Chapter57

#Chapter57

JAMESON

Present day

The group of college kids made the bar seem more crowded than it was. Their tinkling laughter and loud guffaws occupied the small space and made the somewhat somber area come alive.

There were plenty of empty seats at the bar top and the tables beyond. Instead, I waited until my stool became available.

The stool I’d sat on when Vegas had tapped me on the shoulder.

A woman, blond with an athletic body—Shelia’s carbon copy—occupied my seat. I ordered a drink and retreated to the shadows, sipping my martini slowly until she left. I hoped it would be before Axel arrived. He’d give me hell if he caught me waiting for a chair when any old one would do.

What could I say? My unique rules of conformity made me a creature of habit. I gravitated to places that held fond memories and avoided those that maimed my spirit. Shelia had made many a place I’d held dear off limits in her quest to destroy our relationship.