Rewind It Back (Windy City, #5)(41)

I watch her throat move through a swallow. “He’s never called me that before. I think he thought you were some random guy so he was pretending to mark his territory.”

“Yeah, well you’re not his, so tell him to keep his hands to himself too.”

Her eyes drop to my mouth. “I’m not yours either.”

We’ll see.

It’s the first thought that runs through my head, when I’m so used to that anger towards her being the inclination.

I wet my lips, leaning in awfully close. “You sure look good in my shirt for not being mine.”

“Get fucked, DeLuca.”

I smile as I open the door. “Would love to. You just let me know when and where, Hart.”

She enters the loud bar, throwing a middle finger over her shoulder for me to see.

But all it does is make my smile grow because Hallie can pretend to be unaffected by me, by us, by our history, but she’s still wearing my shirt when she gets back to work and looks damn good in it.



The last of my teammates left in rideshares by the time the bar closed. I hung out with them inside, drinking water and making sure there was a generous tip attached to our bill until we got kicked out.

I didn’t bother Hallie the rest of the night but I sure as fuck kept my eye on her.

And just as she always has been, she was personable and kind, even when people turned into drunken assholes. Behind the bar, she would listen intently when someone decided she was the one they wanted to spill every detail of their lives to. She was nonstop on her feet, pouring drinks, and cleaning up broken glass.

And that was after a whole day working at the design firm and my house.

Once we all got kicked out for closing time, I pulled my truck into the same lot, behind her car, and waited.

Ken Doll walks out with her, laughing at something she says, and as much as I hate that her smile isn’t directed at me, the guy is kind of massive and I don’t hate the idea of knowing he walks her out each night.

Surprisingly, the grin on her face doesn’t fade when she spots me getting out of my truck. Her expression doesn’t waver, as if she knew I’d be waiting for her after her shift.

But when he spots me, Ken takes off towards his car after giving Hallie a quick wave.

And she’s still wearing my shirt.

“I want to hate that guy,” I tell her, meeting her at her car, but keeping my eye on his retreating back. “Do you work with him every night?”

“Most nights. If I’m not working with him, I’m working with his boyfriend.”

That earns my attention and when I whip in her direction, she’s got this shit-eating grin on her face.

“You couldn’t have told me that earlier?”

“Must have slipped my mind.” She unlocks her car. Manually. With the actual key because that’s how old this thing is. “Your girlfriend left with your buddy. The young one who comes in here all the time.”

“Good for them. She’s not my girlfriend, but I did feel bad that her friend bailed on her.”

Her smile is soft, as if she already knew all that. “You didn’t need to wait for me. I’m exhausted. I’m heading home.”

“I wanted to make sure you got to your car safely.” I open her car door for her and wait until she gets behind the wheel. “See you at home.”

She playfully shakes her head. “See you at home.”

I close the door for her and get back into my truck, turning on the engine and waiting for her to start her car so I can follow her home.

I can tell she tries to start it because her taillights flash for a moment, but then they go dark again. Cracking my door open, I listen as she tries again, only for a whirring sound to come from the engine.

Her eyes find mine through her side mirror and I gesture for her to get in my truck.

It’s late, she’s tired, and we can deal with this tomorrow.

What I want to tell her is that she needs to get a different car. One that’s reliable and not leaking things all over the place, but tonight is not the night for that conversation. Not after she told me how much she’s struggling financially and definitely not after she got embarrassed when I found out she was going to be bartending for me and my friends.

Instead, I get out and open the passenger side door of my truck for her.

“Sorry.” It’s said sheepishly under her breath as she climbs in.

“Don’t be.”

“I’ll get it looked at tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

I close her in my truck before rounding the hood and getting in myself. I start the engine, cranking up the heat for her, before pulling out of the lot to drive back to our places.

We don’t speak. In fact, it’s almost uncomfortably silent for the first five minutes of the drive. Hallie is stiff in the seat beside me, sitting up straight with her hands tucked between her thighs as she watches the city go by out the window.

I don’t know what to say other than something stupid about how much I missed her, or how I might not be as mad as I thought I was, or how the bedroom she’s going to be designing, I had only ever pictured sharing it with her.

So, I make sure not to talk. Instead, I do the one thing that’s always acted as our communication.

I turn on some music.

Out of my periphery, I see Hallie glance in my direction with a little smile on her lips as the tune fills the cab. It’s only a minute before she’s more comfortable in the seat, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.