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“Can we do dinner? But without the girls? I wanna take you on a date.” I’m trying to get my coat on, and though I’m pissed at the situation with Jessica, I want her to know that I’m interested in her. I want to shoot my shot.
“I’m not sure. I—” She rubs the back of her neck anxiously. “I don’t have a lot of free time.”
I grab my wallet and keys off the table. “Well, when you get free time, I’d like to be the one to occupy it if it’s okay with you.”
She still holds the bill between her index finger and thumb, the ones I bandaged up just a few nights before, looking at me with the most mesmerizing gaze—dangerous for my mind to keep catalog of.
“I’ll call you.” Before I turn to leave, I look over at Mitch and give him a look that saysthanks for this, big bro but don’t touch my fucking girland head toward the exit.
My girl. I know she’s not my girl…not yet anyways. And I guess I have a right to be a tad protective of her where my brother is concerned.
As soon as I’m in the truck, my fingers are tapping furiously at Jessica’s contact name, hitting the call button as anger floods my body. She kept Aria from school without any form of communication to me. Is she sick? If she is, I’d like to know. And if she’s not, then why did she miss school today?
The phone rings seven times before I get her voicemail. I call her again. And when she doesn’t answer, I decide to take a breather. I don’t want to overreact. Maybe she’s at work.
It dawns on me that I don’t even know where she works. We don’t make small talk, ever. And really, I don’t care to know about her personal life. But when it comes to Aria, I’m all ears. And this is something that needs to be talked about.
I’m so worked up, nearing anger again. But when I find myself thinking about the way Dakota spoke to me in the bar a few minutes earlier, like we weren’t total strangers, or the way she smiled at me, the way her eyes glow, and how her body looked in the entirely-too-small outfit, I notice I’m calming down.
It’s surprising. How my heat level went from dangerously rising to a cooler tone at just the thought of freckles and a sweet smile.
I regain focus and try for Jessica again, now that I’m calmer. This time, she answers on the second ring.
“Hello?”
seven
Dakota
“Well,thatwassomething.”Nolan’s older brother looks at me with a small smirk. I’m still currently holding the hundred that Nolan left for me, jaw probably on the floor.
“Yeah, it was, wasn’t it?” My voice projects the look on my face. Confusion. Shock.Want.
“So, you gonna go out with my brother?” He takes the last swig of his beer before getting up from his chair and getting out his own wallet. He pulls out two twenties and drops them on the tabletop.
More and more men fill up the bar space and take seats in the empty chairs. When Nolan was here, I didn’t really pay much attention to my surroundings. We have enough coverage to man the attendance. This is only my fourth night working, and I’ve already made more money this past weekend working at the bar than I have in four days at the hospital.Imagine that.
“Maybe. Or maybe he’s not my type,” I say, finally turning to the register behind me to close out their tabs, taking the change and sticking it in my billfold.
Honestly, I wouldn’t say I’ve ever chalked up any of the guys I dated, or even Asher, asmy type. But I learned something about myself just moments ago…Nolan is one thousand percent my type.
His dark features, his dimples, his overall demeanor, the way his voice vibrates down to my core, how he smells, how respectful but straight forward he is, and the fact that he’s a father. Tie all those things up into a box and call it a gift because I will be accepting it like it’s my birthday present.
But do I indulge myself or decline? Really, I don’t have time for letting someone occupy my time. I barely have time for myself. Though maybe it would be a nice change in my life considering everything I have going on.
“Well, he’s a good man. And honestly, I haven’t known him to ask a girl out since his divorce.” Mitch pats the countertop before smiling at me. “Have a good night, Red.”
Red. A stupid nickname my new boss gave me because of my red hair assumably, stitched into my shirt in green letters. The use of real names here is scarce. My boss, Steve, is like the Oprah Winfrey of nicknames, though hypocritical that he gets to keep his own first name.
The girl standing next to me with long black hair and legs for days…her nickname is Star. The boy who’s shift I took over just moments ago, his name is Dino because of the dinosaur tattoo he has on his upper arm. The girl I’m covering for, her name is Barbie. You can probably guess why. And honestly, she triggers me a bit looking nearly the same as the girl who Asher cheated on me with.
I give Mitch a nod and a smirk before I realized he said the worddivorce. It gave me a weird feeling. Just the image of him wearing a wedding ring on his finger at some point in his life. Wondering why the marriage didn’t work out. Wondering how long ago the divorce was.
I want to take you out.
The words give me butterflies like no other. Butterflies that invade my tummy and flutter throughout my veins.
The rest of the night went like a fever dream. I was undeniably thinking about Nolan all night. While I was serving beers…Nolan. When I received a compliment on my smile…Nolan. Washing the dishes…Nolan.
