AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nice to meet you. I’m Cooper.”
“Oh, I know who you are,” she says, in a playful tone.
Maren gives her an amused sideways glance as I reply, “Maren’s been bragging about me, huh? How embarrassing. It’s all true, though.”
“So, you are the one who got stuck in a wall?”
Everyone laughs and Maren adds, “And got humped by the dog, don’t forget about that.”
“Are you going to be mean to me all night?”
Maren grins, her eyes already shining from the alcohol. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Well, keep me updated.” A waitress approaches our table, and I order a beer then hand her my card. “Run a tab for the table on this, please.”
“You aren’t paying for everyone,” Maren objects.
“It’s Louise’s birthday and this is my gift.”
Louise beams at me as I nod at her. “Thank you!”
Once the waitress leaves, Row puts his arm around me. “My birthday is next month, you know.”
“It is not,” Cara says, smacking his chest.
Everyone is in a good mood and the next couple of hours are filled with conversation and laughter. After two beers, I nurse the third, so I don’t end up needing to leave my truck, and because there’s no way I’m leaving here without Maren when she looks so good. The tight dark jeans she’s wearing hug the curves of her hips and ass. I’m used to seeing her hair up in a messy bun or ponytail, but it hangs in soft waves around her shoulders.
Row and I sit at the table and watch as Cara drags Lila, Holly, and Maren to the dance floor. Louise needs no urging. She’s been in the middle of the floor waving her arms in the air like she’s casting a spell for the last twenty minutes.
“How are things with the new house?” I ask him.
“Good. Lots of work to still be done, but we’ll get there.”
I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to discuss some business with Row, and this is as good a time as any. “Maren tells me you have quite a few friends in the trades and plan to put together a contracting business soon.”
“That’s right. My friend Nolan works in HVAC, Maurice is an electrician, and Huck used to own his own roofing company. I have a plumber in mind but that’s not solid yet. We’re all independent contractors for now, and my focus will be flipping houses, but my ultimate goal is to put together a crew to do general building repairs. It’ll take a few years to save money and get organized.”
“I’m going to need someone to replace Dylan once all the repairs are made here and he heads home. Would you be interested in discussing a maintenance supervisor position in the meantime? Your connections would be very valuable.”
He sits back in his chair and picks up his beer. “You know I have a record, right? And the men I’m talking about have all served time.”
“I do. Maren explained what you’re trying to do, and I think it’s great. You don’t prevent people from reoffending by keeping them unemployed. That’s crazy.”
“I’m definitely open to discussing it.” He tips his beer toward the restrooms. “But you might want to know that Maren’s ex is trying to talk to her.”
What? When I turn, Maren stands against the far wall, waiting in line for the women’s restroom, while a guy keeps leaning in to talk to her. Each time she leans away, eventually stepping back and shaking her head.
I don’t know him, but her body language clearly shows that she doesn’t like him. It isn’t jealousy that propels me across the room, but growing anger that he isn’t taking the hint.
“Hey sweetheart,” I exclaim, dropping a firm kiss on her mouth before she can reply. “I was looking for you.”
Blinking up at me, she plays along. “Well, you found me.”
The guy still stands there like he’s waiting his turn. With a shooing motion, I dismiss him. “Run along, now.”
Indecision wars on his face. He’s a few inches shorter than me and I have no doubt I can take him if he wants to go. Maybe he knows it too because he addresses her instead of me. “It was good to see you again.”
Maren doesn’t answer, and he walks off. “Thanks for that, but you didn’t need to. He isn’t dangerous. I can handle him.”
