Twist--A Dive Bar Novel(34)

Breath coming out hard and fast, he hung his head.

“I’m staying, deal with it.” I dusted off my hands. “I’ll go grab some more drywall so we can patch that hole.”

He didn’t say anything, but then, I didn’t need him to. He’d stopped arguing and that was enough.

* * *

Due to his truck being smashed, Joe had Pat’s smaller version of the same on loan. Guess Pat had his bike or Nell’s hatchback if he needed to get the two of them around. Only problem was, Pat’s truck wasn’t an automatic.

“You’re not meant to be using your hand,” I said, holding my palm out, waiting for the keys, after we’d finished work for the day. “I’ll drive you.”

His forehead furrowed. “I’m fine with it.”

“If you don’t rest it, the cast stays on longer,” I said. “You heard the doctor. Given you’re already ignoring him to a large extent, I think every other thing we can do to cut down on usage needs to count.”

The more time I’d spent with him today, the more I realized what an utter bitch it was to have five digits out of action. Especially with him being an especially handy man and all. But also, Joe Collins was a big baby when it came to being sick and/or damaged. He simply did not deal well with limitations.

More growling and grumbling. “Fuck’s sake, Alex. You going to spoon-feed me and wash my balls for me too?”

“If you ask nicely.” I smiled. He didn’t. At least I found me funny.

“Christ.” For not the first time, he looked to heaven for help. Shit out of luck there.

Across the horizon the sun was setting, the first star twinkling down over the mountains. Despite the cranky man, it was peaceful here. I don’t know that I’d actually had a lot of peace in my life. Plenty of drama and neurosis, but not much peace. Coeur d’Alene had a lot going for it. The nightlife didn’t compare to Seattle’s, but still … the slower pace and the people made up for that. The beauty of the place. I loved this time of day, always had. I also loved the fact that I’d helped lighten Joe’s load a little, which made all of my various aches and pains worthwhile. Whether he liked it or not, retreating into himself, dwelling on the accident all on his lonesome, was not for the best.

An icy wind ruffled my hair, teasing strands out of my ponytail. God only knew what I looked like. Dusty, dirty, and all the rest.

“Look, you were right about me working on the apartments,” he said in much the tone of one making a great and valiant sacrifice. Such reasonableness in the face of my overwhelming lunacy, bless him. “I did get more done with you there today. And I’m sorry for acting like such an asshole. I just think it’s time we stop fooling ourselves, and it’s better that we finish this thing off sooner rather than later.”

His words cut me to the core, but it’s not like he was saying anything I hadn’t thought a thousand times before.

“I get that,” I said in my best Little Miss Fucking Sunshine voice. “But I’m here, and the least I can do is help you as a friend.”

* * *

“You got Val here to hang with.” His tone softened to something more sweet and coaxing. “There’s nothing you need to worry about, okay? All I’m going to do is go home, get cleaned up.”

I nodded. “And then come straight back in to work behind the bar. Am I right?”

Ooh, I was so right. Angry little lines radiated out from the corners of his eyes. He was not a happy bearded boy.

“Please,” I scoffed. “You’re no more likely to leave Vaughan dealing with everything on his own than I would you. That’s the thing with friends.”

Growly malcontent noises had definitely replaced the grunt as his standby means of manly communication.

“Luckily, I brought a change of clothes with me. I haven’t done any hospitality work before, so this should be interesting. Also, Val is quite capable of entertaining herself.” Though I had kind of been expecting her to show up to help with the carpentry work at some stage today. On the other hand, who was I to complain about time spent alone with Joe? I clicked my fingers impatiently and held out my hand. “Let’s go. Times a’ wasting.”

“You’re being ridiculous, Alex.” He threw me the keys, stomping his way around to the driver’s side of the car. “Fucking ridiculous.”

Turned out he was lying about letting me clean his private parts. Too bad. A tongue bath might have improved his mood immensely.

We pulled up outside a duplex, every light on.

“I thought Eric had gone out of town,” I said, grabbing my bag with extra clothes in it, black jeans and a shirt.

“Ah, yeah. Listen—”

“Joe?” Star stood in the now open doorway, wet hair hanging down her back and a seriously short silk robe wrapped around her. Like I needed to see that much of the woman’s perfect slender thighs.

Joe swallowed hard. “Ah, Star, this is Alex. Alex, this is Star. You didn’t get to meet each other properly at the hospital.”

She was staying with him. Living in his house. Fuck me. No wonder the bastard wanted me gone. Not slaying him right then and there took some real effort.

“Hi.” I put on my best smile, moving forward to shake her hand. “Lovely to meet you.”

“Hi.” Star gave me a limp hand and a disgruntled once-over.

“She’s using Eric’s room while he’s away,” inserted Joe.

“How nice. Give you two a real chance to catch up.” My cheeks hurt from smiling. “That’s great. Just … great.”

“How was your day, baby?” The winsome smile she gave Joe as she felt up his cast almost makes me puke. Let’s not even go near her calling him baby.

“Ah, fine. Thanks.” Joe cleared his throat. “Better get in the shower. They’ll be needing me in at the bar.”

“You have to go out again?” Pouting, Star followed him into the living room. “But, I made dinner for us.”

“I told you I’d be busy. Alex, make yourself at home. I won’t be long.” With all due haste, he grabbed some clean clothes and then locked himself in the bathroom. Goddamn coward.

I plonked myself down on the couch, quietly steaming. Men. Had any species ever sucked quite so badly? Meanwhile, Star fussed around, giving me looks out of the corner of her eyes.

“You’re a friend of Joe’s, Alex?” she asked.

“That’s right.”

“How nice.”

“Isn’t it?” I worked the kinks out of my sore neck.

“I forgot, you were in the crash too.” She leaned her hip against the edge of a table. “You poor thing, no wonder you’re such a mess.”

I huffed out a laugh. “I spent the day helping Joe. Building tends to make you messy.”

“You’re a carpenter?”

“No, I’m a graphic designer,” I said. “I helped them with the layout for the apartments at the Bird Building.”

Slowly, she nodded. “Yeah, he told me a little about those. So you’re a business friend and you’re helping him with the construction work now?”

“He’s injured. He shouldn’t be working at all. Someone has to.”

“And that someone is you? Surely his father—”

“Stan’s arthritis makes it difficult to do much these days.”

Her head tilted to the side. “How close are you and Joe?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Brows knitted, she stared me down.

“Your turn, Alex.” Joe reappeared, beard wet, hurriedly pulling on his shirt. Then he stopped, sensing the crappy mood in the room. “Everything all right?”

“Absolutely,” I said, rising to my feet. “I won’t be long.”

One cold shower later, I was ready. By gently patting my face clean with a damp cloth, I’d managed to save some of the makeup Val had skillfully applied. Enough for me to not look too Frankenstein’s bride.

Star was holed up in Eric’s room when we left.

We didn’t speak much on the ride back to the Bird Building. But then, Joe hadn’t spoken much all day outside of giving me orders. I caught him lost in thought often, however, frowning into space. Wincing, grimacing, he displayed all sorts of unhappy. I’d have suggested he talk to someone about it, but the man could barely handle me helping out. Plus there was the fact I’d never been a big believer in therapy. Also, there was Star. His long-lost one true love, apparently. No, hiding from all of these problems and letting myself die a little on the inside made much more sense.

I’d said I’d stick by him, and that’s what I was going to do.

I guess Pat had already been by to pick up Nell’s things, because Joe’s bedroom was all man. No sign of any incursion by Star whatsoever, thankfully. There’d been a big king bed with a dark green bedspread. An assortment of jeans, boots, and shirts filling a small built-in wardrobe. A couple of photos on the wall of the local area that I guess he’d taken. They were beautiful.

I pulled into the first open space within walking distance of the bar. The continued absence of noise seemed too loud. Guess my nerves were just really on edge.

“There’s nothing going on between me and Star,” Joe said, startling me slightly.