Dawson's Stand (Welcome to Covendale Book 4) (3 page)

Which may have included the brunette she’d just spotted striding angrily toward the bar, her gaze fixed on Gage.

Gage exchanged a five for the bottle. Then he smiled and lifted the beer slightly. “Let’s drink to something.”

“Um.” Kyla leaned aside and looked deliberately past him, trying to bring his attention to the woman closing in fast. “I think someone might object to that.”

He frowned. “Who?”

“Gage, what are you doing?”

He stiffened almost imperceptibly at the sound of the woman’s voice right behind him. “Pretty sure I told you I was getting a beer,” he said without turning. “Hey, Jenny. This is Kyla. She’s—”

“I don’t care who she is.” The woman, Jenny, stepped around and stared coldly at her. Kyla had to admit she was gorgeous, and definitely dressed to show it off. “No offense, but he’s with me,” Jenny said.

Somehow that didn’t surprise her. What did was Gage’s response.

“You know something, Jenny?” His tone was carefully controlled, like he was working hard not to get mad. “Whenever someone starts out saying ‘no offense, but,’ what comes after it’s bound to be offensive. And rude, and uncalled for.”

The brunette’s expression eased into a pout. “Everybody’s always flirting with you,” she said. “I just thought she should know—”

“She wasn’t flirting with me.” He glared at her for a long moment. “I started talking to her. She’s new here, she’s alone, and I thought she could use a friend.” His gaze moved to Kyla, and his features softened. “Was I wrong?”

“No,” she said. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “Hey, we’re playing pool over here,” he said. “Do you want to join us?”

“Oh, I couldn’t.”

“Sure you can. It’s better than sitting at the bar, and we’d enjoy the company. Right, Jenny?”

“Right.”

The other woman’s tone said she definitely wouldn’t enjoy it. “Thank you, but it’s fine,” Kyla said. “Really. I was just going to finish my drink and go home, anyway.”

“All right.” Gage shook his head and smirked. “Well, I’m glad to meet you. Maybe I’ll see you around town sometime.”

“Sure. See you around.” She smiled and turned to the brunette. “It’s nice to meet you too, Jenny.”

The woman looked surprised, but then she smiled without bitterness. Probably out of relief that Kyla had declined the invitation—not that she could ever compete with a woman that stunning. The two of them made a beautiful couple. “I’m sorry about before,” Jenny said. “We got off on the wrong foot. Anyway, welcome to Covendale.”

“Thank you.” She decided not to correct the idea that she’d just arrived in town anymore. It was too much explaining—and besides, it might lead to questions she wasn’t prepared to answer. “Well, have a good night.”

“You, too.”

Gage met her eyes for a moment, and it seemed like he’d say something more. But he only turned and walked away, and Jenny followed him.

Suppressing a sigh, Kyla swiveled toward the bar and picked up her drink. She really wasn’t any good at making new friends, anyway.

* * * *

Normally Gage would’ve felt bad about getting mad at Jenny. But something about this date hadn’t seemed right from the beginning, and the longer it went, the more he’d realized she just wasn’t interested in him. She had ulterior motives—and he suspected they had something to do with Dean Wesley.

If that was the case, he figured he was justified in being pissed. He didn’t appreciate being used as a pawn in the get-back-at-the-ex game. Especially when the ex in question was already out for his blood.

Back at the pool table, he fed in quarters to release the balls and started racking. He’d just socked the last ball into place when a hand slipped around his arm, and Jenny leaned against him. “You’re not still mad at me, are you?”

“No.” He disengaged from her and walked around the table to the sticks they’d left leaning against it. “You can break this time.”

“You are still mad. I can tell.” Jenny twisted a lock of hair around her finger and pouted. “It’s because of that girl, isn’t it?”

Gage sighed. “Not really.”

“Yes it is.”

“No. It’s because you’d rather be here with Dean.” He stared at her until she dropped her gaze, and knew he was right. “Why’d you even ask me out?”

She let out a slow breath. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just…I guess I wanted to have some fun, you know? And I really do like you.” She gave him a seductive smile. “I always have. Ever since high school.”

He smiled back and relented a little. He had to admit, she was partly right. Some of it was because of the girl. Kyla. He could’ve sworn he’d seen her somewhere before—but more than that, he’d felt drawn to her. She seemed so alone and unhappy, so…fragile. When he saw her sitting there, he’d immediately wanted to protect her from whatever it was that made her look like she’d been through a personal apocalypse.

He’d never felt this strongly about any woman before, and he didn’t even know her. It fascinated him and scared him at the same time.

“Okay,” he said, trying to focus on Jenny. “Are we gonna play, or what?”

“You bet.” She walked toward him and took one of the sticks, meeting his eyes with a suggestive gaze. “Maybe you could show me some of your moves.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” He hoped he sounded convincing, or at least half-interested. But he already knew this night would end with him dropping her off and saying a chaste goodnight, with no second date in the future. He was glad he’d borrowed Jonah’s car instead of taking The Beast out here.

Jenny bent over the table for the break shot, deliberately giving him a generous view of her cleavage. And for the first time he could remember, nothing in him reacted to the sight. At least now he could tell Mark honestly that not every date he went on ended in a bed, because there was no way he’d sleep with Dean Wesley’s ex-girlfriend. Even before she’d make it clear how she felt. She could strip naked right now and he’d barely notice.

It was going to be a long damned night.

Chapter 3

It wasn’t quite the same as the Sidecars she’d had back in her other life, but it was close. Maybe even better, since Matt had taken the trouble to figure it out for her. Kyla was almost finished with her second drink when the bartender came over and said, “I think I’m getting the hang of it. How was that?”

“Wonderful,” she said with a smile. She’d made the right choice taking a taxi here, because she was feeling the effects of the alcohol now. A little dizzy and lightheaded, a bit thick in the tongue. But glad she’d come out tonight and kept her promise to Ralph. “You said they have…bourbon in them, right?”

“That’s right. Only we generally call it whiskey.”

“Huh. Whiskey.” She took another sip, and a dim recollection surfaced in her mind. “You know, I think they’re supposed to be made with brandy.”

Matt laughed. “You’re not wrong,” he said. “From what I read, brandy’s traditional but bourbon’s common. And we’re pretty common around here.” He winked and hooked a thumb at the liquor shelves behind the bar. “Gentleman Jack is about as fancy as we get.”

“Gentleman Jack?”

“Yeah, it’s Jack Daniels with a monocle.”

That drew a giggle from her. “Well, I like it.”

She looked down at her drink. Only about half an inch of liquid remained, and she decided to finish it off with a silent toast.
To freedom
, she thought as she lifted the glass, and a light shudder drilled down her spine. The reality of the situation still hadn’t penetrated completely. Was she really rid of him forever?

It was hard to believe, but she had to hold onto that idea. It was the only way she could keep her sanity intact.

With a faint smile, she drained the last of the Sidecar. She felt like she’d been living on autopilot for the past year, and someone had just handed her a brand new set of controls. She’d set goals and accomplished them. Have two drinks. Talk to strangers. As long as she took things one step at a time, she might actually be able to make this work.

Matt collected her glass when she set it down. “Need a refill?”

“No, thank you. That’s my limit.” She suddenly thought of Gage and their interrupted toast. She did wonder what he would’ve wanted to drink to. Absently, she glanced over in the direction he’d gone with Jenny.

And spotted him standing beside a pool table, staring straight at her.

Her breath caught. She turned away fast, but not soon enough to stop the flush that warmed her face. She’d never seen a look that intense—one she could feel from across the room. It should’ve scared the hell out of her.

Maybe it did. But she thought maybe it was just a little thrilling, too. If he didn’t have a girlfriend, she might even be interested in getting to know him better. But he did. In fact, she was probably reading something into the look that just wasn’t there. He’d already said he was just trying to be friendly.

“Hey, uh, Kyla?”

Matt’s voice startled her. She’d forgotten the bartender was still there. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Did you say something I missed?”

“No, but…” He sighed. “Do you mind a little friendly advice?”

“I guess not.”

“You’ll hear about it sooner or later, so you might as well know sooner.” He nodded toward the pool tables. “Thing is, you really don’t want to get involved with Gage Dawson.”

At first she was shocked, and started wondering if she’d actually spoken her thoughts out loud. Maybe she was drunker than she thought. Then she realized Matt had seen and probably heard them talking earlier—and now she was just confused. Gage seemed like a nice enough guy. “Why not?” she said. Not that she was planning to. It just struck her as wrong to talk about people behind their backs like this.

“Because he’s a Dawson.” The bartender glanced toward him again, as if he thought Gage might overhear. “All the Dawson boys are bad news.”

“Dawson boys?”

“They’re brothers. Three of them—Gage is the youngest. He’s bad enough, and the other two are worse.”

Kyla shook her head. She didn’t want to believe it, especially since it sounded like the worst kind of rumor. He’d seemed fine to her. But she couldn’t exactly consider herself an excellent judge of character after the way her marriage turned out.

Then again, everyone else thought Michael Patrick Finley was a great, stand-up guy.

“I, uh…” Her gaze shifted unconsciously toward the pool tables, where it looked like Gage and Jenny were arguing. He gestured angrily at the table, she crossed her arms and spat something. He snatched a leather jacket from a nearby chair and yanked it on, and she turned her back on him. “I don’t feel so good,” Kyla murmured. “That’s the bathroom, right?”

“Yes, right over there.” The bartender looked concerned. “Are you all right? Should I call someone for you?”

“No. I’ll be fine. I just…” Blinking rapidly, she slid off the stool and took a moment to steady herself. The dizziness had gotten worse, and now her stomach churned sourly. “I just need the bathroom.”

Somehow she managed to make it to the alcove beyond the bar, past a back door with an exit sign above it and into the ladies’ room. She tottered into a stall and locked it, then sank to the floor next to the toilet and waited for the drinks to come back up.

They didn’t. Gradually, the dizzy feeling started to abate and her gut settled into an approximation of normal. She decided to sit here a little bit longer, until she could cleanse her mind again. Just thinking about Mike for a few minutes had turned her into a quivering wreck, and changed what might’ve been a decent night into a disappointment.

So much for freedom.

* * * *

Gage stared at Jenny in disbelief. “What did you say?”

“Come on. You know what I mean.” She stepped closer and put a hand on his arm. “It’s real mild stuff,” she said in low tones. “We could get a nice buzz, and…just see where it takes us.”

He jerked away, shaking his head. They hadn’t even finished the game, and she’d suddenly announced she wanted to go out to the parking lot and toke up. This date was definitely a mistake. Maybe Mark was right about him not thinking things through—but he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit that to his know-it-all brother. “I don’t touch that shit,” he said. “I get enough trouble from the law around here as it is. Does Dean know you’re using?”

She snorted and crossed her arms. “I don’t have to answer that.”

“Yeah, well you just did.”

“Screw you, Gage.”

“No thanks.”

Her mouth dropped open for a second, and she turned her back on him.

Christ, no wonder she was with Dean for so long. The two of them were perfect for each other—petty, stubborn, and shallow as mud puddles. He grabbed his jacket and stuffed it on, more disgusted with himself than anything for agreeing to this in the first place. “Come on,” he said. “I’m taking you home.”

“Fine.” She faced him again, sliding something in her pocket as she turned. Looked like her phone. Maybe she’d been texting all her girlfriends to tell them what a piece of shit he was—not like that hadn’t happened before. “Let’s go.”

“Ladies first.”

She rolled her eyes and flounced off toward the back door.

Gage followed slowly. He really didn’t feel like taking Jenny anywhere. But he’d driven her here, so he was responsible for making sure she got home safely. And that was where it ended.

As they neared the bar, he noticed Kyla wasn’t there anymore—and only belatedly realized he’d been looking for her. He wished he’d been able to talk to her longer. Something about her had drawn him instantly, and it wasn’t the usual new-date-potential feeling. This was something he’d never felt before.

Then he spotted her rounding the corner of the back hall toward the bathroom, weaving on her feet a little. He had to actively fight the urge to go after her and see if she needed help.

Instead, he sighed and followed Jenny out the back door. He’d gotten himself into this, and now he had to get himself out. Maybe he could try to find Kyla later. He didn’t even know her last name, but there definitely weren’t any other girls named Kyla in Covendale. Someone had to know where she lived, or worked, or something.