ChapterOne
“Hey Parker,I just had someone order an Aunt Roberta. Do we make something called that?” Andrea asked, looking at the bartender. It was a slow afternoon with only the occasional regular wandering through. He had been daydreaming while wiping down the bar for the hundredth time.
“Only if we want to kill someone. Who ordered it?” he asked, looking at where Andrea pointed. “For fuck’s sake. Can you watch the bar for me?” Parker said, pulling a glass from under the bar.
When he had a drink mixed, he carried it over to the booth where a lone woman sat. He slid into the booth across from her.
“Tell me why you’re trying to kill yourself in my bar?” He smiled when she looked startled.
“I’m not trying to kill myself. I’ve just had a long week,” she mumbled, taking the glass from him. “Is this an Aunt Roberta?” Taking a long drink, she scrunched up her nose in the most adorable way Parker had ever seen.
“It’s a Long Island Iced Tea. I don’t serve a lethal concoction of gin, vodka, brandy, blackberry liqueur, and absinthe to women sitting in my bar looking like they’ve just had their puppy stolen. As a matter of fact, I don’t serve absinthe at all,” he answered.
He watched in fascination as she rolled her eyes at him and then drank the cocktail in one long slurp. The vision of those lips being wrapped around him instead of the straw she was sucking on almost embarrassed him. He managed to stop staring at her mouth long enough to meet her eyes.
“Can I have another?” Raising an eyebrow at her in question, he took her glass.
“Only if you eat something,” he said. He stood and started back across the bar.
“Nothing with meat,” she called after him, making him stop. He shook his head before continuing to the bar. She has a problem eating meat but’s okay with blowing her liver apart? Besides, did she think he didn’t know what she liked to eat by now?
He mixed her another drink and placed an order for a couple of items he knew she would eat. Returning to the booth, he slid her drink over.
“So why do you want to drink yourself into oblivion at”—Parker looked at his wrist, consulting his watch—“four in the afternoon?”
“Is it seriously only four?” she asked, moaning. She just shrugged at him before taking a long draw on her drink. He set his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands. Narrowing his eyes, he studied her like he was reading her mind.
“What?” she finally asked, glaring at him.
“You’re usually much less aggressive than this, Astrid.” He chuckled when her eyes grew wide.
“So you do remember my name?” she whispered like it was some dark secret that only she should know. He rolled his eyes at the thought that he wouldn’t remember her name.
“More like, how do I forget someone dressed in a naughty cheerleading uniform at Halloween? You bounced a quarter off of my ass. I pay attention to more than just the bar, you know. I have poured you into a car more than once now.” He winked at her and then laughed as Astrid turned bright red.
“So tell me what has you out of sorts,” he continued. “It’s sort of like confession to tell your bartender your problems. We swear a secret oath to never tell another soul.” Leaning forward, he waited until she finally let out a big sigh.
“You’ll think I’m an idiot.”
“Try me.”
“Do you ever feel like life is shooting forward so fast you can’t catch your breath and you have no idea what you’re doing?” she asked.
“Every day,” he answered.
She looked at him in confusion for a minute until he motioned for her to continue.
“Well, it’s like this. I’m now a senior in college and will be getting my degree in history soon. But I have no idea what to do from here. My dad wants me to go to grad school, my brother thinks I should do something mind numbing like sell insurance, my mom…” Astrid shook her head. “Well, let’s just say my mom thinks I should find a nice man to settle down with.”
Parker laughed.
“Thank you, Andrea,” he said, sitting back as the food arrived at their table. “Is everything okay?” When the waitress nodded, he turned his attention back to Astrid. “So what do you want to do?” He slid a plate over to her after stealing one of the kettle chips.
“That’s the problem, I have no idea. Nothing feels right.” He watched as her shoulders slumped. Knowing there wasn’t too much he could do but offer her encouragement, he sat back.
“Well, I do know this,” he said, waiting until she looked at him before continuing. “You’re smart, I have no doubt you’ll figure it out.” He felt his heart skip a beat when she smiled.
He never had a visceral reaction to women more than just a slight appreciation of one attribute or another. But with Astrid, it was different. From the moment he saw her last fall, he had been captivated.
