"I have the most perfect parking spot near my place," he said, making her laugh. It was a longstanding joke between him and Darryl. During undergrad it had been a constant battle between the two to see who'd get cajoled into taking out their car first, and sacrificing whatever primo parking place they'd managed to score near the apartment they'd shared.
"Besides," he added, pointing to his glass, "I've had three of these, I think. So it's just as well that you're here to babysit me on my way home."
"Is that so?" She leaned toward him, mischief flashing in her eyes as she rested a hand on his thigh for balance. "Just how much care are you going to need?"
Was she flirting? Holy shit, she was flirting.
It must have surprised her as much as it did him, because she sat back suddenly, her eyes wide, then cleared her throat. "Um, sorry. I--I forgot to ask Brent something."
Before he could ask what, she hopped down and hurried toward the back, following Brent's path through the crowd.
Eric came over and leaned against the bar, looking frazzled. At the other end, Aly was mixing drinks, too, having recently started to split her time between waiting tables and bartending.
"You want another?" Eric asked. "Better yet, you want to hop back here and help out. Aly's good, but slow. Tonight's not a good night for slow."
"Not a chance," Cam said. "And just remember that the more crowded the bar, the more likely we'll all still have a job come December." That, Cam knew, was the drop-dead date. He didn't know how much money The Fix needed to show on the books, but he knew that if the magic number hadn't been reached by New Year's Eve, then Tyree and the partners were selling the place.
Honestly, the thought was too depressing to ponder.
"Another?" Eric prompted, and Cam glanced around for Mina, his mind recalling that sparkle in her eye when she'd pressed her hand to his thigh.
He imagined pulling her close and kissing her hard. And he considered the very interesting fact that Eric was offering him another shot of liquid courage.
And what the hell, right? After all, he did have a ride home.
"You know what?" he said. "I do want another."
Eric's grin suggested he'd seen every one of Cam's thoughts flash across his face, but to his credit he didn't say a word. Just poured the bourbon, added some water, and slid the drink across the bar to Cam, who sipped. And then sipped some more.
A few more sips, and he was almost to the bottom of the glass. And Mina still hadn't come back.
He frowned, unwelcome jealousies popping into his head. What if she'd run into one of her old boyfriends? What if she'd settled in at someone else's table? It wasn't as if they were together. And, sure, she offered him a ride, but that didn't obligate her to stay attached to his hip. Did it?
He twisted at the waist, his gaze skimming the crowd, and almost sagged with relief when he saw her pushing her way toward him, her hand going up in greeting.
"Sorry," she said as she reached him. "It took a while to catch up to Brent, and I had to hit the ladies room."
His attention was drawn to her mouth, the lips pale pink and glossy. She'd freshened her makeup. But had she freshened it for him?
That green thread of jealousy returned along with the memory of Brent's face. "What did you need to talk to Brent about?" He worked to keep his voice casual. It hadn't occurred to him before, but Brent was single. And good-looking.
Not that Cam considered himself an expert on the appeal of men, but he'd seen the reactions of enough female customers to confirm the assessment.
Were Brent and Mina--?
He forced himself not to think about it. Mostly because the thought made him want to find Brent and punch him.
"Mrs. Westerfield quit," Mina said.
"Who?"
"His babysitter," Mina explained. "I offered to babysit if he needs someone. Assuming it works into my schedule."
"Yeah? That was nice of you."
She laughed. "Well, don't sound so surprised!"
"Sorry. I only mean that you never babysat. When we were in high school, I mean. Did you?" He assumed he knew, but they hadn't gone to the same high school. For all Cam knew, Mina had been a babysitti