A loud yet incredibly ladylike cough sounded from the other end of the bar. I didn’t look her way—not yet—and just smiled more broadly to myself.
“We’ll be in the far booth if you want to join us,” said Betty as she and her friend sashayed away. “We hope you do.”
“Cheers, ladies.” I turned to the next customer only to find Jamie already there.
“That was a very nice show you put on there, Casanova,” he said dryly as he poured a couple of drinks. “Now do us both a favor and take care of that one before she burns my bar to the ground.”
I snorted, busying myself with drying some glasses. “She wouldn’t do anything like that.”
“Tell that to the napkin and three coasters she just ripped to shreds. Zola, stop being a fuckin’ pussy and go talk to her. As your boss, that’s an order.”
I sighed. Not much to say to that. I tossed the bar towel over my shoulder, grabbed the bottle of wine Jamie had opened, and headed over to meet my doom.
“Of all the gin joints in all the world…” I started as I approached.
“Save it,” Nina snapped. “I finally watched that movie, you know, and it’s not nearly as good as you think it is.”
I slapped a hand to my chest like she had shot a bullet through my heart. “You didn’t like Casablanca? How is that even possible? Who doesn’t love Humphrey Bogart?”
“He doesn’t even fight for her. She’s married, sure, but she was in love with him. And he just lets her go.”
“He was being noble. He knew she’d be better off.”
“He was a coward and a cad. And he didn’t deserve her anyway,” Nina cut back, then tipped back the remainder of her wine like it was a shot of cheap tequila.
I couldn’t help but wonder if she was still talking about Bogart…or someone else. “Well, so much for lightening the mood. Hello to you too, duchess.”
“What are you doing here?” Nina demanded without reservation.
I frowned. “Come again?”
“I said, what are you doing here? Working or whatever. If that’s what you’d call it.”
She looked over her shoulder at the two girls now giggling away with a pair of investment bankers who had joined them in their booth instead of me. I could have kissed her for the unbridled jealousy.
“I don’t give a shit about them and you know it,” I said as calmly as I could as I started polishing a set of wineglasses that definitely didn’t need polishing.
Nina turned back, her hair swishing around her shoulder as she did. “Then what was that all about?”
“What was what all about?”
“You know.”
I raised a brow. Suddenly, I had no intention of making this easy on her. Two months I’d settled for newspaper clippings and secondhand information. There was an elephant in the room, and she didn’t want to deal with it. But somehow she thought she could interrogate me?
Think again, doll.
“What’s that?” I asked instead of answering her question.
“The—” She did a pretty admirable job of miming the girls’ idiotic body language, followed by my own tendency of leaning on my forearm across the bar with a knowing look.
“I do not do that,” I said.
“You absolutely do. Usually when you’re trying to ‘charm’ someone. I should know.”
The acidity in her voice burned. I didn’t like the insinuation, though I knew what it meant. She thought I had tried to play her too. And she was right. Sort of.
“Fine. Maybe I do,” I said, unable to keep my own bitterness at bay. “Paying a mortgage on tips is a lot harder than it sounds, princess. Not that you’d know.”
She recoiled visibly at the pet name, and because I knew why, I did too. Her husband used that name for her. I heard him do it once, and I’d wanted to beat the shit out of him right there and then.
I hadn’t meant to use it. She was just sitting here like goddamn royalty, looking down her long nose at every person in the place, including me. Who was she to get pissed at whatever I needed to do to pay my bills? Female bartenders could show off their tits. So I had a few nice lines and a smile women seemed to like. I wasn’t breaking any laws here.
Still. That name was a low blow, and I knew it.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “I didn’t mean it.”
“Yes, you did. And I deserved it.” She also had the grace to look dejected. “But I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t use it again.”
I nodded in a funny kind of half bow. “You got it, duchess.”
We stared at each other in a funny, awkward kind of silence. I grabbed another perfectly clean wineglass and started polishing.
“Well, are you going to take them up on their invitation?”
I snorted. “Are you kidding?”
“I don’t know. They seemed quite eager, don’t you think?”
Suddenly, I was done with the games. I didn’t want to trade jibes anymore. Not when every one of them felt like a punch to the gut.
“Nina.” I stopped what I was doing, set the glass on the bar top with a clink, and fixed her with a steady gaze. “Why in the fuck would I bother with a poster print when I’ve got the original here in front of me? Even when you clearly want to slap me silly, you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Nina’s mouth dropped, and I fought not to stare. I lost. Her lips closed, and she bristled. And finally looked away.
“I didn’t think you would be here,” she said quietly. “I left the house tonight somewhat…frustrated. I wanted a drink. And I ended up here. Call it nostalgia, if you like.”
“You didn’t think I would possibly show up at my best friend’s bar?” I asked incredulously.
“Well, I didn’t exactly know you worked here until tonight, if that’s what you’re asking.” She blinked coyly, though it was obvious she had given up on hiding her innocence. “But really. Why are you working here?”
I shrugged,
