Page 42 of Curveball

Aria and I sat and chatted a bit more about the latest progress on her shoe line before she had to run off to a date with some guy she’d met while she was running in the park. I didn't tell her about Walker's house and the room I’d stumbled upon; I wasn't ready to unpack that just yet. I was still working my way through what to do about Ryan—the room would have to wait.

With Hadley still with my parents, I had the night to myself, so I ordered another martini when Aria left. The bar was beginning to fill up, helping drown the endless ramblings and anxiety churning through my mind.

"Is this seat taken?" A deep voice cut through the noise.

One I would know anywhere.

I turned in my seat, letting my eyes slowly drift up, taking in denim molded to thick, strong thighs, a navy-blue t-shirt stretched across a broad chest and sculpted biceps, light chestnut brown hair short on the sides but tousled in that sexy, effortless way on top, and deep emerald eyes fixed solely on me.

Walker bent down so his lips were close to my ear. "With the way you just eye fucked me, Wildflower, I'll take that as a no." He settled into the seat next to me, and a shiver moved through me before I could stop it. Stanley walked over and placed a beer in front of him without a word, then disappeared to help another patron.

I scoffed, "Don't flatter yourself, Ace." The old nickname slipped out before I could stop it.

Walker's eyebrows shot up his forehead, and a satisfied smirk crossed his lips. "Oh, I'm Ace again." He nodded. "I like that."

Stanley was making my martinis particularly strong, so I blamed the slip-up on the drinks. I took another sip. "What are you doing here? Hot date?" I glanced around him, looking for some hot curvy woman lurking nearby.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No, no hot date. What about you? Where's Ryan?" I detected a slight edge to his tone.

"I went out with him last night. I just met Aria here, but she had to run off to a date, and I'm kid-free tonight, so I thought I would take advantage."

And take advantage I did.

Walker and I were about three drinks and a shot or two in, just trading stories like old friends. I switched over to water for a break and nearly spit it out when Walker told me an insane story about Addison and Dean.

"So yeah, they fucked in bathroom number three down that hall." He tilted his head toward the hallway of bathrooms.

"No shit? Really? Rule-follower Addison? I never would have thought she had it in her." I smiled. "Good for her."

Walker shook his head like he was trying to forget a memory. "Yeah, Dean seems to bring that side out of her. I caught them fucking in one of the stalls at her barn the other day." He shivered. "I'll never get that image out of my fucking head."

My eyes went wide. "Oh my God, shut up! Wow." I smirked. "I like this side of Addison."

Walker scoffed. "I love that she’s happy and all, but if they could stop having sex in public places, that would be ideal."

"Fair enough." I twirled my straw around in my water glass. "Okay, I think it’s time for us to play House Hunters. But new rules, if you get the budget wrong, you have to take a shot, and if you get it right, I have to take a shot."

Walker narrowed his eyes in challenge. "All right, I'm game." Walker and I used to watch House Hunters on HGTV, and guess what the couple's budget was based on their jobs. We were always entertained by the fact that the more ridiculous the job, the bigger the budget. It evolved into a game we played when we were out. We would pick random couples we saw, make up their occupations, and then the other would try to guess the budget. It was a silly game, but it always ended with us barreling over in laughter.

I glanced around the bar and zeroed in on an unsuspecting couple that looked to be in their 50s. The large man had a long beard that fell well past his chin, and the woman had bright red hair. I nodded my head in their direction. "He’s a butterfly wing inspector, and she’s a jellybean taste tester."

Walker's head fell back in laughter, the sound soothing every open crack in my heart. "Wow, Wildflower. Where the hell did you come up with those?" He shook his head. "All right. Budget is $1.2 mill."

I shook my head, "So close, but no."

"$1.3 million?"

"Nope. He hasn't quite made it to management level yet, so their budget is $750,000."

"Damn it!" Walker narrowed his eyes before he kicked back his tequila shot. "My turn."

"Give me your best shot, Ace." I leaned back in my chair, tucking my hands behind my head. I was always better at guessing the budget than he was, and he hated it.

Walker looked around the bar. He nodded in the direction of a younger couple, who looked to be in their 30s. The man was sporting a man bun, and the woman's platinum blonde hair fell well past her butt. "He’s a used toothbrush salesman, and she makes sweaters for hairless cats."

I could feel the tears spill down my cheeks, I was laughing so hard. "How on earth did you come up with that?" I wiped my face, still laughing.

Walker shrugged. "I'm a creative guy."