“People pay fifteen bucks for those pretty pink cocktails. Gotta give the customers what they want.” He turned to Kate. “Kate, these are my buddies Nolan and Beck.”
Kate didn’t seem to know how to react. “Um, nice to meet you?”
Beck, a handsome shit-disturber, reached for her hand and kissed it, lingering a little too long for Liam’s liking. “Honey, the pleasure’s all mine.” He grinned like he wanted to eat her up. “Doyle, where have you been hiding this sweet thing?”
Her giggle came out like a snort. “He hasn’t hidden me anywhere, but he probably wishes he could. I’ve been causing him trouble.” She turned at smiled at him, more comfortable with the situation now. “Isn’t that right, Liam?”
“Honey, whatever trouble you’re selling, I’m buying,” said Beck.
“Dream on,” Liam responded, getting a little annoyed by the man’s transparent interest. “You don’t have enough money for this kind of trouble.”
Liam marched her into the bar before Beck could make another play. He should have guessed that guy would try it on with her. He did with every other woman. Well, Kate deserved better than to be pawed over by a guy who needed a secretary to keep his girlfriends organized and away from each other.
He looked to her as he led her to the bar, curious about her reaction to Beck. She seemed to be hiding a grin. “Your friends are nice.”
“Oh, yeah. Real nice.” He rolled his eyes. “They even sing in the church choir. Come on. What’s your poison, gorgeous?”
“Gorgeous?” She laughed.
“You could try to look flattered.”
Still grinning, she scratched her head, a schoolgirl unsure of how to take a compliment. “Right. Beer’s fine.”
“A girl after my own heart.” He looked for Franky, but his buddy was probably stuck in the back room. In his absence, he ordered two Stellas from the bartender in charge, then led her to a quiet booth in back. She slid into one side of the booth.
He thought about sitting opposite her. He really did. But there was something about the way the bar lights hit the auburn strands in her hair that made him want to sit next to her. So he did, much to her surprise.
“What?” He tried to act as if it was no big deal. “The music’s loud. We won’t hear each other talk.”
She seemed to accept his excuse and smiled.
Liam realized seeing her smile felt good. Better than he’d expected. It made him strangely protective as well, especially when he remembered her epilepsy. “Are you okay with the flashing lights in here, you know, with your condition?”
“Yeah. Strobe lights don’t bother me. I take medication. Drinking alcohol is more of a trigger but I just won’t get carried away.” She took a ladylike sip and looked around the bar, her head bobbing to the music in the background. The usual band was in the house, knocking off an acoustic cover of “Welcome to the Jungle.”
They didn’t talk for a couple of minutes, but Liam caught her staring at him once or twice. Hell, she caught him doing the same thing. They both blushed like kids each time it happened.
He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had made him blush. Had he ever?
They laughed it off, and he asked her about her singing career. Pretty soon, they were talking comfortably, and somehow ended up on the topic of dating experiences gone wrong. He had to admit it pleased him to hear she was single. Before long, they were clinking bottles like old friends and teasing each other with good-natured pokes and jostles.
An hour later, she changed the subject. “So, aren’t we supposed to be hitting rock bottom? I don’t think it’s meant to be this much fun.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, dropping back to reality. “I guess I’m avoiding it.”
“So what does that mean to you? What’s your rock bottom? Calling off your lawyer?”
Shit. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that yet. All of a sudden, he didn’t want to focus on his own issues. “We’ll get to that. Tell me about your father first.”
Her smile ran from her face. “Do I have to?”
Liam looked her straight in the eye. “Rock bottom, remember? I’ll share mine if you share yours, group leader.” She still seemed hesitant so he prompted her. “Your dad gambles?”
She let out a long sigh. “Yeah. The only times I’ve seen him the past few years were when he showed up to ask for money.”
“So he’s not in your life at all?”
“I don’t think he ever was, not even when I lived under his roof. He’s obsessed. If he were here, he’d bet on which of us would finish our beers first. He’s sick and has no desire to get better.”
“You told me your friend’s husband gambles too.”
“That’s how Lisa and I met, at New Horizons. She was one of my first attendees. Donny is almost as bad as my dad. Neither of them will have a happy ending.”
“Thus, your protest.” He took a swig of beer, careful not to turn this into a blame game.
“Look,” she said, puffing out her cheeks. “I’m sorry I hassled you at your grand opening, but you have to understand where I’m coming from. A compulsive gambler is like a drug addict. They can’t stop. They don’t know how. So it’s up to those of us left behind to try to make sense of it all.
“My dad doesn’t want to change. He doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with him. He thinks the rest of the world is askew. I can’t change him, or the past, but maybe I can affect some small change in the world where he lives.” She stared at him, her brow furrowed with worry. “You seem like a decent person, Liam, but I won’t sit here and lie to you. I won’t pretend I like your line of work, because I don’t. I can’t. I’ve been hurt by it too many times.”
And here he wondered if she might sleep with him? He probably had a better chance with Beck outside. “And yet you give your dad more money so he never hits rock bottom?”
Her lip trembled in a way that made him want to put his arm around her. And, though he hated to admit it, it also made his pants feel tight. “I know, and that’s why I’m a fraud,” she said. “I shouldn’t be leading those meetings. My friends would be so disappointed if they knew the truth.”
He put down his beer and reached for her hand, wanting to make her feel better. Damn, her skin was soft. Surely it was no different than another woman’s, but for some reason it felt like velvet in his hands. “Last I checked, you weren’t nominated for a sainthood, so don’t worry if the halo doesn’t fit. Maybe you should stop worrying about helping your friends, and concentrate on helping yourself.”
“I don’t know how.”
“Yes, you do, Kate. You’ve always known. Stop giving your father money. He has to hit his lowest point before he can get better.”
“The problem is, I’m afraid his rock bottom will only come with him at a cemetery. He should have hit his lowest point years ago.”
He brushed a hand against her cheek. “Why do you say that?”
She looked at him, her eyes now brimming with tears. “My mother died because of him. If he didn’t hit rock bottom over that, he won’t change just because I cut him off.”
He caught one of her tears as it trailed her cheek. “How did she die?”
“She killed herself.”
Fuck. Maybe the beer had rendered him overly sympathetic, but out of nowhere waves of sorrow began to wash over Liam, making him feel as if he were drowning in a vast ocean. “Oh, Jesus, Kate. I’m so sorry.” He gathered her into his arms and held her. She didn’t fight back and laid her head against his chest. It felt right there. He ran a hand over her soft hair, gathering her ponytail into his hand and fingering the silky mane.
“It happened ten years ago, but it feels like last week. She’d put up with my dad’s gambling since I was a kid, had begged him to stop until she was hoarse. When I was at college, he lost everything, cleared out my mom’s accounts, threw it all away. She’d begged so many bank managers for leniency, had borrowed so much money from family members and friends. The shame was just too much. She took a bunch of painkillers one night, and left a note saying she wanted it all to go away.”