He twirled a finger in a circle.
I turned the card around. Written hastily was:I’m free tomorrow.—F.
It suddenly felt as if my bow tie was cutting off blood to my brain. I put the card down, picked it up, then set it down again.
“Should I call him and say you can’t make up your mind?”
“No!” I exclaimed loudly, then winced when a table of customers turned to stare at me. “No, don’t do that,” I said again, quieter.
“Good.”
I put an elbow on the counter, held my head in one hand, and the card in the other. “I asked this guy out for drinks yesterday,” I told George. “He said no.”
“Sounds like Felix.”
“I assumed he was straight.”
“Definitely not Felix.”
“Why’d he change his mind?”
“I said I was a matchmaker, not a mind-reader,” George stated.
“Have you known him long?” I asked, sitting up straight again.
George rubbed his chin. “He’s lived here about ten years. That’s around when he started up Snowy Ridge.”
“You guys close?”
He waved a hand. “Felix went on a few dates with my little brother, back in the day. We’ve all remained friendly over the years.”
A young guy in chef whites stepped out of the kitchen just then. He was covered in so many tattoos that it looked like Scarlet could have been holding him hostage in her shop and using him as a human canvas for her art projects. He reached out to George, handed over a takeout bag, then went back through the door to the noisy kitchen.
George set the bag down in front of me. “Dinner and a date,” he stated with a wry smile.
It was only after I’d paid, finished my drink, and was walking out the door that I remembered what Felix had said.
“Have a good night, Bo.”
Bo.
I liked that.
What I didn’t like was that Felix and I hadn’t actually discussed the potential date.
Pertinent details had been overlooked. Like… all those necessary for a date tooccur!
I could take a quick drive to the orchard and confirm with Felix myself. Perhaps that’s what he wanted me to do.
I sat behind the wheel of my still-parked car outside Eatery, staring at his business card in the illumination of the dashboard. Therewasa phone number. I could be less intrusive and just give him a ring, but let’s be honest, I wanted to see him again in person.
I liked the way his amber voice wove around him as he spoke. I liked seeing his pretty smile. I liked the way he murmuredBo, far too intimate for two men who’d only met, but spoken in a way that maybe…just maybeimplied he was hoping not to be acquaintances for very long.
“Ah shit….” I stuffed the card into my pocket, backed out of the roadside parking, and made a detour to the orchard.
Snowy Ridge wasn’t more than ten minutes outside the main hub of town. It was off the road and down a lane that I imagined was a dirt drive in the summer. The gate was open, sparking hope that Felix was here—maybe waiting, considering it was well after closing. I pulled up to the lot, which was completely empty and still, save for one car.
Oh yes, the goddesses of love were with me!
