Whisky on My Mind (3 page)

Chapter 2

“Sky!”

The two women hugged, and Whisky found laughter mixing with unexpected tears. A rush of sentiment overpowered her as she held her oldest friend
tight. The two women had known each other since they were kids, and until last year, had been roommates. Bella had been with her through some of the darkest times in her life.

It had been a huge adjustment, to be sent to her grandparents when she was eleven. Her life had been turned upside down—her father had been arrested and sent to prison, and she’
d been removed from the only life she’d known since birth to live with her grandparents in a place where she didn’t know a soul and with people she hadn’t even remembered meeting before. Thank God for Bella. Their friendship had been the only thing that had made that part of her life bearable.

She’d missed her best friend so much over the last twelve months since Bella had taken an internship with an elite fashion design agency in Paris.

“What are you doing here?” Whisky asked, pulling away and wiping the tears from her face.

“I wanted to surprise you,” Bella giggled, holding her
friend’s arms out to inspect her. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve just been well and truly…”

“Do not even go there,” Whisky cut her off warningly.

“And I’m guessing this is the man responsible?” she said looking over Whisky’s shoulder.

Whisky turned and saw Sawyer leaning against the doorway
, watching the reunion with a bemused expression.  “Sawyer, this is Bella. My roommate.”

“Ah. The invisible roommate finally makes an appearance,” he grinned, pushing away from where he’d been leaning to put out his hand.  “I was beginning to think you didn’t exist.”

“Well, if I’d known Sky was hiding a specimen like you in our puny little hole-in-the-wall apartment, I’d have flown back a lot sooner,” she smiled, eying him up and down appreciatively. “You were right…he
is
hot,” she said turning back to face Whisky once she reluctantly let go of Sawyer’s hand.

“Put your eyes back in your head, Bell. He’s not on the menu,” Whisky said dryly.

Sawyer seemed to be enjoying the exchange if his grin was anything to go by and Whisky shook her head slowly. “She’s harmless…
really
.”

“I’m disappointed,” Sawyer said
, trying to look crushed.

“I taught her everything she knows,” Bella added.

“Well in that case, I have a
lot
to thank you for.”

“If you two are finished with the mutual admiration society thing,” Whisky cut in
, trying to hide her own smile. Bella was in fine form and she loved that the two most important people in her life seemed to approve of each other.

“Oh no, honey, we just got started. I have a lot to catch up on,” Bella said, with a bright smile, but turned away from Sawyer to eye
Whisky once more. “Look at you, all grown up and businesslike.”

Whisky gave
a silent snort at that. She’d been dressed in a fitted skirt and blouse today for a meeting; usually she wore jeans and a Black Mustang’s Bar and Grill t-shirt. Next to Bella, looking as though she’d just stepped from the pages of some elegant fashion magazine, she felt distinctly disheveled…it didn’t help that the reason she looked so creased and crinkled was because only minutes before her outfit had been on the floor of Sawyer’s office…but that was beside the point.

“And look at this place,” she said, turning her gaze to look around the bar. “This is even better than I imagined.”

“It’s pretty great,” Whisky agreed, sending Sawyer a proud look. “My man knows how to run a bar.”

“Are you kidding, this is all you. She’s the mastermind behind the band and bigger crowds,” Sawyer told Bella with a shake of his head.

“Well I’m glad you’ve finally put that college degree to use.”

Whisky
grinned her agreement. Her grandparents had freaked when she’d changed her major from accounting to business. They’d reacted by cutting off her tuition money and forced Whisky to drop out of college, her degree only partway finished, to look for a job in order to save up to go back and complete it. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. That twelve months of working as a waitress and then a barista gave her an inside look at how a business worked, how to treat customers, and how to put all that to use once she went back to college. She had a renewed appreciation for her study and the practical experience she’d obtained, while working had given her an edge over some of the younger kids who were in her classes fresh from high school. She felt like a grandma, most days, but she didn’t care; she was there to get her degree. She was past the partying and drama of college and by the end of the year she’d be graduating. 

“I can’t wait to be done with all the study, though.” She’d contemplated not going back to college, especially since running this place was a full time job on its own, but Sawyer had been adamant she needed to go back. She loved that about him. He knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. Getting her degree had been such a huge driving force in her life. Deep down she knew if she didn’t go back and finish her degree, she’d always regret it. So she went back and somehow they made work, college
, and a relationship work.

“But all this can wait, why are we standing here? What do you want to do? How long are you back?”

“I have no plans; I came straight here from the airport. I left my bags with the lovely lady at the front desk,” she said, looking over her shoulder.

Whisky followed her
friend’s gaze and her mouth dropped open. “Yvette?”

“Yes, that’s her. She said I could leave my bags there while I came and found you,” Bella said
, giving the stern-mouthed waitress a small wave.

Holy crap.
She was like the grumpy old waitress whisperer,
Whisky thought, bemused by the fact Bella had somehow managed to sweet talk the usually sour woman.

“So you haven’t even been by the apartment yet?”

“Nope. I didn’t feel like facing an empty place alone.”

Whisky sent Sawyer a swift glance, suddenly torn. This was his first night home and yet, Bella was her oldest friend she hadn’t seen for twelve months.

“Go on, baby. You go have a girly night, catch up with Bella. I’ve got some catching up to do with club stuff anyway.”

Something inside immediately protested at the thought of not being with him, and she forced it back down. This was what had been worrying her lately.
This…urge to be with him all the time. She’d been independent once. She loved leading her own life…but ever since they’d gotten together, she’d turned into this pathetic, clingy…
old lady.
God she hated that word, but that’s what she was. She was Sawyer’s. She belonged to him. They may not be married, but in the eyes of the club, they were as good as. She belonged to them as much as to him. She was family…always had been really, but ever since coming back shortly before her father had passed away, she’d been welcomed back into the club as though she’d never even left. She loved that…loved the knowledge that no matter what happened, she had a family who would be there for her—do anything for her without question or hesitation.

Part of her accepted it without question, but another part of her, the part that had fought so hard to carve out a tiny piece of independence before she found her father again, dug its heels in the dirt and refused to give in. She suspected that was the
same bit of her that panicked whenever that emotion threatened to drown her…surely it was just something that time would deal with? She tried not to think about how desperately that little voice whispered
run!
each time it happened. She couldn’t run…this was her home now…Sawyer was her life.

It wouldn’t hurt to take a breather for a night. She could handle one night away from him.

“Are you sure?”

“Go. I’ll take a rain check on the rest of that welcome home,” he grinned, kissing her deeply before pulling back and watching her steadily. “You okay?” he asked, searching her gaze for something, and she suspected a shadow of that unease must be showing.

She summoned a smile and nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Come on you two,
you’re causing a scene,” Bella said in a low tone.

Sawyer looked away from her reluctantly, and she saw
a smile lighting up his eyes. “It’s not us who’s drawing attention. They’re used to us makin’ out in public,” he told Bella.

“I think it’s you,” Whisky said, grinning at her friend. “Take a look around Bell...
there’s not a lot of Paris fashion outlets around this neck of the woods.”

“Clearly,” she said with a sniff, although
Whisky saw her friend’s gaze linger slightly longer on Jackson who stood polishing glasses behind the bar, eyeing Bell without trying to hide his interest.

“Come on, let’s get you home. Night baby, I love you,” she said once more locking her eyes on Sawyer.

“I’ll call you later…to say goodnight,” he whispered, kissing her gently on the cheek.

“You two are
sickeningly sweet, you know that?” Bell said, as they walked across the room to retrieve her enormous stack of luggage.

“Are you serious?”
Whisky asked, staring at the pile of beautifully matching suitcases.

“I had a lot to bring home,” she shrugged
, unrepentant. “
Hello,
Paris? Shopping?”

“It must have cost a bundle
in excess luggage to bring all this back,” Whisky shook her head.

“
Here, let me give you a hand with those,” a voice said from behind the two women.

Whisky smothered a groan as Jackson appeared, sweeping in to pick up three of the cases,
his biceps bulging beneath his Black Mustang Bar and Grill t-shirt, lifting them easily.

She saw Bell
a’s eyes widen in surprise and ease away. Whisky frowned at the action; it was definitely un-Bell-like behavior. Usually she’d be batting her eyelids and pushing Whisky aside in order to get up close and personal with her man of prey. “Thanks, Jackson. That would be great,” Whisky said when he stood there and continued to stare at Bella. “Ah, Bella, this is Jackson. Jackson, Bella,” she added making the introductions.

“I knew we hadn’t met before. I’d have remembered you,” Jackson said without taking his eyes from
her.

“Oh brother,”
Whisky muttered beneath her breath as she picked up the remaining suitcase. Bella smiled and gave an imitation of a friendly smile, but seemed a little agitated. Noticing Whisky’s curious look, she quickly widened the smile a few notches before turning to follow Jackson outside to Whisky’s car, ignoring the silent query Whisky had shot her way.

“Thanks,
Jackson, we’ve got it from here.” Whisky told him, once he’d placed the bags beside the rear of the small sedan.

“No problem, I hope we see you back here again,” Jackson said, holding Bella’s gaze just a fraction too long
, then sauntering back into the bar.

“What was that all about?” Whisky asked, as she heaved the suitcases into the trunk.

“What?”

Whisky would have almost bought the confused expression if she didn’t know Bella like a twin sister. “This whole standoffish thing you got going. What happened to the Bella who would have normally propositioned a guy like Jackson on the spot?”

“That’s how you think of me? As some kind of slut?”

Whisky gave a surprised chuckle at her friend’s angry retort. “Calm down. I didn’t call you a slut…what’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing. Maybe I’m a little more discerning about who I throw myself at. Maybe bikers aren’t my thing,” she added harshly.

“Bell—”

Bella let out a weary sigh, cutting her off. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap your head off. I guess I’m just tired and out of sorts from the long plane ride.

Whisky let her concerned
frown slip a little. “That’s okay. We’ll get you back home as soon as I work out how to fit all this damn luggage into my tiny car,” she teased, moving the designer bags around in the trunk like large jigsaw pieces until it all fitted in tight.

“So this is the infamous Black Mustang’s motor cycle club, huh?” Bella said
, looking around the car park toward the club house further back. “It’s not as…delinquent as I was expecting.”

Whisky gave
her friend a smile. “It’s improved since the early days.”

“So back there is a building full of bikers?” she asked
, looking at the club house with its large timber doors and barred windows.

“Yep.
Well, the ones that aren’t working in the bar. A few of the guys live there in apartments. Sawyer and I stay there most nights.”

“I thought you were talking about separating from the club a bit more? Why don’t you two get a place of your own?”

Whisky unlocked the front door and sighed. “It’s a bit pointless when we’re both here most of the time. I do a lot of late shifts, and Sawyer’s usually hanging around the club till late…it’s easier to just crash here most nights.”