Page 44 of Tangled in Temptation

“Want me to kick his ass?” Tristan asked.

“No, thank you.” I smiled. “I appreciate the offer, though. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”

We ordered a pitcher of beer and two platters of nachos to split between us. The bar’s nachos were notorious, piled high with melted cheese, jalapenos, salsa, and a generous dollop of sour cream. It was the perfect comfort food.

Tristan brought up a game of trivia in an attempt to lighten the mood. We all knew that Amber was the worst at trivia, but she was a good sport and played anyway. In between rounds, we chatted and laughed.

“Hey, there’s my buddy,” Tristan said and waved.

I didn’t bother looking to see who he was waving at.

“Luke,” Tristan said with a smile.

I looked up and sure enough, it was the same Luke. “Hey, guys,” Luke said with a smile. “Hi, Catherine.”

“You two know each other?” Amber asked.

“Yes.” I nodded. “He works with my dad.”

“Sit down,” Tristan said.

I scooted over and made room for him. “You’re back,” he said. “Your dad said you were going to be out of town for a couple of days.”

“I’m back,” I said with a tight smile.

As the evening wore on, I found myself drawn to Luke’s genuine nature. His down-to-earth demeanor was a stark contrast to Timothy. He was the exact opposite of Timothy. Luke wasn’t wealthy or pretentious, and I didn’t think he had a bitchy ex-wife. But as much as I wanted to like him, my heart was not ready to move on. If only I had met Luke first, this might all be very different.

“We’re going to head out,” Amber said. “I’ll call you in the morning. Try to get some sleep.”

I held up my empty glass. “If I drink another one of these, it won’t be an option,” I giggled.

They left, leaving me alone with Luke. “Want to finish off this pitcher?” he asked.

I grinned. “We don’t want to waste it.”

“Exactly my thoughts,” he replied, filling both of our glasses.

We sat there in silence for a moment. The soft murmurs of conversations and clinking of glasses filled the air, making me feel relatively at ease.

“To moving forward,” he said finally, raising his glass.

“To moving forward,” I echoed, tapping my glass against his.

After we finished the pitcher, he looked at me, like really looked. “Would you like to come back to my place?” he asked softly.

I should say yes. Getting with someone else would be one way to get over Timothy. It would close the Timothy door for good.

But I couldn’t do it.

“Tempting,” I said. “Very tempting, but I’m not ready for that just yet. I’m still hung up on someone.”

“I understand,” he said. “Come on, we’ll share an Uber.”

In the Uber, we sat in a comfortable silence. I was glad he didn’t ask about Timothy or any of the drama that had sent me to the bar in the first place.

Once we got to my house, he helped me out of the car and walked me up to my door. “It was good catching up with you,” he said, his voice gentle against the still night. “I hope the guy that’s making you sad knows just what he’s missing out on.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “I appreciate that.”