We’d reached Reynold by then. “Hey, stranger,” I said in greeting. “Guess what. I’m giving you the night off.”
He chuckled.
“I’m serious. Hudson is probably the only one who has the power to give you the night off, but here’s the thing—Hudson’s not around. And I’ll be here at the club all night. We have security guards on staff and bouncers. I’m going to be fine.”
I couldn’t say why it was so important for me to send Reynold away, but it suddenly was. Perhaps it was an act of defiance. If Hudson wasn’t willing to give in our relationship, then I wasn’t willing either. Or not as willing as I had been, anyway. I was too pissed. Wasn’t that a phase of grief?
Besides, I felt strong. I didn’t need someone following me around. And Celia hadn’t been around in several days—maybe she was bored with the game.
“So I’ll see you when I’m off later. Okay?”
Reynold seemed dumbfounded. “Uh, sure. At three. I’ll, uh, be here at three.”
“Awesome.”
The victory with Reynold bolstered me. I hadn’t known how I’d be able to get through the night at work. Now I thought I might actually be able to do it. I hadn’t forgotten my pain—more thoughts than not had been filled with Hudson—but the misery was almost tolerable.
The time with Liesl had been the most helpful. We hadn’t seen much of each other recently, and there was a lot to catch up on. I told her everything that had been going on, including Celia’s stalking and Hudson’s secretive behavior. It was depressing but also therapeutic.
“Maybe Hudson is really, like, a CIA guy,” Liesl said as I handed her a cash drawer for the bar. “And Celia’s his partner. And he’s abandoned his mission—defected, or whatever they call that, and she’s trying to reel him back in.”
Her crazy ideas were almost entertaining. “That one’s definitely it.”
She nudged me aside with her hip to take her place in front of the register. “I wish you’d be serious about this. I know I’m right.”
I forced a smile. “Excuse me for being—what do they call it? Oh, yeah—based in reality.”
Liesl ran a hand through her purple tresses and laughed. “Reality is so overrated.”
“Isn’t it?”
We got lost in the hustle and bustle of the night after that. David had trained with Gwen the night before, but it was the first shift that I really got to see her in action. She’d worked enough now that she knew what she was doing. I watched her as she managed the upper floor, keeping on top of change orders and unruly customers, not once missing a beat. She was good, and I’d never felt better about my decision to hire her. Especially now that my whole future at The Sky Launch felt in limbo.
With a shudder, I swallowed the sob forming in my throat. I couldn’t think about that. Not here. Not now. In perhaps the same delusional manner I’d used in my days of Paul Kresh or David Lindt, I focused on convincing myself that Hudson and I were fine. This was just a blip. We’d recover and life would go on together.
Somehow it had been easier in the past. I hoped that said more about the current state of my mental health and less about my future with Hudson.
It was still early in the night, only a little past eleven, when I saw Celia.
I’d just come down from the upstairs to check in with the bartenders on the main floor. They were busy but not slammed. I slid behind the bar where Liesl was working and scanned the club, not looking for anything in particular—just getting a general sense of the scene.
The center of the club was surrounded by bunches of seating areas. They usually filled early in the evening. They were the best tables to get since they were right off the dance floor. She was the only one at her table, which was odd for a Saturday night, and that drew my attention. No one sat alone at The Sky Launch.
But there Celia was—alone, wearing tight jeans and a tight tank, her hair down around her shoulders. It was so uncharacteristic of her usual prim and proper look that I wasn’t sure it was her. Then she caught my stare, and the wicked grin she gave me confirmed it.
I grabbed Liesl’s forearm. “Oh my god.”
“What? What is it? Did I fuck up the last order?” Her eyes were wide and alarmed.
“No. She’s here. Celia!” I nodded toward the woman who still had her eyes locked on mine.
Liesl followed my gaze. “The stalker chick? Should I kick her ass?”
“No.” Though the thought of the tall Amazon at my side kicking the ass of my now arch-nemesis was pretty entertaining.
Liesl squinted as she continued to study Celia. “No offense, but she’s a knockout. Not like you’re not a knockout, but I’d do her.” She bumped me affectionately with her shoulder. “I’d do you harder, though. Of course.”