Blame It On the Whiskey, page 1
Blame It On The Whiskey
Hope Ford
Contents
1. Haven
2. Parker
3. Haven
4. Parker
5. Haven
6. Parker
7. Haven
8. Parker
9. Haven
10. Parker
11. Haven
12. Parker
13. Haven
14. Parker
15. Haven
Epilogue
JOIN ME!
Be a Hottie!
About the Author
Blame It On The Whiskey © 2022 by Hope Ford
Editor: Kasi Alexander
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Chapter 1
Haven
I pull at the hem of my skirt and sigh loudly in the almost empty bar. It won’t get busy for probably another hour so I thought I’d get some studying done, but it’s proving to be a hopeless case.
“Quit pulling at your skirt. You look great!”
I slam the textbook closed. There’s no sense staring at the same page over and over. I can’t focus anyway. I turn and look at Emmaline, who’s sitting at the other end of the bar. She of course has to say I look great since she helped me pick out some new clothes. I pull at my skirt and look down at myself. “No, I look like a big girl in a too small skirt.”
Emmaline laughs and walks around to join me behind the bar. Her fiancé, Theo, owns On the Rocks, and she and I have become friends. “No, you look great. I wouldn’t lie to you. Haven, you’re a knockout.”
I open my mouth to interrupt her, and she raises her hand up to stop me. “Hear me out. Yes, you are a curvy woman, but all those loose-fitting clothes just made you look bigger. These—" she says, pointing at my fitted T-shirt and denim skirt, “show off your body. I’m not kidding, just you wait and see. You look amazing!”
She’s looking at me with a stern expression on her face, and I know better than to argue with her. Plus, it won’t do me any good anyway. I’ve bought the clothes. Heck, Emmaline helped me go through my closet, and she got rid of almost all my old, comfortable clothes.
“Ready, babe?” Theo calls as he walks out of the back office.
Emmaline gets a huge smile on her face. “I’ll be right there.”
She wraps me in a hug and pulls back to look at me. “Trust me?”
I roll my eyes and smile. “I have to. You did throw out most of my clothes.”
She laughs and then hugs me again before leaving with Theo.
I shouldn’t be jealous of their relationship, but I am. I’d love to have a man look at me the way Theo looks at her. But well, not just any man. Parker.
I close my eyes and shake my head. I can barely go an hour without thinking of Parker. We’ve been best friends forever. Well, since grade school when he punched a boy for pulling my hair. After that, we were inseparable. I literally followed him everywhere. As we grew up, the differences between us became even more obvious. He was the captain of the football team, most popular boy in school, and could date any woman he wanted.
Then there’s me. I was voted class nerd in high school—unofficially, of course. I went to libraries instead of dances, and I have more curves than Parker’s last three girlfriends combined.
In high school, I kept waiting for him to friend-dump me. It’s obvious I didn’t fit in with his jock friends or cheerleader groupies, but Parker didn’t care. He always chose me...
Now he’s gone. Oh, we knew it was coming. He’s wanted to join the military since he was young, and as soon as he graduated high school, that’s exactly what he did. He turned down countless football scholarships and joined the Army.
That was three years ago.
We still talk when we can, mostly by email. I’ve seen him a few times, and each time I worry that things are going to be different between us, but they never are. We’re always able to pick up right where we left off. Hopefully, it’s like that next week when he comes in for leave.
“Can I get my usual?”
I hear Frank before I see him. I turn toward the fountain and grab a cold mug to fill up with draft beer when I finally look at him. He’s a regular, and I can count on him to show up every day around this time.
I walk toward him with the beer in hand. His gaze goes down my body and back up again before he swallows, staring at me wide-eyed. “Haven?”
I set the beer in front of him and laugh. “Really, Frank? You know it’s me.”
He starts to stutter. “Yeah, but I mean I didn’t know you had legs and... uh... uh....”
He’s looking at my breasts. I’ll give it to him, he’s trying not to, but he keeps coming back to them before finally grabbing the mug in front of him and taking a big swig.
I put my hand on my hip and look at him. Maybe Emmaline was right. “Yes, I have legs.”
He swallows, nodding.
I wait for him to say something else, but when he doesn’t, I just shrug. “Okay, well let me know when you need another.”
I start to walk away. Maybe I can study a little more before more people arrive. The other bartenders just walked in, and I know I can get in a little more studying if I try and focus.
“Hey, Haven.”
I turn and look at Frank, catching him looking at my ass. He blushes, and his lips purse as he shakes his head. “If you need me tonight, just holler at me.”
I smirk at him, not understanding but appreciating the sentiment. “What are you talking about? The others are here to help. What do you know that I don’t know? Should we plan on a rush?”
He drinks more from his mug, and I’m surprised to see that he’s almost finished it. He usually sips on a beer for sometimes hours. When he sets the drink down, he points at me. “No, honey, I mean if anyone gets out of line... let me know. I have your back.”
I know my mouth falls open. Never in all of my almost twenty-two years has anyone gotten “out of line” with me. I blink at Frank, thinking surely I’m not understanding correctly. But when I catch him looking at my legs again before bringing his eyes up to my face, I get what he’s saying. I mutter to him, “Yeah, uh, thanks.”
I walk over to where my textbook is lying on the bar top and tuck it under the counter. I think back to Emmaline’s words earlier. Could she be right? Will clothes that fit make that much of a difference in my appearance?
And I can’t help wondering if Parker is going to notice when he comes into town next week.
Chapter 2
Parker
“Surprise!” I say as my little brother Tony opens the front door. I was scheduled to come home next week, but they moved my leave up. I couldn’t resist surprising my family.
“Parker? You’re home!” he says as he comes out of the house and wraps me in a big bear hug. He may be my younger brother by one year, but he has me matched in size.
“Yeah, I wanted to surprise you all. Where’s Mom and Dad?”
He instantly starts to holler. “Mom, Dad, you’re going to want to see this!”
Mere seconds go by, and both my mom and dad come out the front of the house. My mom screams, and I lift her up in my arms to hug her. My dad is patting me on the back, patiently waiting his turn. When I set my mom down, I hold my hand out, but my dad surprises me by pulling me in for a big bear hug.
“What... you’re home!”
I laugh, taking in the big smiles of my mom, dad, and brother. Fuck, I missed them. “Yep! I wanted to surprise you.”
My dad nods, taking my bag. “Well, you did, son. I’m sure the whole neighborhood is trying to figure out what your mom is screaming about.” He looks around, and sure enough, Gertrude from next door is waving at us. I wave at her as Dad rushes us into the house.
Everyone is all talking at once as we sit down on the couch. My mom is pacing the living room, too excited to sit down. “I’m going to make all your favorites!”
Tony chimes in. “I’m pretty sure tacos is his favorite now.”
Mom rolls her eyes. “That’s your favorite, Tony.”
Tony laughs and looks at me. “Does Haven know you’re home?”
I shake my head guiltily. Honestly, I thought about going to see her first. I’ve really missed seeing her, but I knew if I did it would really hurt my mom’s feelings. “No, but I’m going to swing by her house in a little while and surprise her.”
Tony smirks like he has some big secret. “Don’t bother going to her house. She’s not there.”
I try not to let on that it bothers me my brother knows something about Haven that I don’t. I mean, it makes sense that she’s kept in touch with my family while I’ve been gone. She spent the majority of her childhood over here. “What do you mean she’s not there?”
“We studied together earlier. You know I would have failed chemistry if it wasn’t for her. She’s at On the Rocks.”
“On the Rocks? What the hell is she doing there?”
Now Tony starts to squirm. “Working. She’s a bartender.”
I jump up from my spot on the couch. “Working... at a bar. I thought she was working at the library.”
Tony shrugs. “Oh, she makes way more at the bar. I told her you wouldn’t like it, but she seemed to think you wouldn’t care.”
I get up and head for
Tony gets up and follows behind me. “Oh yeah, anything could happen in the small town of Redwood, California. Too bad nothing ever does happen here.”
I stop and pull my mom in for a hug. “I’m sorry, Mom. I hate to leave...”
She pats me on the chest. “It’s fine, honey. I need to go to the store anyway. Now don’t be too hard on Haven. You know she’s independent, and she won’t like you telling her what to do.”
I nod and look at my brother. “You going with me?”
He shakes his head. “As much as I hate to miss Haven putting you in your place, I have a date.”
I should probably ask him about who he’s dating, but I don’t have time right now. I look back at my dad. “See you later, Pops.”
“See you later, son.”
Fifteen minutes later, I finally get out the door. My mom wasn’t letting me out of her sight until I told her everything I wanted to eat this week. It sounds like she plans on packing at least fifteen pounds onto me in the next seven days, but I can’t focus on that. I need to get to Haven and figure out what the hell she’s been up to since I left last time. We talk a few times a week, either on the phone or email, and she’s not once mentioned leaving the library to go work at On the Rocks.
Haven and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. She knows me better than anyone. We are opposites in so many ways, but none of that matters. The truth is, I miss her. I miss her more than I ever thought possible. I thought for sure I’d leave and we’d lose touch, but if anything, we’re even closer now.
She’s always sending me care packages. She worries about me constantly, and she’s always there to listen to me. I thought I did the same for her too, but I guess not if she doesn’t even tell me about starting a new job.
On the Rocks is right in the middle of our small town. I park down the block and walk in. The man at the front door nods his head at me and I walk on in. I’ve only been in here a few times, and it hasn’t changed much since the last time, but I spot Haven almost instantly.
She’s in a deep conversation with the woman next to her, and I can’t keep the smile off my face. I start walking toward her, and as I get closer, my steps slow, and my gaze travels down her body. What the fuck?
I look up at her face as she concentrates on filling the mug from the draft fountain. My heart skips a beat in my chest, and I put my hand there and rub it soothingly. For some reason, I’ve been nervous about seeing Haven. The last time, it felt different. Not bad... but different. I’ve tried to forget about my reaction to her, chalking it up to too much time out in the field or simply just missing her, but looking at her now, feeling the stir in my lower belly, I can’t just ignore it. Not anymore.
I take a deep breath and can’t fight the feeling that my whole life is about to change.
Chapter 3
Haven
There has to be a full moon out tonight. That’s the only explanation because I feel that I’m in some kind of alternate universe. I’ve been asked out once, someone offered to buy me a drink, and I swear one cowboy patted me on the ass. However, when I turned and wielded my tray like I was going to hit him with it, he apologized and said it was an accident.
The bar has picked up. The live band has started, and it seems everyone showed up at once.
“I’m taking five,” I tell Briony and the others.
I walk to the back and head straight to the private restroom for employees. Locking the door behind me, I walk over to the full-length mirror.
I look at the front of me and then turn to the side. At first, I wonder if it’s too much—but I know it’s not. My skirt is barely above my knees. And my shirt is tighter, but it fits, and there’s nothing hanging out. I bend over and heck, there’s not even a hint of cleavage.
When I stand back up, I take a step toward the mirror. I have the mascara that Emmaline talked me into buying on, and she’s right. It does make my eyes stand out more. I nixed the whole lipstick idea, but the lip gloss does give my lips a nice sheen to them.
I shake my head in confusion. Really? Can buying clothes that fit really make such a difference? I’ve always gone around in jogging pants and T-shirts and never thought anything of it. It makes me wonder if I’d made a change in high school, could I have been more popular?
As soon as I think it, I smash that thought down and laugh into the empty room. Heck, I didn’t care about being popular, and quite honestly, I don’t like being the center of attention. I smooth my hands down the length of my skirt. I need to get back to work.
There’s a live band tonight, and I love nights like this. I couldn’t imagine getting up on stage and performing—I’d never want to—but I respect those that do. It’s like the music fills the room with electricity, and everyone can feel it.
I stride back to the bar, and Briony is mixing drinks. I stop next to her. “Sooooo...”
She finishes filling the two glasses and sets the bottles down. As she puts the drinks on a tray for another server, she looks at me. “What’s up?”
I nod my head toward the other side of the bar. “Steven asked me out...”
She scrunches her nose up. He’s obviously got a name for himself here. “What did you say?”
I roll my eyes. “I said no.”
She lets out a breath. “Good. You can do better.”
Parker instantly comes to mind, but I push that thought out of my mind. “But I mean, it’s weird, right? He’s seen me every day for months and has never asked me out before...”
She waits for me to continue and starts rolling her hand in front of me as if to say Spit it out.
“Well, I mean, why now?” I sigh loudly. “Does this outfit make me look like a slut or what?”
Her eyes widen, and she leans against the bar. “Are you serious right now?”
I try to see what she’s thinking, but I can’t even begin to analyze the way she’s looking at me with her face all scrunched up. “Yes. I’m serious.”
“You’re hot, Haven.”
Instantly, I start to shake my head. “No, I’m not.”
She puts her hand on my shoulder. “Yes, you are. I’ve worked with you every day, and I had no idea you looked like... that!” she says, pointing at me up and down.
When I don’t say anything, she studies me. “You really don’t know, do you?”
I shrug. I’m not sure if she thinks I’m fishing for compliments or what, but I’m not. “Look, my mom left when I was little. My dad… well, he’s never around, and I can’t talk to him about stuff anyway, and my best friend is a guy... so no, I really don’t know.”
She nods and moves a little closer to me. “Okay, here’s how it is... the short version. You’ve walked around here in your big clothes, hiding your body. You always keep your head down... usually in some book if you’re not working. Your clothes and your attitude say Don’t talk to me, I’m not interested. But this...” she says, pointing at me.
I cover my face with my hands. “I’m a slut.”
She laughs and peels my hands off my face. “You are definitely not a slut. You’ve smiled more tonight than you have in the last week. You are wearing clothes that flatter your body.” She looks around the bar and back at me. “Obviously, by the looks you’re getting now, it’s a body no one here knew you had. You look great. You’re more confident, you’re smiling more... You’re good.”
A server walks up to the bar. “Three drafts, please.”
I get three mugs and start filling them as Briony continues, “And you look great. There’s nothing slutty about your outfit.”
I blow out a breath. I set the drinks on a tray and turn back to Briony. “Okay, thanks.”
“No need to thank me. And remember if anyone gets too handsy, holler for Hayes,” she says, nodding toward the bouncer by the door.
