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Everything about my date’s behavior seemed to push me away instead of drawing me in deeper. I felt like our conversation kept running into a dead end. When I talked, his eyes scanned the room, looking for an out, a distraction from me. As if he was checking out all the other options available to him.
Our waiter returned with my food. His sea-green eyes lingered on me, his smile flirty. “My name is Carson. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”
I had to be reading too much into it. There was no way he was flirting with me. Carson was gorgeous in a bad boy attention seeking sort of way. The kind of guy I always looked twice at but never considered for a moment. Carson returned to the bar, and as I ate and tried to carry the entire conversation on my own, his magnetic eyes found me several times.
Why did he seem to be interested in me? There had to be better looking men in this bar. If I had to describe myself, I’d say I was cute, not hot, not dazzling, not jaw-droppingly gorgeous. As I sucked the savory stuffing from the artichoke leaf, I squirmed in my seat, warmth filling my belly more than the food ever could.
Would I ever get used to the attention of a beautiful man? Not likely, since it happened so rarely.
After another round of drinks, Carson dropped off our bill. To my extreme annoyance, Guy ignored the black leather billfold completely. I didn’t mind paying since I had the more expensive bill, but I would have appreciated a few words about the situation like mature adults. He wasn’t even trying to charm me. After placing my credit card inside, I excused myself to go to the bathroom and wash up.
I had only been gone for about seven minutes, but when I came out, Guy was nowhere to be found. My table was empty. The little black book glared at me, laughing at me. He’d ditched me. Not that I was too upset about it, since we lacked any kind of chemistry between us. But it was rude, and the rejection stung.
I seated myself at the table and reached for the billfold to sign the receipt. But it was empty. My credit card was gone. A sick feeling dropped into the pit of my stomach like a lead weight. The bill had never been paid. It didn’t take a genius to connect the dots. Guy had stolen my credit card and beat feet out the door.
Panic set in, my heart racing as my mind whirred with the sequence of events, second-guessing myself and where I went wrong. What was I taught to do in this situation? I needed to cancel my credit card immediately. As I sat at the little table among the detritus of my meal while on hold with the bank for twenty minutes, Carson’s eyes watched me constantly. I could feel a sharp ache forming between my brows. For someone who lived a relatively calm and orderly life, there was a lot going on all at once for me to take in.
When I finally hung up with the bank, credit card canceled and a new one in the mail, I dropped my head heavily in my hands as I figured out my next move. I had no choice but to approach the bar and explain the situation to Carson. There was no way I could pay for the meal. To top matters off, I had no ride home. I had Ubered to the lounge in case I had too much to drink, figuring my date would take me home. And I’d just canceled the credit card on file with the rideshare app.
I’d been stiffed, screwed, and stuck!
2
CARSON
I trackedhim as he walked across the bar, headed in my direction. I’d been watching him all night. While he wasn’t my usual type, too pretty and buttoned up for my taste, something about his personality drew my eyes. Unfortunately, he was about to start some shit. I could smell it on him a mile away. Earlier, while he was in the bathroom, I’d watched as his date disappeared out the front door, and he still hadn’t paid his bill. He’d been moping for the last thirty minutes while he was on the phone, looking like someone had kicked his puppy. Suffice it to say, this guy’s night was not going well. And he was about to make it my problem.
He took a seat at the bar, watching me silently as I poured drinks and wiped down counters. His was my last table for the evening, and now I was just tending bar until we closed in an hour. “Last call!” I shouted. He sat quietly, never ordering a drink or striking up a conversation. Finally, I approached him. “Can I get you anything else?”
The man looked slightly panicked, his big blue eyes as round as a newborn fawn. “I, uh…I can’t pay my bill.”
Was he fucking kidding me? If I remember correctly, his bill came to just over fifty dollars. That was a sizable chunk of my tips to cover the house. Was he running some kind of scam on me?
“What do you mean, you can’t pay your bill? I haven’t even run your card yet. How do you know it’s declined? Can’t you use another one?”
“No, I mean—funny story.” He laughed in a fake and desperate manner. The guy was definitely panicking. “So, my date, the guy that left? He stole my credit card from the table while I was in the bathroom. And I immediately canceled the card.”
“Funny story, huh? Well, I’m not laughing. If you don’t pay your bill, I have to cover for you.” If I was just an employee, it would be management’s problem, but since this was a family-owned business, we covered our debts.
“I know. And I’m so sorry. I swear I’m going to make it up to you.” He gestured with his hands, suddenly coming to life from his morose state. It was a hint of the personality I glimpsed earlier in the evening, where he seemed to put his entire self into his conversation. He talked with his whole body, his hands and arms, his eyes, everything. He was all in when his attention was focused on you. I wondered what it would feel like to have that kind of attention centered on me.
I planted my arms on the granite bar top. “How do you figure you’re going to make it up to me? You don’t have a dime to your name, apparently.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, that’s the thing. See, I used a rideshare to get here, and I just canceled the credit card on file with them. So I don’t really have a ride home, either.”
Jesus, this guy didn’t know when to quit. First, he tells me I was out fifty bucks and then he wanted a ride, too? Un-fucking-believable! “How is any of this my problem?”
He looked adorably contrite as he peeked up at me from under long, tawny lashes. “You don’t happen to live near Rolling Hills, do you?”
“The fancy gated community in Cooper’s Cove?” I snorted inelegantly. “Sure, I’ve got a big old spread there. A beautiful estate overlooking the river.” I arched my brow sarcastically to let him know I was teasing him. The tiny craftsman I shared with my brother and my cousin was a far cry from anything in Rolling Hills.
Color suffused his cheeks before he ducked his head. “I’d be really grateful if you could help me get home. I promise to make it worth your while.”
“That’s the second time you’ve promised that, but I have yet to hear any offers.” I leaned across the bar, my eyes raking down the length of him. Was he trying to sell me his body in exchange for his debt? Because we could definitely work something out.
“I have money. I can pay you as soon as I get home.”
I slung the rag I was using to wipe down the bartop over my shoulder and laughed, rich and deep. “Man, he saw you coming a mile away. Don’t ever tell someone who’s taking you home you have money inside. It’s a sure way to get robbed, or worse.” I stared at him pointedly. “Where did you even meet that guy?”
