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He grinned. “No, but I might consider it. You seem to be settling in okay. I know I haven’t had much chance to chat this last week. Need anything?”
The sincerity in his voice threw her a little, and the intensity of his gaze caused that flutter behind her ribs that she’d started associating with only him to beat a quick rhythm. No other man had ever made her flutter like that—before or after she’d run.
“No. Everyone has been so great. I even managed to sit through a whole day of superhero movies and not die of boredom.”
He placed a top over the shaker, and she tried not to watch the flex of his forearms as he mixed the drink and then expertly poured it into a glass without spilling a drop.
“Have you decided, then?”
“What?” She dragged her gaze back to his face, unable to tell if he’d seen her staring at him or not.
“Batman or Captain America.”
“Oh.” She laughed, and he smiled. “I don’t have the heart to tell them I think I’m team Dr. Strange.”
“He is far superior to both.” He set a beer on the tray next to the cocktail and selected a tumbler for scotch. “The man is a wizardanda superhero, for fuck’s sake.”
She smacked the flat of her hand on the bar and pointed at him. “Exactly! Plus he’s a doctor. An actual doctor.”
He added the scotch to the tray and slid it toward her. “Into doctors, are you?”
“Well, I much prefer them to lawyers.”
As soon as she said the words, she wished she could grab them back, but he didn’t seem to register the words themselves as much as her reaction to having said them. This was the problem with getting too comfortable.
She gave a weak smile before lifting the tray and carrying it back to the table, setting drinks on napkins and taking their food order. When you got too comfortable, you let things slip. And while he may not have put it together today, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t put it together tomorrow or the next day or the day after that. Then she really would have to leave Philly sooner rather than later.
She kept herself busy for the next few hours, avoiding any more conversations with James while he prepared drinks and only pausing long enough in the kitchen to ask for some extra ketchup or a side of pickles. The mood in the pub as the game apparently went well kept her feet moving.
Cheers rent the air when the right team won, and she couldn’t help but smile, even if she still had no fucking clue who was playing or what. Finally, as the restaurant cleared out, she allowed herself a minute to lean against the end of the bar and catch her breath.
“Why don’t you take five?” James said, sliding a glass of water toward her and indicating an empty stool.
“I’m still on the clock.”
“I won’t tell the boss.”
She smiled and dropped into the chair, sighing with relief. He looked about to speak when the front door opened and drew his gaze. She shoved away the disappointment that she didn’t have his attention anymore. She shouldn’t want his attention. It was better if he was focusing it elsewhere.
“Well, look at what the cat dragged in.”
James wiped his hands on a towel and shifted to lean his elbows against the bar as a woman with coppery red hair swinging to her shoulders claimed a stool a few seats down. Another woman with long blonde hair and startling green eyes sat beside her, and two more women stood at their backs.
“Double date?” James wondered.
The redhead rolled her eyes but grinned. “No. Just hanging out tonight.”
“Well, you’re always welcome. What can I get for you?”
“That depends. What kind of family discounts can I get?” the redhead asked, tongue tucked into her cheek.
Delaney blinked in surprise. She hadn’t met any of James’s family yet. The fact that she wanted to stay and learn more about whoever the redhead was to him was exactly why she pushed away from the bar and moved to take her water to the kitchen.
“Oh, Delaney, wait.”
James's words had her retreat grinding to a halt. She took a breath and plastered a smile on her face before turning back around.
“The infamous Delaney.” The redhead replied, eyebrows raised in question as she shot a quick look at James, who pretended to ignore her.
