hung in the air, trapped by the smoke. The music came from a jukebox and was earsplitting loud. Cecilia had to struggle to hear her customersâ orders.
One man who drank alone seemed to speak softly in an effort to force her to lean closer. He was older, at least forty, and he sent out all the signalsâhe was interested in her. He gave her the creeps and Cecilia did her best to ignore him. The way his eyes followed her about the room made her skin crawl.
By closing time only a few patrons lingered; unfortunately her admirer was one of them. Ceciliaâs feet hurt and her eyes smarted from the smoke. She was eager to collect her tips and head home. Just when she thought she was finished for the night, Ian and Andrew Lackey, another sailor, walked into the bar.
Cecilia tensed, especially when she noticed Ianâs demeanor. It was obvious The Captainâs Galley hadnât been his first stop. Her husband didnât hold his liquor well, never had, and generally avoided anything stronger than beer.
Her attention was on Ian when she should have been keeping closer tabs on the loner whose gaze had been glued to her for the last four hours.
âYou wanna bite to eat?â The husky male voice spoke from behind her.
Cecilia whirled around.
âIâm Bart, and youâre Cecilia, right?â
âRight.â She watched Ian and his friend stroll up to the bar. Her husband seemed to be pretending she wasnât there. But then, that was his preferred approach to anything awkward or inconvenient, wasnât it? âActually itâs been a long night,â she answered, her gaze flicking back to Bart. âAnother time.â In your dreams, she added silently.
âYouâve gotta be hungry.â
âAhâ¦â
Ian finally glanced in her direction, and his eyes narrowed when he saw her talking to the other man.
âHey, itâs no big deal. Breakfast, conversation.â Bart continued the pressure. âYou look like you could use a friend and I can be a very goodâ¦friend.â
Cecilia was more concerned about Ian than ditching Bart. âI donât think so.â
âTomorrow then, just you and me.â
âIâ¦â Her gaze flew from Bart to Ian, who was scowling heavily. She was afraid heâd cause a scene, which she wanted to avoid, for everyoneâs sake.
Ian leaned toward his friend and whispered, but Andrew adamantly shook his head. Cecilia could see that Ian was looking for trouble and his friend was trying to dissuade him.
âPerhaps another night,â Cecilia said quickly, putting Bartoff. That seemed the best way of getting rid of him before Ian did something stupid.
Her husband stepped away from the bar. âIs he bothering you?â he demanded, his words half-slurred.
âButt out,â Bart snarled, angry at the interruption. He seemed to think he was making progress with Cecilia. He wasnât, but Ian didnât know that and apparently neither did he.
Andrew tried to stop him, but Ian shook off his hand and advanced a menacing step. He wasnât about to back down, even if Bart outweighed him by fifty pounds. âIn case you didnât know it, youâre trying to pick up my wife.â
Bart glanced at Cecilia as if to gauge the truth. She didnât dare meet his look.
âWeâre divorced, remember?â she taunted, reminding her husband that itâd been his idea to pretend they were no longer married.
âThe hell we are.â
âYouâre the one who said we should just get on with our lives.â
âIâ¦Iâ¦â Ian sputtered, searching for a satisfactory reply.
âWhy should you care if I date another man?â
âBecause until a judge says otherwise, youâre legally my wife!â
âAre you married or not?â Bart muttered.
âMarried!â Ian shouted.
âSeparated,â Cecilia said.
Bart reached for his jacket. âIn that