And that was just in the morning.
By the afternoon, I’d spilled guacamole all over myself when it squeezed out one end of my sandwich. I went to change, only to realize I never restocked my closet in the back room. Then, in my frustration, I spun around right into my desk, slamming my knee against the corner.
A nice bruise now coated my kneecap—the opposite of my previously injured leg— and I was hobbling around like a grandma who just fell down the stairs. Things were not looking very good for tonight. I had no idea what to make of this so-called date with Maverick. Maybe it was just drinks, and I was overthinking the whole thing.
Then again…
What if it was really drinks with expected benefits at the end of the night? And if that was the case, did the whole town already know that was what was happening? Because I didn’t know what was happening, and it washappeningto me!
God, I was such a wreck. I really needed to calm down, and the only way to do that was with a good, stiff drink.
Or a really good orgasm, but it wasn’t like I could just run out and grab one at the nearest store.
When I saw the time, I hustled into the back room, pulling out my makeup bag. The moment I saw my reflection in the mirror, I cursed the cold weather for making my skin so dry. My hair had deflated throughout the day, leaving me with limp strands instead of the cute style I’d made this morning. And was that a zit on my forehead?
I leaned forward, examining it more closely just as the chime sounded over the door. Shoot, I forgot to lock up for the night.
“We’re closed!” I shouted over my shoulder, dabbing concealer on the zit forming under my skin.
I was so not made out for dating. As much as I wanted to find a husband and settle down, I got way too worked up over the small things. Of course, part of the reason I was so frazzled was that I was going out on a date in the first place, and not with the man I really wanted to go with.
But I shoved that thought to the back of my mind and focused on the task at hand. Making myself look like a person someone would actually want to be seen in public with.
“Shit,” I cursed as I dropped an earring on the ground beneath my skirt. Hauling the material up, I carefully stepped this way and that way, looking for the back side of the earring without smashing it under my heel. With the terrible lighting, things weren’t going well.
“Is this some kind of rain dance?”
Screeching, I spun around, dropping my skirt as my leg gave out. I teetered forward, throwing out my hands before collapsing to the ground. Mav tried to catch me, but was too far away. Thankfully, my skirt only climbed up as high as my calf, leaving me mostly protected from his wandering gaze as I crashed to the ground.
“Maverick, you scared the shit out of me,” I chastised.
With that cocky grin on his face, he strolled over and held out his hand, pulling me to my feet. “Sorry about that, darlin’. Everything okay here?”
“I dropped my earring,” I sighed.
His gaze slid over the floor, and seconds later, he snatched the back of the earring, holding it up in the faint light. “Is this it?”
I could have slapped the smirk off his face, but instead, I took it from him as graciously as possible. “Thank you.”
“So, ready to go?”
“Now?” I gasped. I hadn’t even finished my makeup or my hair. I was an absolute mess. I had guacamole on my clothes!
“Um…maybe we should reschedule this,” I said, hurrying over to my desk as I ducked my head and did my best not to look at him.
“Reschedule,” he repeated, his tone amused at my expense. “And why would we do that?”
“Well…” I struggled to come up with even the most basic reasoning as to why I couldn’t go with him tonight. I highly doubted he would accept that I was out of sorts, that my hair wasn’t perfect, or that I was thinking about another man. Maverick Wynn just didn’t strike me as the type of man to take a challenge lightly.
“Well?”
“It’s just…I have guacamole on my shirt,” I said stupidly.
“I think everyone at the bar will forgive you.”
That playful smirk on his face had me folding like a cheap beach chair. “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. When everyone starts making fun of us, you only have yourself to blame.”
“Somehow, I think we’ll be just fine,” he grinned, grabbing my purse from the desk. “Now, any other reason you don’t want to go?”
