Hooked on You: An Annapolis Harbor Series Prequel, Lea Coll [love letters to the dead .txt] 📗

couldn’t help with much else and not for the first time, I hated the fact I’d screwed my life up when I was younger. That my conviction would forever be on my record. If only I could save him from the same fate.

I fed him dinner, packed a container of leftovers for him, and told him to keep ice on his eye. As part of our routine, I made him promise to stay home tonight.

The entire evening at work, my mind remained on Zach and his situation.

“You see your girl showed up to help?” Isaac tilted his head toward the end of the bar where Taylor now leaned, her breasts spilling out of her tight blank tank top.

“She’s not my girl,” I murmured but I was already making my way toward her. I forced myself to meet her sparkling blue eyes.

I took the order slip out of her hand, leaned my elbows on the countertop, and spoke into her ear. “Are you doing this on purpose?”

She smiled. “Is it working?”

My cock twitched in my jeans. “It’s having the desired effect.”

Her eyes widened.

“Now’s not the time or place, babe.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “Sorry,” she said softly.

“I don’t think you’re sorry at all.”

“I’m not.” She gestured at her top. “This really helps my tips.”

I growled.

Smirking, she flounced back to her tables and I couldn’t stop watching her ass in the tight jeans she wore. I wanted to know if she’d put panties on. I could only assume she had since she seemed like a good girl but I wanted to dirty her up—make her bad.

“Are you going to make those drinks?” Isaac grabbed the slip out of my fingers.

“All yours.”

“Nope. Taylor’s all yours.” Isaac slapped the slip down in front of me. I wanted to protest, but suddenly the thought of Taylor being mine didn’t sound so bad. She fit in at my bar. The customers liked her. She worked without complaint. Maybe we had more in common than I thought. But was it enough to start a physical relationship? I very much wanted to find out, even if it turned out to be a bad idea.

The bar was hopping tonight, and I didn’t have another second to think about Taylor until later when she asked to take a phone call in the office. When she didn’t come back after ten minutes, I asked Anna to cover for me while I checked on her.

The door was slightly ajar so I pushed it all the way open. Taylor sat on the couch supporting her head in her hand, her elbow resting on her knee. “Are you sure? I can be on a flight out tomorrow morning.” Her voice was strained like she was trying not to cry.

I hesitated at the doorway. I didn’t know what to do with a crying female. Usually when women got emotional with me, I cut them loose. I didn’t want to intrude on a private moment but at the same time I wanted to know why she was upset. I closed the door with a soft click.

Her head turned toward the sound and her eyes widened in surprise. “Mom, I have to go, I’m still working.” She stood, smoothing her apron. “Yeah, I told you I’m waitressing at night.” She rolled her eyes at me. “No, Mom. I don’t need money. I’m just helping a friend. Mom, I have to go. Thanks for calling and letting me know what’s going on, but if you need me I’m there, okay?” She said goodbye and tucked her phone in her back pocket.

“Sorry, about that.” Her face was a careful mask, but I could see her eyes were watery.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” I stepped closer, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

She sucked in a breath and turned away from me.

“Are you okay?”

She waved me off. “Oh yeah. I’m fine. That was my mom.”

“Yeah, got that. Is everything okay at home?” I knew it wasn’t. I wished she wouldn’t lie to me.

Her lips were in a tight line and I could tell she was wondering whether it was a good idea to confide in me. “It’s my brother.”

I tried to rack my brain to remember what she’d told me about her brother, but I couldn’t. Maybe it was when we met, and I’d been so annoyed by her presence I didn’t focus on her words. I wanted her to trust me—to tell me what was going on that had her so upset, even if I had no right to know.

“Caleb wandered out of the house. By the time the cops found him, he was really upset and they had trouble calming him down. You know, not everyone knows how to deal with someone who’s autistic. And people often know of high-functioning autistic people but not someone as severely disabled as my brother.” She let out an agitated breath. “I worry about my parents. It wasn’t a big deal when he was younger, but now he’s an adult. He’s too big to physically restrain him.” She took a few deep breaths.

My face wrinkled in confusion. Why did I not remember she had a disabled brother? Had she told me?

“My mom always says I have this calming effect on him and I’m worried that me being here isn’t good for him.” Her eyes were filled with pain.

She stood abruptly, brushing tears off her face. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about this. I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s not a big deal.”

But I could tell it was. It was a huge deal to her. Her body was tightly strung like she was waiting for me to say something—something that would hurt her. Did she think I would judge her because her brother was autistic? “You’re upset.”

“I need to get back to work.” She tried to walk past me, but I touched her arm.

“Take a second. Just breathe.” I was still stuck on the fact that she had a severely disabled brother and she was torn on