on her hip.
Marcy got that mischievous grin she always did before dropping a bomb. “I said you worked tonight.”
“Marcy! Damnit!”
“What? I’m so sorry you have a hot, nice guy asking about you. Must be real hard.”
Wendy balled up the rag and tossed it against the wall. “It’s weird, okay? Why is he asking about me? You don’t know who this guy is. He could be some psycho killer.”
“Yeah, he could,” Marcy said and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Or he could be a nice guy who has the hots for you. If you’re still alive tomorrow, let me know how it goes.”
“If I’m still alive you may not be because I’m going to strangle you.”
Marcy grinned and waggled her fingers as she left.
Wendy spent the next few hours anxiously watching the door. As much as she yelled at Marcy for it, the truth was Wendy had something of a crush on the guy. He was good looking, sharply dressed, and built like someone who lifted weights. As attractive as he was, though, Wendy couldn’t understand why he would be asking about her so much. He could have any guy in this whole town. Hell, he could have any girl he wanted anywhere. So why was he coming into this place, in the armpit of the world, and ask about her ?
The night rush was in full swing when she saw him walk in. She made herself busy near the back, but he still picked his way through the crowd and sat at the bar. He’d come in a few times already, each time asking for her specifically. Now, as she tried to be unavailable, the other bartenders weren’t even bothering to wait on him.
“Wendy,” one of them said.
“Can you please take care of it?” she asked him.
“Really?” he asked, looking at her as though she were stupid. “Because that’ll work.”
Wendy grunted and set down the glasses she’d been needlessly drying. “You’re useless.”
“I’m not the one he wants.”
Wendy waved him off and approached Mr. Beer-on-Tap. “Beer?”
“Yes please,” he said, folding his hands on the bar and smiling at her.
Wendy put on her best strained smile, trying to look vaguely annoyed at his attention while inside she was trying to not fangirl all over him.
“You’re in here a lot lately,” she said as the mug filled. “You new in town?”
“Business conference, actually,” he said.
Wendy furrowed her brows and set the mug in front of him. “Here?”
“Yeah, well, it’s… not the usual. Business, I mean. Your town is nice.”
“Nice?” she asked, resting her hands against the bar and locking her elbows.
“I, well not in a bad way. It’s quiet here. We like that.”
“And what is your business?”
He gave a small laugh and looked at his beer. Smiling awkwardly as he spun the glass in slow circles between his palms, he gave a small shake of his head. “Different things. We’re sort of a conglomerate of different corporations. Not easily defined.”
“Sounds complicated.”
“It is. Or it can be. I don’t know. I’ve been doing it for so long it seems simple, I realize how it must sound to someone unfamiliar with everything.”
“You mean someone stupid. Like me.”
“What? No, that’s not what I meant at all,” he said quickly, holding his hands out.
Wendy leaned back and wiped her palms on the back of her pants. Smiling at him, she shook her head. “You need to calm down there, buddy. I was just messing with you. It sounds complicated as hell.”
“Oh,” he said, giving another short laugh. “You had me there.”
“I could tell. You seem kind of wound up. This business of yours stressful?”
“It can be,” he said with a small bob of his head. “That’s why I like coming in here. It’s away from them. Helps me unwind.”
“That’s why you like coming here when I’m here, you mean.”
His face twitched as a number of emotions fluttered over his features. Sounds came out of his mouth, part laugh, part choke, and part words. None of it made sense.
“Uh huh,” she said in
Marcy got that mischievous grin she always did before dropping a bomb. “I said you worked tonight.”
“Marcy! Damnit!”
“What? I’m so sorry you have a hot, nice guy asking about you. Must be real hard.”
Wendy balled up the rag and tossed it against the wall. “It’s weird, okay? Why is he asking about me? You don’t know who this guy is. He could be some psycho killer.”
“Yeah, he could,” Marcy said and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Or he could be a nice guy who has the hots for you. If you’re still alive tomorrow, let me know how it goes.”
“If I’m still alive you may not be because I’m going to strangle you.”
Marcy grinned and waggled her fingers as she left.
Wendy spent the next few hours anxiously watching the door. As much as she yelled at Marcy for it, the truth was Wendy had something of a crush on the guy. He was good looking, sharply dressed, and built like someone who lifted weights. As attractive as he was, though, Wendy couldn’t understand why he would be asking about her so much. He could have any guy in this whole town. Hell, he could have any girl he wanted anywhere. So why was he coming into this place, in the armpit of the world, and ask about her ?
The night rush was in full swing when she saw him walk in. She made herself busy near the back, but he still picked his way through the crowd and sat at the bar. He’d come in a few times already, each time asking for her specifically. Now, as she tried to be unavailable, the other bartenders weren’t even bothering to wait on him.
“Wendy,” one of them said.
“Can you please take care of it?” she asked him.
“Really?” he asked, looking at her as though she were stupid. “Because that’ll work.”
Wendy grunted and set down the glasses she’d been needlessly drying. “You’re useless.”
“I’m not the one he wants.”
Wendy waved him off and approached Mr. Beer-on-Tap. “Beer?”
“Yes please,” he said, folding his hands on the bar and smiling at her.
Wendy put on her best strained smile, trying to look vaguely annoyed at his attention while inside she was trying to not fangirl all over him.
“You’re in here a lot lately,” she said as the mug filled. “You new in town?”
“Business conference, actually,” he said.
Wendy furrowed her brows and set the mug in front of him. “Here?”
“Yeah, well, it’s… not the usual. Business, I mean. Your town is nice.”
“Nice?” she asked, resting her hands against the bar and locking her elbows.
“I, well not in a bad way. It’s quiet here. We like that.”
“And what is your business?”
He gave a small laugh and looked at his beer. Smiling awkwardly as he spun the glass in slow circles between his palms, he gave a small shake of his head. “Different things. We’re sort of a conglomerate of different corporations. Not easily defined.”
“Sounds complicated.”
“It is. Or it can be. I don’t know. I’ve been doing it for so long it seems simple, I realize how it must sound to someone unfamiliar with everything.”
“You mean someone stupid. Like me.”
“What? No, that’s not what I meant at all,” he said quickly, holding his hands out.
Wendy leaned back and wiped her palms on the back of her pants. Smiling at him, she shook her head. “You need to calm down there, buddy. I was just messing with you. It sounds complicated as hell.”
“Oh,” he said, giving another short laugh. “You had me there.”
“I could tell. You seem kind of wound up. This business of yours stressful?”
“It can be,” he said with a small bob of his head. “That’s why I like coming in here. It’s away from them. Helps me unwind.”
“That’s why you like coming here when I’m here, you mean.”
His face twitched as a number of emotions fluttered over his features. Sounds came out of his mouth, part laugh, part choke, and part words. None of it made sense.
“Uh huh,” she said in
Similar Books
