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She gave him a slow, flirty smile and leaned in toward him. "You look like a man who would like a taste of heaven."
If she knew I existed, she gave no sign at all. I might as well have been a chair, or a puddle of water on the table. I wanted to give her a high five. In her face. With my elbow.
Bam cleared his throat. "We're kinda in the middle of something here." He gave me an apologetic look.
"No, it's fine," I said quickly. "I think we were finished anyway. You have my number. Call me when you're ready to talk about that work thing."
"Work thing, right." He nodded. "Uh, yeah, I'll call you." He looked like thinking with the head on his shoulders was a strain right now.
Of course, this was the real Bam. The big time running back for the Storm Valley Rapids. Ladies man. Tomorrow he would have forgotten all about his proposal. It was little consolation to know he will have forgotten about Heaven by then too. Guys like that always did.
One night, then they'd move on to the next, and the one after her, until their names were a blur. They wouldn't settle down because there was always another one and another and another. Sticking with one woman meant disappointing so many others. It would be like choosing a favourite flavour of ice cream. Some people could do it—chocolate choc-chip for me— and others can't.
I got it, I couldn't choose a favourite cat. If we were all the same, life would be boring. Still, I couldn't stop myself from wondering what it might be like to be with a guy like him.
I shook my head to myself and stood.
"I'll see you later."
Heaven shot me a smile like she couldn't believe it was all that easy, and turned right back to Bam.
"Yeah, later," he said. He looked uneasy for some reason. He was a big boy, I was sure he could manage being alone with an interested woman.
I grabbed up my wine glass—Heaven wasn't getting that—and went to find a table where I could sit alone and watch the band. They were good, but I barely heard them. All I could think about was being jobless and alone in a crowd of people all split off into pairs.
I was usually okay with being alone. Tonight, though, it left me feeling cold and empty. Not even chocolate could fill this kind of void. I wasn't sure even my cats could.
I finished my wine and ordered a taxi with the app on my phone.
When I looked back toward Bam's table. I wasn't even slightly surprised to find it empty, no sign of him or Heaven. I'd steer clear of alleys as I stepped through the door into the cold night air.
I made myself a bet that I wouldn't hear from Bam at all after tonight. Part of me never wanted to see him again.
The rest of me ached like I was missing a part of myself.
CHAPTER 13
BAM
"How was your night?" Chase asked, as if I'd danced naked on the table or got up on stage and quoted Shakespeare. Of those two things, I would only do one, and it sure as hell wasn't quoting some dead poet guy.
I wouldn't do the other either; I told Grace I'd be good and I would.
"Uneventful." I cringed as I watched myself on screen fumbling that ball for the nineteen thousandth time.
"Really?" Chase glanced toward me, then back to the replay. "Last time I saw you, you were leaving with some woman I've never seen before."
"That describes most of the women in Storm Valley," Hawk said from the other side of Chase. He didn't take his eyes off the screen for a moment.
"Right. I only have eyes for Ashley," Chase said.
"Her and whoever you think I was with last night," I said. "I mean, you're the one who brought her up." What was her name again? I couldn't remember.
"I'm just looking out for you, man," Chase said. "Who was she anyway?"
I shrugged. "Just a fan. I signed her cleavage and put her into a taxi."
"Alone?" Chase's face flicked toward me for a moment.
