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There are a lot of those happening around me. Once shots went two-for-one, it ratcheted up the tension. Looks like Craft wants to make their mark for the singles of Somerset Harbor. In the wintertime, it’s mostly locals. We’re a summer town, with golf, sailing, and sport fishing being big businesses here. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at the place. It’s gotten busier in the past half an hour. A good time to leave.
But I don’t want to.There’s a cute redhead and—focus, Everett. You know better.
I have a rule. No more one-night stands. It’s a recent rule, so it itches like a fresh tattoo when I think about it. Not exactly uncomfortable, but new enough that I’m not used to it being there. Denying myself what I want is an odd thing. I am accustomed to operating on instinct rather than rules, but now seems like a good time to develop some restraint, and one-night stands have been a vice of mine for too long. I am becoming a better man. Starting now-ish.
Still. She really is cute as hell.I sigh at myself. She is probably a perfectly nice girl, which means she deserves a guy who will take her to brunch tomorrow. Not a guy who is hopping on a plane first thing in the morning. So, I will not lead her on. I am going to keep my eyes on my book, and I will ignore every impulse I have to go talk to her.
I bet she smells like strawberries.Stop it. Get your mind out of the gutter. The Andes, back to the book about the Andes.I wonder if her name is Andi. I’ve always like girls with gender neutral names.Focus!
It is a wonder I get anything done at all.
Been like this since I discovered girls weren’t icky and covered in cooties. This one appears to be covered in freckles, and they are a particular weakness of mine. Back then, it was any girl who smiled at me. And now, there’s one smiling to herself every time she steals a glance.
I could talk to her. It’s the fastest way to ruin a fantasy. But something tells me it would be worth the risk.
Her friend gathers her things and settles the tab, sending a flash of lost opportunity through me. They’re leaving.Ah well. It wasn’t meant to be. All for the best, really. No more one-night stands and all that.
I settle into my book again. I try, anyway. But I keep watching her. There’s only a limited time to appreciate her, and that hair is magnificent, along with the rest of her. She hugs her blonde friend, and I expect them to leave any minute now. But the blonde leaves with a pair of guys, and the redhead remains with her other two friends.
There is hope.
I laugh at myself, rolling my eyes and ignoring my urges. That’s the only reason I’m even curious about her. Just sex. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I have evolved into a more enlightened man who does not do one-night stands anymore. It’s beneath me. Which is where I wish she were.
Stop it.
Instead of focusing on what I’m not doing, I opt to focus on what I’m going to do. Hike the Andes. Find enlightenment. Become a better man. Explore the world. It is prurient interests that have gotten me into trouble more times than I care to count, and I want to do better.
Is she leaning on her bar table like that so I can see down her sweater?
You’re hopeless, Everett. Seriously hopeless.
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3
Aria
“You haven’t shown any interest in a guy in a long time, Aria. Go talk to him. It’s time to get back on the horse,” Olive says.
Isla steals a look at Book Guy. “Bet he looks even cuter in a cowboy hat. He could ride me anytime.”
I laugh and swat her arm. “My god. Be subtle, why don’t you?”
“All I’m saying is, go get ‘em. Yeehaw.”
I roll with their equine theme. “He will buck me—"
“I mean, if you’re into that,” a guy says near me. It’s not Book Guy. This one is tall with a sly smile. Not bad looking, but I hate when guys interrupt me with my friends.
“Hello.”
“I’m Wayne. Can I buy you a drink?”
“No thanks, Wayne. I’m just here for a girls’ night.”
He steps closer. “I promise I’m more fun than your girls.”
“She said no, Wayne. Take a hint,” Olive says.
