LEXIE
Mr. Harlan let me go early on Friday because the store was dead and he said, in his usual gentle way, that I was making the empty aisles look sad by standing around in them.
I didn't argue. I said goodbye to Mrs. Ellis, who was in for her weekly refill and gave me a full rundown of her nephew's dating life on the way out, and headed back to the bar in the warm afternoon sun.
The bar was quiet when I walked in, that easy pre-evening lull. Mia was in the back doing something with the kitchen radio turned up too loud. Crow was outside with the bike, as always. Chaos was at the bar going through invoices.
I came around and poured myself a water and sat down beside him, that was when I noticed a watch on his left wrist.
Simple, old, a leather band that had gone soft with age and a
