Page 2 of Hope and Country

She grinned at me. And my heart swelled in my chest. “Who are you then? What’s your superpower?”

“I’m a manager.” I pointed to Carter, now deep in a conversation with Rita L. Sterling, a music producer. “I manage this fellow’s career, amongst others.”

Devon moved closer and lowered her voice to a whisper as if she feared someone would hear her. Not a chance with the chatter and music surrounding us. “Is that Carter Hills? I’m sorry. I’m not a groupie, I swear, but I thought I recognized him earlier when I walked in.”

“Yeah, that’s him. I can introduce you later.”

Devon shook her head, the color on her cheeks now darker. “No, you don’t have to. I’m nobody here. I’m not part of this world. This night is surreal, I—”

A waitress bumped into my side and dropped an entire tray of glasses filled with red wine all over me.

I blinked as my clothes absorbed every drop.

“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry. It’s my first night here. I’m so, so sorry. I messed up. What can I do?” she asked, her eyes tearing as she righted the now-empty wine glasses on the splattered tray. “I ruined your shirt, sir. This is so unprofessional. I’ll get fired over this. Wait here, I’ll be right back, I’ll get my purse. Dry-cleaning is on me.”

I circled her wrist before she ran away and leveled my eyes with hers. “Stop. Breathe. It’s just a shirt. I own a dozen more just like it. You won’t get fired because nobody will say anything to your boss. I might even have been the one bumping into you. I should’ve stood on the side of the deck. See, I’m standing in the way.” The waitress raised her watery eyes, studying me as if there was a but about to come out of my lips. There wasn’t. “What’s your name?”

“Daphne.”

“Well, Daphne, breathe in. Breathe out. It’ll help to calm your nerves.”

She filled her lungs with a deep inhale.

“Yeah, like this.” Her shoulders dropped. “See? Much better. Listen, now you go back there,” I pointed to the bar, “fill this tray up, smile, and get on with your night. Don’t let this little incident affect you. You’re doing a great job.”

She blinked and swallowed hard, a quiver of a smile trembling over her lips.

“How can you tell? You don’t even know me, sir.”

“It doesn’t matter; I’d recognize a hard worker anywhere. I have a flair for finding good people. It’s my superpower.” I fished a card from the pocket of my now damp jacket. “If waitressing doesn’t work out or you’re ever looking out for a job, gimme a call. I might be able to put in a good word for you. Don’t worry. The sun always comes out after the storm.”

“Wow—Thank you. I—This—That’s the nicest thing someone has ever said to me.” She clutched my business card, pressed it against her chest as if I’d just promised her the world, and offered me a shy smile before walking away, her chin up and back straight. Warmth filled me. Daphne would be okay. She just needed a pep talk. And I happened to be good at those too. Perhaps I had more than just one superpower after all.

Devon leaned closer, her eyes filled with a stunned expression. The scent of her tipped my senses; she smelled like spring and rain. Fresh and flowery. I burned the fragrance to my memory. Even my heart seemed to enjoy it as it expanded in my chest and drummed faster.

“Wow. That. Was. Amazing. Most people would have screamed at the poor girl or threatened to get her fired. You boosted her self-confidence instead. That’s very noble of you. You are a good man, Riley.”

I looked down and pinched the fabric of my stained shirt to unglue it from my chest. “Thank you. It was just a clumsy mishap. Now, would you excuse me for a minute? I need to freshen up.” I grimaced as she grinned at me, the gleam in her eyes captivating me.

Devon’s smile widened, and she nodded. “Go ahead. I can’t wait to see how you manage to come back still dressed in these clothes. This should be interesting.” She motioned to my soaked self, her nose scrunched up.

I smiled. Like a fool. There was no way I could hold it back. Falling under this woman’s charm felt like breathing. Easy. Natural. And imperative. “Wait and see. I may surprise you. I always find ways to turn impossible situations around.”

Devon chuckled. “I’m sure you do. While you are in there cleaning up, I’ll order us more drinks. Whiskey?”

“On the rocks,” I said, holding back a grin. Did Devon notice what I was drinking earlier? If so, it made her even more attractive. I dreaded walking away from her, not ready to escape the magnetism that had settled between us. “I’ll be quick.”

We eye-fucked each other for a few seconds, my pulse spiking at the way her eyes brightened her face.

Full lashes, high cheekbones, straight nose, heart-shaped lips.

This woman had captured my heart the moment I saw her on this rooftop. It made no sense, but I refused to overthink it.

Our encounter was the highlight of my night. Of my day or even my week.

With a sigh, I broke eye contact.

In a hurry to get back to her, I weaved through the bar crowd, my jacket now open, my soaked shirt sticking to my abs, and the front of my trousers molded to my thighs. Nothing about being wet and dressed up felt good. And I was pretty sure even my socks were damp. I frowned at my conundrum and wondered how I’d be able to go through the night wearing clothes drenched in red wine. It wasn’t as if I had a change of clothes in my car or something. And no way could I go back home to change, even though I lived only ten miles away. I had no intention of letting Devon out of my sight tonight.