Holy shit.Holyyyyyy shit.For once I’m glad I listened to Mom because the man smiling at me as he sits down on the stool beside me is nothing short of panty melting gorgeous. Broad shoulders, chiseled jaw covered in the perfect amount of beard, deep eyes that crinkle at the edges, and perfect dark brown hair. He smells amazing, the spicy scent of his cologne wafting over to me, making me drool for more than just my plate of nachos.
“Thanks. Hard to find a seat in here sometimes.” The deep voice rumbles over me, making my spine tingle in a totally delicious and totally unfamiliar way. The last time I was this affected by a man was…well, never.
“No…no problem,” I stammer out, then turn back to my beer.Get a freaking grip, Abigail Martin.I don’t always talk to myself, but right now it seems my libido needs speaking to. When he puts out his hand, I try to surreptitiously wipe mine on my pants before shaking his. It’s a firm, strong handshake, and combined with that devastating smile, complete with dimples, it’s a wonder I don’t swoon right off my stool.
“Name’s Reid. Can I buy your next round as thanks for the seat?”
I feel my face heat up. “It’s really no trouble, it’s not like I was saving it for anyone.” Oh Lord, could I possibly sound any more lame? He chuckles and flashes that smile again.
“Well, still. I’m glad you’re letting me take it and not someone else.”
He’s looking at me expectantly, those brown eyes searching my face so intensely I start to wonder if I have salsa smeared on my cheek. I’m embarrassed by how long it takes me to figure out what he’s waiting for.
“Oh! My name is Abby.” Before I can stop myself, I’ve stuck my hand out again, but I quickly snatch it back. “Right. We already did that.”
Reid signals to the bartender, who walks over and leans across the bar, putting her impressive chest on display.
“What can I get you, honey?” Her voice is syrupy sweet, a lot sweeter than it was when she took my order, that’s for sure. I got a coolly polite response and Reid is getting something far more enthusiastic. I watch out of the corner of my eye, curious about how he’ll handle it. Why? I don’t know. I don’t even know this guy, why would I care how he talks to a flirtatious bartender? But there’s no denying the internal fist pump I give myself when Reid’s eyes don’t ever drop from her face, and after he gives her his order, he turns to smile at me. “And another round of whatever my new friend Abby is drinking.” I fight back a smirk when the bartender stands up, gives Reid a nod, and flashes her eyes at me.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.” My heartrate has slowed to normal, and I’m feeling slightly more like my usual composed self. You don’t spend seven years raising a little girl all by yourself without learning how to hide nervousness and uncertainty. Fake it ‘til you make it became my mantra. And I damn well am exercising that right now as I try to not let him see what a hot mess I really am.
“Buying a drink for a beautiful woman is absolutely what I have to do.”
And with just one sentence, Reid manages to send my heart racing again.
“I bet you say that to every woman.” The words slip out before I can think about the way they might sound, and I see Reid wince. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair. I don’t even know you.” My eyes drop back down. I can pretend the melted cheese on my nachos is fascinating long enough for him to get bored and leave, right?
“No, Abby, I don’t.” He speaks quietly, so it’s hard to hear over the noise of the bar. When I chance a look back up at him, he’s studying me intently. His eyes shift forward when the bartender returns with our drinks. He pushes mine across to me, then lifts his glass. “To meeting new people?”
I feel myself smiling, and magically relaxing as I lift my glass to cheers him. “Sounds good.”
“I want to saydo you come here often, but I feel like that’s just way too cheesy.” Reid’s grin tells me he’s teasing, and I feel myself relax. I can do this. I can dust off the rusty flirting skills I used to have.
“Well, if youwereto say that, I would probably follow it up with something equally cheesy likeno, it’s just your lucky night.” I give him an exaggerated wink, and he chuckles in response.
“Okay, corny pickup lines, here we come. So aside from being sexy, what do you do for a living?”
I’m in the middle of taking a drink of beer when he speaks, and I have to fight back a snort of laughter and try not to choke on the liquid. His hand comes to my back and I know he can feel me shaking. When I finally manage to swallow, I turn to him.
“Oh my God, that’s terrible.”
His deep laugh is full and warm. “I’m just getting started.” He gestures over to the entry of the hallway that I assume leads to the back of the pub. There’s a small green thing taped to the ceiling. “I just got some mistletoe, how about we go back to my place and try it out?” He waggles his eyebrows at me, but I just roll my eyes. “Nice try. I don’t kiss strangers, mistletoe or no mistletoe.”
Then my mind flashes back to a magazine article I read last week while waiting at Layla’s dentist appointment. It was one of those ridiculous lists of funny things, and this one happened to be pickup lines.
“Are you a broom? Because you’ve swept me off my feet.” I can’t hold back my giggle when I say that one, and his head tips back into another laugh.
“Abby, I might have met my stupid pickup line match in you.”
“I’m awesome, you’re awesome, wanna go somewhere and be awesome together?” I retort.
His eyes widen and he lifts his glass. “Did you just pull a Barney Stinson line on me? Because that was legend — wait for it — dary.”
The next hour flies by. We don’t dive too deep into sharing details about ourselves, but I learn Reid moved to the island about ten years ago, and that he works in the school system. I tell him I’m here to help out family for awhile. The conversation flows, even once we switch our drinks to water, much to the bartender’s chagrin.
When I feel my phone vibrate with the alarm that I set earlier to tell me it’s time to head home, I want to ignore it. But the responsible mother side of me knows I can’t. Reid has been so attentive to everything tonight, and he notices right away that something has shifted.
“I’m guessing our time is up.”
