“Thanks, but she’s all set,” he said.
As the guy’s eyes met Danny’s, his seductive expression faltered.
“Sorry, bro,” he said, holding both hands up in a peace offering before he turned and made his way to the other side of the bar.
Danny watched him until he was far enough away that he knew he wouldn’t be coming back, and then he looked down at Leah.
“I hope I didn’t just blow that for you. Were you planning on taking My Cousin Vinny home?”
She smiled as she turned her body to face him. Danny kept his hand on her so that when she turned, it traveled along her lower back, coming to rest on her opposite hip.
“Take him home?” she said in horror. “No way. I was probably just gonna bang him in the bathroom and then bail.”
Danny laughed loudly, and she grinned, her chin lifted slightly as she looked up at him.
Someone cleared her throat loudly, and Danny turned to see the two girls from before staring pointedly at Leah.
Her expression and posture straightened simultaneously. “Oh, sorry. Guys, this is Danny. Danny, this is Robyn and Holly.”
Danny took his hand off Leah’s hip and reached out, shaking each of theirs. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “Did you guys just order drinks?”
“No, not yet,” the little one—Holly—said. “We’re waiting for the bartender.”
Danny stepped forward and held up his hand, and a second later, Damon glanced up at him from behind the bar. Danny made a wide circle over the girls’ heads with his finger before pointing back to himself, and Damon gave him the thumbs-up and then pointed up at the second level.
“That’s my friend Damon,” Danny said to the girls. “You guys are all set.”
“All set?” the one named Robyn asked.
“Yeah, you’re on the house tonight.”
Danny caught the smile that lifted the corner of Holly’s mouth as she elbowed Robyn just before he turned back to Leah. “We have a table up there, if you guys want to come up.”
He could still see Holly and Robyn in his peripheral vision, although they clearly didn’t know that: Robyn was nodding enthusiastically while mouthing an exaggerated “say yes” at Leah, while Holly gave her the OK sign, looking him over as she mouthed the word “hot.” He pressed his lips together, trying to keep a straight face as he waited for her reply.
“Um, yeah, sure,” she said before turning her attention to the girls, and as soon as Danny followed suit, both girls immediately straightened their expressions. “You guys want to go upstairs?”
“Sure,” Holly said nonchalantly. “Danny, this is so nice of you. Thank you.”
“No problem,” he said. “Follow me.”
Danny led the way to the back stairs, nodding at the bouncer who sat on the stool at the bottom.
“What’s up, Dan,” he said, gesturing for them to pass. As the girls followed him up the stairs, he added, “Have a good night, ladies.”
Danny rounded the corner and made his way toward their booth, and as Tommy saw him approaching, he called out, “Danny boy! Where the hell did you just run off to?”
“I saw a friend. Tommy, this is Leah, and that’s Holly and Robyn.”
“Welcome, ladies,” Tommy said, sliding over to make room, and Holly slid in first, followed by Robyn and then Leah.
When Danny slid in behind her, she smiled wryly. “I had no idea you were such a big shot,” she said.
“A big shot?” He laughed. “Hardly. I’m just a lowly mechanic who happens to know the head bartender.”
“A humble big shot? Those are the most dangerous kind.”
Danny smirked and Tommy said, “I think Damon’s sending drinks up. Does he know they’re up here?”
“Yeah,” Danny said just as Jake approached the table with his beer.
“What do we have here?” he asked, eyeing the girls as he slid in the booth next to Tommy.
“DeLuca,” Tommy answered, nodding over at him.
“All three of them?” he asked, raising his beer in salute. “Impressive.”
Danny leaned down, bringing his lips to Leah’s ear. “That’s Jake. I apologize in advance for him.”
She laughed, leaning in conspiratorially as she nodded toward Holly. “Wait until this one gets going. They’ll cancel each other out, and then we’ll be even.”
Danny smiled as one of the waitresses approached them with a tray of six shots, placing one in front of each person at the table.
“Alabama Slammers all around,” she said with a wink before she walked away, and Danny’s smile fell.
“Who ordered these?” he asked flatly.
Everyone reached for a shot as if he hadn’t spoken, and Danny pushed his to the center of the table.
“I’m good, if anyone wants that.”
Tommy lowered his shot, looking at Danny over the top of it. “Bro, you have to take it. It’s for Bryan.”
The words took the air right out of his body. Danny stared at his friend from across the table, concentrating on taking his next breath.
He had no idea what expression he was wearing, but it must have been something truly special because the color instantly drained from Tommy’s face before his eyes flitted away.
He could see that Leah was watching him, and he reached across the table, pulling the shot back as his jaw tensed. His knee began bouncing under the table, and all he really wanted to do in that moment was pick up the glass and throw it against the wall.
From across the table, Jake lifted his shot up high, glancing up at the ceiling before he took it, and that gesture pushed Danny over the edge.
He tossed the shot back before placing the empty glass on the table. “Excuse me,” he mumbled before he slid out of the booth and walked toward the stairwell.
Danny quickly pushed his way through the crowd on the lower level, yanking the door open and stumbling out into the frigid January air.
As soon as he was outside, he bent at the waist, bringing his hands to his knees as he dropped his head.
“Tommy, what the fuck,” he muttered as he straightened, running both hands down his face.
Why the hell would he have done that?
Because he’s Bryan’s friend too.
Danny dropped his head back, leaving his hands over his mouth as he blinked up at the sky.
Because he’s dealing with it his way.
He closed his eyes, shaking his head. He was such a fucking hypocrite. How could he begrudge someone his method of dealing with everything, when both Tommy and Jake had been nothing but accommodating to him?
And his methods weren’t always as diplomatic as ordering a round of drinks.
Just let it go.
He rubbed his hands over his face again before he exhaled.
He really needed to push all this shit aside right now, because he had dragged Leah into his night, and the only thing he should be focusing on was having a good time with her.
Let it go. For one night, just let it go.
With a tiny breath to steel his resolve, he turned and opened the door, reentering the bar. By the time he made his way back upstairs, he could see the empty shot glasses had already been cleared. Tommy looked up, catching his eyes as he approached, and Danny gave him a nod. He nodded in return, holding his hand up in understanding just as Leah’s head turned in Danny’s direction.
“Hey,” she said gently, fiddling with one of her earrings as she looked up at him. “Where’d you go?”
Danny rubbed the back of his neck. “Just needed some air for a minute.”
She kept her eyes on him for a moment before she nodded. “Yeah, it’s definitely hot in here,” she said, scooping her hair off her neck with both hands.
He could tell she didn’t buy that story for one second.
And yet she smiled up at him as she released her hair, scooting over a few inches to make room for him in the booth again.
He had no idea how she managed to do that—to erase his discomfort with a simple look. And when he sat down beside her, the remaining tension drained from his body as if her presence alone had siphoned it out of him.