Page 75 of SnowBound

17

ABIGAIL

We arrived in Memphis the next day around noon. Sitting on the deck of Roasted, a bistro on Beale Street, Ellie and I scanned every male about our age passing by. The vibe here reminded me of my hometown. Restaurants, bars, and shops lined both sides of the busy street. Tourists and locals filled the sidewalks. Music poured out from the open windows, a mix of country, jazz, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. The breeze diffused the scent of barbecue and burgers. The red awning over the deck offered us much-needed shade from the scorching sun above.

The server neared our table, a pad and pencil in her hand. She tipped a hip forward, chewing gum as if her life depended on it. “Can I get you two anything to drink?” she asked in a cold, nonchalant tone.

“Iced tea,” Ellie said.

“Lemonade for me,” I added.

Before the waitress turned around, Ellie asked her the same question she’d been asking everyone we came face to face since we arrived in town. “Excuse me. Would you happen to know anyone about twenty years old named Andy? Dark hair, tall, broody, musician.”

The woman seemed to think for a minute, making a bubble with her gum. “Does he have a last name?”

My best friend and I shook our heads.

“Sorry. I can’t think of anyone.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, another thread of hope in me breaking as she padded away.

For the rest of the afternoon, we visited all bars close to downtown and stopped groups of people our age who appeared to be locals and asked them the same question. In vain.

Without a picture to show them or a last name, it was of no use.

After we booked a hotel room and dropped our luggage, Ellie and I made our way to Round and Round, ready for trivia night. She had fixed my hair in a half up-do and convinced me to wear the pair of jeans she got me with a black lacy top. For a second when I admired my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I felt young and sexy again. Not pregnant.

My heels dug into the floor, and I gasped when we entered the bar. Round and Round was jampacked. The aroma of beer and chicken wings hit my nose the second we walked in.

The lights were dimmed just enough to give the place a welcoming and friendly atmosphere.

Ellie leaned against me and nudged my side. “Told you it was the place to be,” she whispered in my ear. “So many people. Let’s hope BD is here.”

“BD?” I asked, my eyebrows bunching together.

“Baby Daddy. That’s the codename for tonight.”

“Oh.”

I looked around, enjoying the ambiance the full bar provided as my gaze glided over the face of every guy. Country music played on the speakers embedded in the ceiling. Black leather booths set in a semicircle surrounded wooden tables and faced a small stage. A beer and snack menu written in neon-colored chalk filled the black wall behind the bar.

A guy with heavily tattooed arms and wearing dark skinny jeans and a sleeveless plaid shirt met us, a pile of menus under his arm. “How many?”

“Two,” I answered. “We’re here for trivia night.”

His eyes trailed down my body, and I saw the surprise flashing in his eyes when he noticed I was pregnant. For an instant, I wanted to leave, crawl back into my skin, not sure how to act when people eyed me with curiosity. But then Ellie elbowed me, and I straightened my posture. I had nothing to be ashamed of. I was done feeling guilty about my situation. The guy smiled at me, and my reservations died down. I saw a glint in his eyes before he brought his gaze back to me. Good, he wasn't judging me. “A team must have between six and eight players to participate. Are you meeting anyone else?”

A guy with tousled blond hair put a hand on Ellie’s and my shoulders.

“How is it going, Jonah?” the tattooed server asked.

“Great.” Jonah’s attention returned to Ellie and me. “Girls, today is your lucky day. My friends and I are a party of four tonight. If you wanna join us, we’re one of the teams to beat.” He pointed to the all-star board on our left. “The Clumsy Starfish. That’s us. See? We’re second in the best overall scores so far this summer. Why would you wanna play with anyone else?” He cocked a brow, a smug smirk taking over his face, but in a kind of charming way.

“Whoa, you guys are good.” Ellie hissed. “You’ll be better with us. We are your secret weapon. We’re in.”

A minute later, we followed Jonah to his booth and sat down at the table as he introduced us to everyone.

“Luke, you’re in charge of checking the chronometer. Ritz, you get the last word and vote when we don’t agree. Abby, you’re the designated secretary,” he said, pointing to me. This guy was running a serious business here. Soon I realized trivia night was the real deal for these guys. They played to win.