The MacAllisters of Rivers End Collection Books 1-4

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Shannon hurried the three blocks through town, chilly without her jacket. The temperature had warmed up a little since the previous night, and the new year was offering up a little sunshine to start the day. The stores were closed, and the streets were mostly empty, so at least her walk of shivery shame wasn’t noticed by too many people.

She passed the travel agency and the realty office and then turned left onto Main Street. Jeannie’s diner was open and doing a bustling business, so Shannon stayed on the other side of the street. The smell of bacon in the air made her stomach growl and lurch at the same time. Ugh. Not quite ready for food.

Tracy looked up from her cleaning when Shannon pushed through the door. Shannon felt sheepish, miserable, and freezing cold at the same time. The Great Big Sea blasting from the speakers wasn’t doing her headache any favours, either. She sighed in relief as Tracy grabbed the remote and turned it down a few notches. “Thank God. I thought my head was going to explode.”

“Looking a little green about the gills there, my friend. I told you those tequila shots were not a good idea.” Tracy dropped her rag into a bucket of bleach water and turned her attention to Shannon.

“You’re a wise woman. Unlike me.” Shannon slid onto a barstool and put her head in her hands, the smell of bleach and stale beer making her stomach roll. “I feel like a donkey kicked me in the head. Plus, I just puked, for the second time in less than twelve hours, in a toilet that is not my own.”

Tracy raised an eyebrow. “Classy. And how did Lucas feel about that?” She filled a rocks glass with ginger ale and slid it across the bar as Shannon avoided eye contact.

“What makes you think it was Lucas’s toilet?”

“Please. I am the all-seeing, all-knowing bartender. You two walked out together last night after he watched you flirting with every other male in here. I hope you at least got to sample the goods before you tossed your cookies.”

Shannon groaned. “I’m not talking about it. Mostly because the details are hazy. Although I will confirm that the man can kiss.” She took a sip of ginger ale. “Of all the people in here I could have gone home with, why’d it have to be Lucas?”

Tracy snorted. “Seriously? The sparkage between the two of you is off the charts. Plus, he’s gorgeous. And from what I’ve seen, a nice guy to boot.” She switched to scrubbing at the bar again. “What are you going to do about last night?”

“Nothing. It was a momentary lapse, and at least I didn’t sleep with him. I’m going to stay the hell out of his way, and we’ll just pretend that nothing ever happened.”

Tracy gave her a skeptical look and went back to wiping the bar.

“What?”

“Good luck with that.”

Shannon finished the rest of her ginger ale and made her way over to the coat rack to pick up her jacket, giving it a shake and making her keys jingle in the pocket. “Thanks. I think I’m gonna need it.”