Chapter 17

Clementine

My Friday shift went surprisingly well. And by well, I meant that not one angry patron threw a glass of wine on me. I took that as a win!

Ryan happened to be working as well and joined me behind the bar. I could appreciate Ryan’s good looks now that I had no distractions. His eyes were a crystal grey that was ringed in a soft brown. His nose was sharp and angular, and his lips were thin. He had a strong jawline that was cleanly shaven and very straight white teeth. His smooth brown hair had just been cut by his mother, who was complaining it was getting too long—or so he had told me—and was now sitting under his earlobes at the base of his neck rather than at the tops of his shoulders. I never noticed how large he was until I had to stand next to him. He had to be well over six feet tall, and, as my father would say, built like a brick shithouse. I remember his mother saying he was a part of a sports team, and it made me wonder what the game was, because honestly, no avera