I head down to thelobby and get a large cup of coffee from the continental breakfast bar. I don’twant anything too messy to eat, because ruining one of my three business outfitsthis early in the convention would be a nightmare, so I grab a banana and agranola bar. I eat quickly and then take my coffee to the hotel’s massive conferenceroom. Right at the front of the room is a short line of people waiting to signin.
I try to smile andlook polite, but no one really notices me. I do notice that most people seem tobe in groups, or at least pairs. It’s like everyone came here with a friend.Maybe they’re all business partners or something. I’m a one-woman show so Ididn’t even think about bringing anyone else. This would have been way more funwith Livi by my side.
When it’s my turnto sign in, I give the woman my name and she digs through a plastic bin,retrieving a laminated nametag in the shape of Texas.
“How cute,” I sayas she hands me the nametag, which is on a blue lanyard. I hang it around myneck. It says ALEXA SHARP and then Sweets Bakery underneath it. I’m totally inlove.
The lady nods. “Texasis the coolest shaped state, I think. The people from Colorado thought theirnametag was just a poorly cut out square,” she says with a chuckle.
I have to agreewith her. As I glance around, I see people wearing state-shaped lanyards. Someof them look silly, but my Texas looks cool. Maybe I’m just biased because Iwas born and raised here.
The keynote speechbegins in five minutes, so I’m about to take a seat in one of the hundreds ofchairs that are lined up in front of the stage, but then I realize my coffee isempty.
I make my waythrough the throngs of people to the coffee table that’s been set up at theback of the room. Since my first coffee cup has gotten kind of soggy on the lidfrom my lipstick, I toss it in a nearby trashcan and get a fresh one.
Livi makes fun ofme for my creamer-to-coffee ratio, but I always pour the creamer first. Thatway you can pour the coffee over it and it mixes itself and you don’t have towaste a spoon. She tells me I’m neurotic, but it’s how I like to do things.
I take the stainless-steelcontainer marked CREAMER and tip it over my new paper coffee cup. Nothinghappens.
But the thing isheavy, so I know it’s not empty. I tip it again, but it still doesn’t work. Ifind a nearly invisible button on the handle and press it, then try again. Onlythis time, it’s like the floodgates have been opened. A huge splash of creamerfalls into my cup—way more than I’ll ever need.
“Shit,” I mutter,setting the stupid pitcher of creamer back on the table. I look into my cup,and it has like two inches of French Vanilla in there. Gross.
“Howdy,” I voicesays beside me. It’s deep and raspy, and possibly the most cliché-soundingsouthern twang I’ve ever heard.
I look over at theman who said it, and he tips an imaginary cowboy hat at me. “It’s nice to meeta fellow Texan,” he says, but in a normal voice this time.
His normal voice isvery attractive. Or maybe, that’s just what my brain processes because his faceis so attractive that I’m suddenly not thinking straight. He has dark hairthat’s short on the sides, long and slightly wavy on top, and swooped back in away that makes me want to run my hands through it. His chiseled jaw has just ahint of stubble, and even though he’s wearing black slacks and a button up lightblue shirt, I can tell he’s absolutely ripped underneath those fancy clothes.
He’s smiling rightat me, and I am suddenly very aware that he just talked to me and I have noidea what he said. Apparently my brain doesn’t function well when I’m lookingat a gorgeous guy.
“Um… what?” I say.
He grins, andgestures to my boobs.
Oh wait, no. Not myboobs. It’s my nametag. I let out a breath.
“I said it’s niceto meet a fellow Texan.”
“Ah,” I say,noticing his own nametag for the first time. It’s also in the shape of Texas.His nametag read GABRIEL BARR, Barr Real Estate.
“I’m Gabe,” hesays, holding out his hand.
“Alexa,” I squeak,because I’m both embarrassed and a little turned on. This guy is so freakinghot. I do manage to shake his hand though, so hopefully he doesn’t think I’m atotal lunatic.
He leans forward abit. “Not to sound weird, but I noticed the trouble you were having,” he says,nodding toward my coffee cup which is all creamer and no coffee yet. “The samething happened to me when I was here last year, and I’m glad I’m not the onlyone who can’t figure out that damn thing.”
He smiles and Ismile, too. In the back of my mind, I feel like I should be a littleembarrassed. He just witnessed me looking like an idiot, after all. Instead,all I can do is smile. It’s like Gabe’s lips are infectious, and if they tip upthen mine do, too.
“Do you mind?” heasks, then he takes my coffee cup and pours half of it into an empty one. Thenhe hands it back to me. “Perfect.”
I watch him takethe coffee pot and fill up his cup, then he tips it toward me. I make sure myhand is steady and not shaking nervously, and I hold out my cup. He fills itup.
“I love how youdon’t need to stir it when you pour the creamer in first,” he says.
Oh my, I think I’min love.
“Me too,” I say.
