Noah smiled. “Hey Dixie. Just getting some drinks.”
“Here?”
Jackson chuckled. “That’s what I said.”
“Why is this such a hard thing to believe? We own this place. It’s profit in our pockets,” Noah said, exasperated.
Dixie raised an eyebrow and rested her elbows on the countertop before leaning across the bar. “Who is she?”
“Who is who?”
“The girl you’re hoping to see.”
Jackson turned to look at Noah with a raised eyebrow. “Is this true? Are we here for a girl?”
Noah rolled his eyes. “Can’t I just want to get a drink at my place of business?”
Jackson snorted. “No. Because it’s not normal. Our stomping grounds are at the local bar with the locals. Not at the resort bar with the tourists.” He held his hand up just as Noah was about to speak. “Yes, we own the bar, but it doesn’t matter. We don’t hang out here.”
Dixie stared on with amusement on her face.
Noah rolled his eyes again. “Could I get the beer on tap?”
She nodded and looked at Jackson, who requested the same. They watched her fill the glasses and set them down in front of them.
Dixie raised an eyebrow. Noah sighed.
“I ran into her in the lobby, then at the New Year’s party, and again on the mountain yesterday.”
Jackson leaned back. “Wow. So thereisa girl.” Then he looked around. “Is she here?”
The moment of truth. Noah looked around for the first time now since they had sat.
His heart spiked when he spied a woman with dark hair, but it immediately plummeted when she turned around andit wasn’t her. Several more quick scans of the bar proved she wasn’t there.
He turned back to the bar and took a long drink of his beer. “She isn’t here.”
“The night is young. She could still come in,” Dixie said before walking away to help another customer who had sat down.
Noah could feel Jackson’s eyes burning into him, but he tried his hardest to ignore it. When they continued to sit in silence, Noah eventually rolled his eyes and turned to face Jackson.
“What?”
Jackson shrugged. “I’m just surprised you’re interested in a tourist. That isn’t like you.”
But what he really meant was,I’m surprised you’re interested in a tourist after you had your heart stomped on by another several years ago.
The last time Noah had fallen hard for a woman was three years ago. A tourist had come through, and the love bug had bitten him. The woman could do no wrong in his eyes. He tried to make the long distance thing work, but in the end, neither of them was willing to give up the life they currently had to be near the other person. It lasted a year before they went their separate ways.
He didn’t harbor any bad feelings toward her. How could he when he wasn’t willing to move to her? But it hadn’t made it any easier, so he swore up and down he’d never fall for a tourist again.
Noah had only gone on dates since then with women in town. But the problem with a small town was there weren’t many people to date. Eventually the well ran dry until someone new moved there. Noah had been prepared to spend his life alone since he had never seen himself leaving the area.
And now he was doing exactly what he told himself he wouldn’t do. He was interested in a tourist.
But he was only trying to chat with her. That was all. He wasn’t trying to date her.
He sighed and drained his glass.
