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He arched a brow. “Are you asking or telling?”
“No. I mean, I’m human and you’re… not.”
“I’m aware. Don’t be afraid of me.”
“Said the big bad wolf.”
He grinned. She was feisty. “Lion.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sorry. Big bad lion.”
“You’ll join me?”
She bit her bottom lip, which made him want to purr, and glanced over her shoulder. Her friend was smiling broadly.
“My sister,” Ree said.
“I’m fine on my own,” the sister said. “I’m Mercy, by the way.”
“But,” Ree said.
Mercy put her hand up. “I see some girls from the salon, so I’m going to dance with them. Don’t worry about me.” She mouthedhave fun, and winked exaggeratedly, which made Ree’s cheeks turn scarlet.
“Do you have any siblings?” Ree asked as she watched her sister dance her way from the bar to a group of females.
“No.”
“Lucky. On the good days, she’s my best friend. On the bad ones, though, she makes me want to dig a very deep hole and push her into it.”
“I’m sure she’s a comfort. It’s not always nice to be an only child.”
She reached for her drink on the bar without letting go of his hand. “I think you mentioned a booth?”
He nodded, feeling like the king of the world as he walked her to the booth in the back corner. The lighting was dim, which gave an aura of privacy in the busy, noisy bar. She scooted into the booth and he joined her, signaling to a nearby waitress.
“What can I get for you?” China, a lioness, asked.
“Do you want something besides your Coke?” he asked.
“I’m the designated driver.”
Deciding to follow suit, he said, “Bring me a Coke, too.”
She nodded and hurried off.
“Your name is unique,” he said. “Is there a story behind it?”
Her cheeks darkened in blush again. “My mom was binge reading historical novels when she was pregnant with me, and there was a heroine in her favorite book named Memory.”
“It’s pretty. I like your nickname, too.”
“That’s from Mercy. She couldn’t say Memory so she called me Ree, and it just stuck. I only ever cared about my weird name when we’d go somewhere on vacation and I couldn’t find any souvenirs with my name on them.”
He chuckled. “I never thought about that as a hardship.”
“I think it’s more common now, people seem to like to give their kids unique names. I like your name, though. Makes me think of a cowboy.”
China dropped off a Coke for him, and he smiled at Ree. “I’m no cowboy. Horses would spook with one scent of my beast.”
