“Right.” His reply was immediate and without hesitation, but I could hear the uncertainty in his voice.
“I love you,” I said.
“You know I do,” he said. “Have a good night, love.”
Knowing he couldn’t hear, I nodded, but it was all I could manage. We hung up without discussing Coby, or my second job, or that I’d been spending so much time with Trenton. My weekend tips had helped my brother pay most of one payment, but I worried it would just be a matter of time before he dropped out of his program.
I slipped a long-sleeved lacy black top over my head and fought with a pair of my favorite ripped jeans. Then I dabbed on some lip gloss before running out the door before I was late for my Friday night shift at the Red.
As soon as I walked into the employees’ entrance, I knew something was off. Everyone was dragging ass, and the bar was quiet. Too quiet. Normally I would treasure that first hour before everyone poured in through the doors. Friday was ladies’ night, so the rush began even earlier, but the bar was dead.
Thirty minutes in, Raegan was grumbling under her breath as she wiped down the bar for the third time. “Is there an underground fight thing tonight?”
I shook my head. “The Circle? It’s never held this early.”
“Oh, look. Something to do,” Raegan said, pulling down the Jim Beam.
Travis Maddox was trudging to his usual barstool, looking pitiful. Raegan put a double in front of him, and he sucked it down in one gulp, letting the glass crash to the wood.
“Uh-oh,” I said, taking the bottle Raegan handed me. “There’s only two things that could be that bad. Is everyone in the family okay?” I asked, bristling in anticipation of his answer.
“Yep. Everyone except me.”
“I don’t believe it,” I said, stunned. “Who is she?”
Travis’s shoulders fell. “She’s a freshman. And don’t ask me what it is about her. I don’t know, yet. But, when I was bagging this other chick today, I felt like I was doing something wrong, and then this girl’s face popped into my head.”
“The freshman’s?”
“Yeah! What the f**k, Cami? This has never happened to me before!”
Raegan and I traded glances. “Well,” I said. “It’s not the end of the world. You like her. So what?”
“I don’t like girls like this. That’s what.”
“Like this?” I said, surprised.
He took another shot, and then held his hands over his head, moving them around in circles. “She’s all in my head.”
“You’re such a pu**y for a guy that doesn’t lose!” Raegan said, teasing.
“Tell me what to do, Cami. You know about girls. You’re kind of one.”
“Okay, first of all,” I said, leaning toward him, “suck my dick.”
“See? Girls don’t say that.”
“The cool ones do,” Raegan said.
I continued, “Second of all, you’re Travis f**king Maddox. You can have any girl you want.”
“Almost,” Raegan said from the sink, five feet away.
Travis’s nose wrinkled. “You were Brazil’s girl. I’ve never even tried.”
Raegan narrowed her eyes at the youngest Maddox brother. “Did you just say that to me?”
“Well,” he said. “It’s the truth.”
“Still would have never happened.”
“We’ll never know,” he said, raising his third shot before letting it wash down his throat.
“Easy, Mad Dog,” I said.
Travis cringed. “You know I f**king hate that.”
“I know,” I said lifting the bottle. “But it gets your attention. Here’s your plan. Number one, stop being a little bitch. Number two, remember who the hell you are, and work your magic. She’s no different from any other—”
“Oh, she’s different,” Travis said.
I sighed and looked at Raegan. “He’s got it bad.”
“Shut up and help me,” Travis said, frustrated.
“There are three tricks to landing a hard-to-get: patience, having other options, and being aloof. You are not the BFF. You’re sex on a stick, flirting just out of reach. In other words, Travis Maddox.”
“I knew it. You’ve always wanted me,” he said, smug.
I stood up. “Uh . . . no. Not at all. Not even in high school.”
“Liar,” he said, standing. “I never tried with you, either. My brother has always been in love with you.”
I froze. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did he know something?
Travis continued, “Aloof. Other options. Patience. Got it.”
I nodded. “If you guys end up married, you owe me a hundred bucks.”
“Married?” Travis said, his face screwing into disgust. “What the f**k, Cami? I’m nineteen! Nobody gets married at nineteen.”
I looked around, checking to see if anyone heard him admit to being underage. “Say that a little louder.”
He snorted. “Me getting married at all is unlikely? Anytime soon? Never gonna happen.”
“Travis Maddox doesn’t walk into a bar upset over a girl, either. You never know.”
“Shame on you for wishing that on me,” he said, winking. “I better see you at my next fight, Camille! Be a good friend, would ya?”
“You know I have to work.”