Still lost in thought, Nish hadn’t even noticed the man sit a few seats away from her until the bartender spoke up. She glanced up at him, thinking he’d wanted her attention, but then realizing he was talking to someone else. The lady drinks whiskey...dully, she realized he was speaking about her. A frown furrowed her brow as she sluggishly worked out what was going on, and she glanced over at the new face two seats over.
“The lady can buy her own whiskey,” she said, carefully, as if she might stumble over the words if she didn’t pay attention. Still, it didn’t stop her from accepting the glass that was poured for her right after, the same good Irish whiskey she’d been drinking all night. She picked it up, and then finally met eyes with with the newcomer, nodding in thanks. She watched him turn back to his glass, minding his own business the way she’d seen in places like this many times before. People sat at the bar to talk, but he was showing her that he wouldn’t force a conversation.
After a moment’s hesitation, she sipped her whiskey, a little slower this time, and then cleared her throat. “Thanks,” she said with an approximation of a smile. A beat. “You’re not from around here,” she guessed, then shrugged. “Repose is a small town,” she added as explanation.