the bar first in an attempt to give my racing heart just one damn minute to calm down before going to our usual table. My fingers curled, knuckles tapping against the wooden bar top.
Luke looked my way, dipping his chin and readjusting his glasses. He set two beers in front of the couple down the row before heading my way.
“Whatcha drinking tonight?” he asked, but his hand was already reaching for a beer glass in a freezer below him.
“Water.”
He looked up at me and curled a brow, but shrugged one shoulder and grabbed a bottled water from behind him before placing it in front of me. I knew better than to allow a drop of alcohol into my body while Rachel was around. It allowed my mind to share things that I didn’t give it permission to.
The seat next to me swirled around, and I didn’t have to look up to know who it was.
“Hiya, Sailor.”
The number of times I told Rachel that I was rarely on ships and that I flew pretty much everywhere was insurmountable, but she knew it made my eyebrow twitch every time, so she kept it going. It was the same reason I called her Stevie.
“Hello.” I dipped my chin and took a sip of water.
“How’s the bike?”
“Good.”
“Good.”
Luke eyed us, looking back and forth before setting down the glass he was drying and slowly walking away without turning around.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming tonight.” Her finger twirled in a circle against a bead of water dripping off my glass.
“I didn’t know I was until the last minute. Figured you’d probably be here too.”
Rachel hummed. “Well, it’s good you’re here.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I was about to order straight whiskey, and I wasn’t sure anyone was going to stop me.”
I snorted, a small laugh rumbling through my midsection. “Yeah, probably for the best that I’m here, then.”
My smile tilted up further at that, my eyes not leaving hers.
Sitting on the wooden bar top, her phone buzzed between us. Curiosity got the best of me when I saw Graceful Care Nurse Line.Rachel’s hands scrambled to answer, almost knocking over both of our drinks in the process.
“This is Rachel Clarke,” she answered in a rushed tone.
I couldn’t hear the caller, despite how hard I was attempting to listen in. But her responses alone made it clear there wasn’t any good news.
“How bad?”
“Is it the same as last time?”
“What is he specifically asking for?”
“Okay, tell him I’m on the way. Wait—no, don’t. It may backfire, just…I’ll be up there in a minute.”