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“What just happened?” Laurel asked. Zack was waving at Kirk and didn’t answer. “You ran him off. What did that mean, he values his life?”
Zack rolled his eyes. “He knows Travis would kill him if he hooked up with you.”
Her mouth fell open. “That’s not Travis’s business. Or yours either, Mr. Buttinsky.”
“Look, Nathan is an okay guy, but I know him. He’s made it obvious that he’s not in the market for anything more than a one-night stand.”
Her brows drew together. She’d had a little too much to drink to be very logical but one thing stood out to her befuddled brain. Zack was ruining her night of freedom. The only one she was likely to have for a long, long time. Her one night to not worry about her kids or finding another job. She took another sip of her drink and set it down on the bar. “How do you know I’m not looking for the same thing?”
*
Zack had always thought the phrase “seeing red” wasn’t literal. Until he saw Nathan putting the moves on Laurel. She wanted a one-night stand with some dude she didn’t even know? Laurel? Sensible, hardworking, responsible Laurel? “Nice try, but I’m not buying it.”
“No one asked you to. I was having fun. And now you’ve run him off and I’m not having fun anymore.” She waved at Kirk.
Zack shook his head at the bartender and made a sign to bring him the check. He’d tried to talk to Jalisco’s manager again but the man had been adamant that Laurel had crossed the line and he wouldn’t take her back. After that Zack had gone looking for Laurel and seen her car but no sign of Laurel. He stopped at the few places he thought she might be, winding up at Booze’s. Sure enough, there she was. Flirting with Nathan. Nathan, who everyone knew was only out for a good time.
“Come on, Laurel. Let me take you home.”
“I’m not going home. My kids are spending the night with Harlan and Savannah and I lost my job and the last thing I want to do is go home and be depressed by myself.”
“You’re understandably upset about losing—”
“Of course I’m upset! I needed it, even if it was a crap job. The pay sucked, it made my feet hurt and if another man grabbed my butt I was going to go ballistic. Oh, wait. I already did that.” She laughed and took another drink.
Where was the damn check? “Just how were you planning to get home?”
“I was going to get Nathan to take me. Until you ran him off.”
“What were you going to do before you met him?”
“Call a cab.” She hopped down from the barstool and grabbed his arm to keep herself upright. “Oops. The ground was farther away than I thought. Be a sweetheart and get me a drink,” she said and headed off toward the restrooms.
Fat chance. He poured out what was left of her margarita. He managed to get her out of Booze’s by letting her think he was taking her somewhere else to get a drink. His pickup was parked nearby and he steered her toward it. “Why do we need your truck? Aren’t we going someplace around here?”
“It’s a surprise. Just get in.” Laurel was short and his truck sat up high and didn’t have a running board. After watching her try to haul herself up into the cab, and missing several times, he gave her a boost with his hand on her butt. Fortunately, she seemed to find that hilarious. He’d been half afraid she’d slug him.
“I can do it myself,” she told him when he pulled her seat belt out to fasten it around her.
“I’m sure you can.” In a pig’s eye. “But I’m here so I’ll just help you.” With any luck she’d pass out on the way to her house.
She didn’t pass out. She talked. A lot. He’d never realized Laurel was so talkative. “Why don’t you ever come to Jalisco’s with a woman? It’s always just you.”
“Because I’m not dating anyone.”
“Why not? You’re awfully cute. Well, hot. Yeah, hot. That’s what you are.”
He shot her a glance. “Thanks. Or I would thank you if you weren’t drunk.”
“I’m not drunk.”
Zack pulled up at a stop sign and simply lifted an eyebrow at her.
“I’m feeling no pain. But I’m not drunk. So why don’t you have a girlfriend? You usually do.”
“I gave up women for Lent.”
She thought about that for a minute. “It’s not Lent. Oh, well, never mind. You’re not dating anyone. And I’m divorced. D-I-V-O-R-C-E-D,” she sang, extremely off-key.
