Threading my way through the crowd of drinkers and patrons, I found a spot at the end of the long mahogany bar and breathed a sigh of relief when Paddy came out from the side door behind the bar with an armload of expensive-looking bottles.
“Meadow!” Hastily relieving himself of his load, Paddy grinned at me.
“Hey Paddy, I was hoping you were on tonight.”
“What are you doing here? This isn’t your usual haunt.” Coming over, he grabbed a glass. “Lemon, lime and bitters?”
“To start with, yes please. And a tab too, Paddy.”
“You here with Spring?” he asked, setting the drink down in front of me, then added a slice of lime and a straw with a flourish of his hand.
Taking my drink, I nodded a thank you and took a long sip. “Hmmm, perfectly made. Yes, she is here on the hunt for true love. Some guy named Ace.”
“Ah yeah, I know Ace, he is a regular. Comes here with his crew of workmates, a good bunch of blokes.”
“Do I don’t need to worry?”
“Nah, Ace is trustworthy. He and his best mate Luca own a demo business in town. They come here for the pool and beer, never any trouble.”
Nodding again, I got comfortable on the stool and spun around to watch the band. Now that I knew my sister wasn’t chasing after another bad boy, listening to the music was made easier. The band was one I knew, having seen them at summer concerts around the Lake and sometimes at the showgrounds. That was the thing with the town I grew up in, it was small even though technically it was classed as a city. Once upon a time, Hillside was a town where ninety percent of the population knew each other, neighbours knew everything about you, and there was only one primary and secondary school for the whole town. Then, the developers came in and struck gold with housing estates and B&Bs, and all of a sudden, the city folk came here for a change of scenery and a life of commuting.
It was good all round.
Casting my gaze around the main bar room, I caught sight of my sister by the bank of pool tables. Her baby pink dress stood out in the sea of black tees and denim jeans, as much as her curly blonde hair did.
“I take it that big dude with the pool cue in his hand is Ace,” I shouted back over my shoulder to Paddy.
“Yep. Big isn’t he?”
“Just how Spring likes them,” I agreed, admiring the hunk who looked to be completely besotted with my sister.
Good, it is about time she caught the attention of someone decent rather than the losers she seemed to attract.
My sister was more to me than just a sibling; she was my best friend. We grew up in each other’s pockets, always together, thanks to not only our close births but also because our parents raised their children to believe there was no one more important than family.
Which was why Spring and I owned and operated a business together.
Sipping my drink, I swayed on the stool to the beat of the music being played and just watched my sister play pool when my vision was obscured by the hottest man I have laid eyes on ever.
“Paddy, who is the spunk rat standing next to Spring’s hot honey pot?” I asked, leaning my elbows back on the bar, getting comfortable.
“Huh? Oh, that is Luca. Ace’s business partner I was telling you about.” Paddy placed a bowl of olives beside me, knowing that I didn’t like peanuts or pretzels. Without taking my eyes off the gorgeous man, I reached for an olive and popped it into my mouth.
“Mmmm is that right,” I murmured around the salty treat, sucking the red capsicum piece out, then chewed down on the rest.
“Luca is a serious kind of a bloke, Meadow. I’m not sure he can deal with your kind.”
Narrowing my eyes, I took in Luca. Never had a man caught my attention so quickly and so completely and without even talking to him. My last relationship ended over a year ago; Matt and I had been together for eight months and were talking about moving in together when he accepted a job interstate. Both of us dreaded the whole long-distance thing, so we split up amicably. The last I’d heard from him, he had met a nice lady, and now they were engaged. In retrospect, Matt and I weren’t really all that serious. We spent the typical weekends as a couple, but during the week, Matt was too busy making his way up the executive ladder. His view on my little second-hand business wasn’t kind, always making fun of the shop my sister and I lovingly grew from nothing to something special. It made us a comfortable living, and that was all Spring and I ever desired. Getting big wasn’t for us.
“My kind?” I asked, staring at Luca’s strong arms that were bulging from his short sleeve shirt. A part of a tattoo peeked from the sleeve hitting just to his elbow, but somehow from here, it looked unfinished–the tribal pattern just kind of ended, making it seem like it was still being done.
“Yeah, you know … free spirited and—”
“If you say hippie, I’m telling Brecken you hit on the girl he is panting after,” I threatened, speaking about Breck’s latest girlfriend. I think he was serious about this one, he had to be since he had been seeing her for a few months now and only her.
“You wouldn’t! I didn’t!” Paddy spluttered, his head appearing over the bar to glare at me.
“Wouldn’t I?” Patting his cheek affectionately, I pushed off the stool and smoothed down the tiny skirt of my dress. When Spring picked the most immodest dress in my wardrobe, I had reservations about
