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And frankly she couldn’t imagine how she ever thought she might.
Now her future would be about…well, it still involved finding a way to keep her mother’s bakery afloat and finishing her spring semester in the culinary arts program, but at least those goals no longer seemed quite so far away.
Polly had promised her mother she would return Wild Child to the warm, homey place it had been before Jessie got so sick, and it was time to fulfill that promise. In her efforts to jumpstart her life, Brian had just been an unfortunate misstep, one she attributed to her weakness for wounded animals and lost causes.
Herimmediatefuture, however, involved another birthday cake shot.
“Wow.” Polly gestured to the bartender, feeling sort of fizzy and bubbly, like soda pop. “These shots are awesome.”
“Agreed.” Mia tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder and tilted her head back to down hers. “But I dunno, Pols. This place isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
“I know, but thanks for humoring me.”
After Mia had treated Polly to a gourmet sushi and teriyaki dinner, she’d wanted to go to an upscale club for drinks and dancing. But Polly had balked at the idea of sophisticated cocktails and gorgeous men and women who actually knew what they were doing. She wanted to be a braver version of herself, but one that was actually attainable.
So she and Mia had ended up at the Troll’s House, a dive bar with a rough wood floor, flashing jukebox, neon beer signs, and several pool tables. It was loud, crowded, lots of beer, and nothing fancy. Exactly the kind of place Polly could start to come out of her shell.
Maybe.
“I told you I’d be on the prowl,” Mia said unapologetically, scanning the room with her sharp gaze. “And though I was hoping for a Wall Street executive, I can see the appeal of a blue-collar dude.”
Polly turned to take the birthday cake shot from the bar.
Live your life. Take risks. Embrace change. Be happy, for God’s sake.
Her mother’s voice again. The sharp stab of pain Polly had felt at her loss had recently dulled to a soft, perpetual ache around her heart. She’d miss her mother forever, but more and more, Jessie’s incessantly positive, you-only-live-once, Polly-I-love-you-but-if-you-don’t-move-on-and-be-happy-I-will-come-back-to-haunt-you attitude, was easing Polly’s grief.
She licked up another rainbow sprinkle. The alcohol hummed pleasantly in her blood, giving her much-needed courage. Though Polly had faced a lot of challenges head on, she’d never been confident, much less experienced, in theMencategory.
Brian aside, she just hadn’t been around men that much, especially after her father died when she was nine. Her mother, determined to start a new life, moved out of the Twelve Oaks commune in Santa Cruz where they’d lived all of Polly’s life.
Jessie had taken Polly and Hannah to Rainsville, a small farming town south of San Francisco, and opened up the Wild Child Bakery with their father’s life insurance money.
Women had always worked at the Wild Child Bakery, and Jessie had been active in feminist groups and women’s writer workshops. She had boyfriends every now and then, but they never stuck around. And Polly hadn’t had much chance to form her own relationships before her mother got sick.
“They’re like a foreign species,” Polly muttered to Mia, gesturing toward a group of men crowded around the tables. Even with his comic book obsession and geekiness—or perhaps because of them—at least Brian had beensafe.“I feel like I’m studying them for research purposes.”
“As long as it’s sexual research, you’re good to go,” Mia replied. “I guarantee that great sex will give you the boost you need.”
Though the thought ofgreat sexmade Polly a little nervous, it was past time that she finally got her groove on.
“I’m ready,” she said with a firm nod. “I want to experience everything I’ve been missing, and especially to—” she dropped her voice to a whisper “—get laid.”
If she was going to do this, she was going full-force, like turning an egg beater on high speed to get the job done.
“Good girl.” Mia gave a nod of satisfaction. “Let’s get started.”
She spun around on the stool again to face the crowded room.
“What you need first,” she continued, “is practice. Look at that guy. Serious, panty-melting hottie alert.”
She nodded toward a tall, dark-haired man in his mid-thirties who was playing pool. Polly blinked and focused on him.
Oh, wow. Hottie, indeed. How was it possible she hadn’t noticed him before now? He was wearing gray trousers and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms. A striped, silk tie was knotted loosely around his neck, and the collar of his shirt was unbuttoned, displaying a tempting V of tanned skin.
As he leaned over to position a shot, Polly let her gaze travel over the slope of his muscular shoulders and back, down to his very fine ass. She had never been much of a gawker, but this man gave a girl plenty to gawk at.
Then he glanced over his shoulder. Right at Polly.
