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Parker eyes me. “Can you hang on for two minutes? Promise not to leave?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Not while there are still a few fries on my plate. Not while this bar is warm and cheerful, and the cabin is sure to be dark and lonely. Not while I’m this happy.
“Okay, great.” He taps the bar in front of me and gives me a long look before turning and walking down the bar. He disappears through a set of swinging doors.
Delilah eyes my glass. “You up for another?”
“Maybe I should pay for this one so I’m ready to head out in a little while. I saw there’s one cab service in town. Mountain Shuttle, is that right?”
I reach for my wallet.
She holds her hands up. “I’m not taking your money. Parker would kill me.”
“Why?”
She raises an eyebrow at me. “Girl…? He’s not gonna let you pay. You’re here with him.”
“Oh, no. I’m not—he’s my—I mean, we grew up together. And we used to betogethertogether, like way back. Way,wayback. Ten years ago. Now we’re friends.”
“I have two eyes, and believe me,” she reaches over the bar to clap my shoulder, “you’re a lot more than his friend.”
I want to argue.
Then again, this chick looks tough, and do I really want to annoy her by protesting?
Because I know what it must look like. Me, sitting here, eating up the wisdom he imparts, laughing with him, and sliding food off of the fork he’s holding.
We must look like two love-sick fools.
We’re not, but no one else knows our history. We have this familiarity between us because we were in love when we were really young. A thing like that stays with you, even as you age. That’s what they’re seeing, Nothing else.
Right?
I munch the rest of the fries and Delilah clears my plate. A couple minutes later, Parker returns.
He hands her a stack of cash. While she fits it into the register, he makes his way back to me, ignoring a few empty glasses on the bar as he walks.
Those customers will have to wait.
He seems to only have eyes for me.
“You want another?” he asks, when he sees my drink’s nearly gone.
“I’m not about to sit here drinking on my own.”
“I told you I’d come around to your side, if you sing a song. I’ll spend a half-hour right there.” He points to the stool next to me, which is currently occupied by a guy in his early twenties.
“That seat’s taken,” I whisper to Parker.
He leans across the bar and puts his lips up to my ear. “I’m not afraid to fight that dude for it.” I can feel his breath, warm on my ear and neck. “Also? I’m upping the anti. One whole hour.”
“Sixty minutes with your company. Hm…”
“It’s a one time offer. No big, bulky bar between us.” He spreads his hands on the counter.
“I’m thinking….”
“Thinking about how great it’d be, to sit that close?”
