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“Because you can’t deny chemistry.” Sid looks around. “Where is Grayson anyway?”
I have no idea. I haven’t heard a peep from him since last week when Liz showed up.
He clasps my shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be back. Like I said, you can’t deny chemistry.” He whistles as he walks away; my eye lasers apparently having no effect on him whatsoever. I need to take them into maintenance for repair.
I return my attention to my mom’s email. Looking at potential suitors my mom picked out beats thinking about Grayson and how he ghosted me every day of the week.
Phoebe points to a guy in a suit who looks like he’s never drunk a beer in his life. “This one looks good.”
“He looks like someone old Phoebe would date, not me.”
She scrunches up her face. “Forget I said anything. Why don’t you tell your mom to stop sending you suggestions of who to date?”
I snort. “Have you met my mother?”
“Actually, no, I haven’t.”
Oh yeah, I forgot. Phoebe is such an integrated part of my life, I sometimes don’t remember it’s been mere months since I met her for the first time.
“You’re missing out,” Hailey says. “Mrs. Langley is a hoot. You think Suzie’s crazy? It’s inherited.”
“When do I get to meet her?”
Oh great. Another friend who’s going to love my mom just like all my other friends. It’s easy for them. Them she doesn’t try to embarrass. No, to my friends, my mom is sweet as sugar. Growing up, she was the mom who was always making cookies for all the kids on the block. The mom who let us hang around in the basement without too much adult supervision.
Her daughter, on the other hand, she can’t help but embarrass her. When I was in high school, she’d remind me to take a condom with me whenever I went out. She couldn’t say something discreetly when we were alone. Oh no, my mom had to talk about condoms and safe sex in front of every-freaking-one. And I do mean everyone. Every single boyfriend I ever had got the ‘sex’ talk from Mom. Needless to say, I learned awful quick to stop bringing boyfriends around. Mom still hasn’t forgiven me.
“She doesn’t come up to Wisconsin if there’s snow on the ground,” Hailey explains to Phoebe.
“But Suzie grew up here.”
“Yep. And when I finished my first year of college and it looked like I was ‘going to stick with it’, Mom told Dad they were moving to Arizona.”
The door to the bar bangs open and everyone looks over to see who’s entering, although everyone isn’t too many people as it’s Monday and the place is practically empty except for us.
A woman stands in the entryway looking nervous. She’s not too tall but definitely taller than me, although almost everyone is. She’s wrapped up for the cold making it nearly impossible to see what she looks like, although I do see dark brown hair peeking out of her woolen cap. Her eyes, the only part of her face visible between her hat and scarf, widen when she glances around and realizes everyone is looking at her.
Sid stands and approaches her. “How can we help, sweet thing?”
“Is he hitting on her? I thought he and Mary Ann were engaged,” I whisper to Hailey.
Lenny, Barney, and Wally join us at the bar. “Nah, Mary Ann dumped his fat ass.”
I tilt my head to study Sid’s backside. “I don’t think his ass is fat.”
“How about I buy you one of those frou-frou drinks?” Sid asks the stranger who looks ready to bolt.
Pops throws his towel on the bar and marches over. “Leave her alone,” he orders Sid before giving the woman his attention. “I’m Max. How can I help you?”
“I didn’t know his name is Max. I thought everyone called him Pops,” Phoebe whispers.
“Not everyone.” I wink.
“I-I-I saw the help wanted sign,” she manages to say.
Pops grins. “You’re in the right place. I’m the owner. How about you come to my office and we’ll talk?”
She bites her bottom lip as she glances up at Pops. Pops may be in his fifties, but he is a stone-cold fox. His gray hair doesn’t make him look old. No, it qualifies him as a silver fox. Like the rest of his former Army buddies, he’s tall and fit thanks to an uber strict workout regime. Trust me. The workout regime is worth it. Especially for all the women who come to the bar to pant after his muscles. And when he looks at you with those bright blue eyes? Stone. Cold. Fox.
