AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I look up to the dude in front of me. It takes me a beat, but I recognize him. “Holy shit.Vince?”
“Yeah. You remember my name. I didn’t know you worked here.”
“Yeah. I own the place.”
His eyebrows raise. “You do?”
“Not at all. How are you? I… um, never really got a chance to say thank you.”
He slips into the open seat and waves me off. “Honestly, I’m just glad I came out when I did.”
He has no idea.
I stare back at him. My savior. I wonder if he’d think it was strange if I jumped over the bar and hugged him. “You have no idea how lucky I am that you did.”
I wonder how old he is. If I had to guess, I would put him in his mid to late twenties. And I have to admit, he’s not bad-looking. He has a kind smile and gentle eyes. He’s no Hercules by any means, but he’s cute. Well-dressed. “What can I get ya? It’s on the house. Actually, any time you come in, it’s on me.”
I earn another smile, and he looks at the shelf on the back wall. “Got any tequila?”
My smile widens. “Are you my dream man?”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Great choice. I sure do. Sit tight.” I grab our top-shelf tequila. Let’s face it, though, our top shelf is barely above bottom. But I give him a nice pour and slide it across the bar. “Here you go.”
“Thanks. You sure I don’t owe you for this?”
“Absolutely not. So, tell me, Vince, what does my hero do when he’s not saving damsels in distress?”
He laughs, and I kind of like that too. “I sell real estate. It’s why I’m here having a drink. My job is god awful.”
I cringe with him. “Sounds it. Remind me to give you a bigger pour next time.”
“Tell me about it.” He loosens his tie and rolls up his sleeves, exposing his toned arms. Check the box for good body.
“Is this your first time at Bev’s? I’ve never seen you in here before.”
“Yeah. I had a meeting with a client a few blocks over. This woman kept me in her cat-infested brownstone for almost two hours only to tell me she decided not to sell.”
“Nooo…”
“Yeah, and to make matters worse, there were piles of cat shit everywhere. All for nothing.” He smells his shirt. “Do I smell like cat shit? I think I smell like cat shit.”
I burst out laughing, and he joins in. “Here, let me check.” Stepping on the shelf under the bar, I boost myself up, lean over, and grab his arm to pull him forward. Then I smell him.
“Nope. No cat shit.” Just manly cologne.
What I don’t like is the presence of my mountain man watchdog. He takes the open seat next to Vince, and my laugh dies off as his steely gaze blazes into mine. Vince cocks his head to where I’m looking. “Everything okay?” he asks.
I slide back over the bar. “Yeah.”
He leans in and lowers his voice. “Do you know that guy?”
“Yeah, he’s my roommate.”
“Oh.” He pivots on his stool. “What’s up, man? Vince.”
Tate doesn’t return the gesture.
