Page 23
“And?”
I shrug. “Nothing. I just find it…kind of charming. And for the record, it ups your hot quotient by about a million, so, you know, do with that what you will.”
He shakes his head. “Does anyone else tell you that you talk a lot?”
“Sure. But I never consider it a criticism.”
Luke catches the bartender’s eye and holds up two fingers without asking if I want a beer or what I’m drinking. Maybe the bartender can handle this kind of beer math without an explanation.
Luke turns back toward me. “What?” he asks.
“You should introduce me,” I mumble so quietly that Luke only sees my lips moving. He has to lean in to hear me, and I turn so my hair swipes his cheek and put a hand on his knee. “Good. Now pretend you actually like me because I’m your girlfriend.”
He leans away, and I prepare myself for the sheer misery I’m about to see on his face. But he surprises me by looking calmer than I expect.
“Okay.” He lifts me off my barstool like I’m made of cotton candy and puts me down between his splayed knees, tugging me against him so my chest is inches from his. I feel all sorts of things that give me all sorts of ideas about making out with him on top of the bar, but I try to rein them in.
“Jack, you know Callie, right?”
Jack must be the bartender because he stops mopping the top of the bar and tosses his towel over one shoulder, coming over to extend his hand to shake mine.
“Don’t think so. Nice to meet you.” We shake hands.
Luke shakes his head. “Naw, I’ve brought her here before. You sure you two haven’t met?”
I clue in on his game and start nodding. “Yes, I’ve been here with you for sure a couple of times, but not for a while. Maybe it was on your night off?”
Jack pours each of us a glass of water and slides them across the wooden bar top. “Must’ve been. Well, nice to meet you, Callie. Or nice to see you again. Forgive me for not remembering.”
“Oh, please. You probably see so many faces in here on a given night that one isn’t going to stand out.”
“Yeah, but Luke is not just any guy. I feel like if he deemed it right to bring a lady here, I’d take note of it.”
“We just made it official. Engaged,” Luke says. The words sound like jagged cardboard coming out of his mouth, but Jack’s face lights up.
“I’ll be damned. Can’t believe I didn’t hear that news.”
“We’ve kept it on the down low,” Luke says.
“Well, congrats, you two. This round’s on me.” He holds out his hand to Luke, and they shake. Jack looks me over again, this time with a different kind of appreciation. A customer at the other end of the bar snags his attention, and he nods at us.
Luke lifts his beer in a toast. Sweat beads on his forehead and he swallows hard. I shimmy back onto my barstool and give him a chance to compose himself. My heart goes out to this uptight guy who seems way over his head.
“It’s for your son,” I whisper. He nods.
“Thank you.” The soft growl rakes over my skin, and I try to suppress a shiver. Now I’m the one who needs composing.
“And just like that, we’re a couple,” I say. “Power of suggestion. People will start remembering seeing us together even if they haven’t. And there, Cantankerous Cowboy, is your proof for the judge.”
Luke’s eyes travel to where his friends are huddled at their table on the other side of the room. They’re the loudest group in the place and from the sound of it, they’re all paying rapt attention to someone’s phone and placing bets over whether something “will” or “won’t” happen.
“Not the right time to bring the ‘Missus’ over to meet your friends?” I ask, looping an arm through his and grasping the gorgeous swell of bicep that my hand doesn’t come close to fitting around. These are Luke’s friends, so I’m not making this decision for him.
The music changes to a country rock song, so a few people get up from their tables to dance in the middle of the place, obscuring our view of Luke’s friends.
“That one’s going to take a little more finessing. Or a few more beers.”
“Understood. Take your time. I’ll be over here with my sister.” I point to where Tessa has been watching us this entire time. She gives Luke a little wave and a wink. “She knows the whole deal, so no stress there. Come meet her.”
