That kind of thing will have to wait until I’m back in my flat behind closed doors, able to make a spectacle of myself in private.
* * *
I ’m not normally the type to mope around, but whenever I recall visions of Hope standing in the doorway, it feels as if something inside of me will implode. So I do my best to distract myself for the afternoon, taking to a tub of ice cream while tearing through a marathon of 80s adventure flicks. When that doesn’t do the trick, I stare down a bottle of Jack, debating whether it’s worth risking the well-being of whatever pin-sized fetus may be growing inside of me. My period isn’t due to arrive for more than a week. Getting mashed to cure my woes is out of the question.
Damn James Kendall for weaseling his way inside my head as well as my knickers.
Deciding being alone in my flat is only adding to the direness of the situation, I pin my hair behind my head and don a pair of stilettos with one of my favorite dresses before hitting the cobblestone path toward Leona’s. It comes as a great comfort to be surrounded by the familiar lull of rock music and immersed in the local culture. All day I was keen to call Evelyn, but as it has to do with her brother and one of her mates as well, I knew it would only give her something to fret about.
The next person in queue to always offer a steady shoulder stands behind the bar when I arrive, chatting it up with a few young girls who look smitten with his large muscles and overall fit appearance. Can’t say I can blame them. When Nolan first inherited the bar from his grandmother a few years back, I was already a loyal customer but hadn’t had the pleasure of making his acquaintance. Those dark eyes and lush beard alone were enough to wet my knickers on the spot. I mean bloody hell. The man makes Henry Cavill appear to be a mongrel. It wasn’t long before we learned we had plenty in common as trust-fund babies. Then he told me of his adventures as a Marine, and I was ready to give him a proper shag.
Unfortunately, my weasel of an ex was still in the picture and the bond I formed with Nolan began to resemble more of a sibling nature, ruining any thoughts I had of wanting to jump his bones. I can’t help but think he would’ve eventually run off like everyone else in my life if we had been anything more anyway.
“Shar!” he calls out the moment he spies me headed his way. “What are you doing here? I thought you said you were staying home tonight, sugar cookie.”
The two young women immediately scowl in my direction with the dreadful code name for “save my ass” we established long ago when some bloke I had only just met got down on bended knee and asked me to be his bride. At the time I was desperate for Nolan’s assistance and came up with a term so ridiculous he knew I’d never otherwise use.
“I couldn’t possibly bare a moment longer without seeing my little sweet-tits,” I reply, flashing the women a wide smile.
Chuckling, Nolan moves around the bar-top to my side, and places a kiss on my cheek. “Excuse me, ladies, but this British beauty already stole my heart.”
Snarling beneath their breaths, they scurry away, eliciting a giddy laugh from my lips. April, one of the feisty waitresses with whom I’ve gotten shit-faced with a time or two, waves at me from his side and tilts her hand toward her mouth in the universal symbol for drink. I shake my head in small bursts, praying Nolan doesn’t catch on.
I grab Nolan’s thick bicep and smile. “Why on earth would you purposely ruin your chance at getting a proper shag?”
When he smiles back, a dimple pops into his right cheek. “They were students at NYU. Too young and naive for my taste.”
“What is your taste?” I tease, rolling my eyes to the ceiling. “Inquiring minds want to know.”
“I’ll let you know when I find her.”
I straighten the collar on his dress shirt and sigh. “Really, Nolan. You mustn’t continue working yourself to an early
* * *
I ’m not normally the type to mope around, but whenever I recall visions of Hope standing in the doorway, it feels as if something inside of me will implode. So I do my best to distract myself for the afternoon, taking to a tub of ice cream while tearing through a marathon of 80s adventure flicks. When that doesn’t do the trick, I stare down a bottle of Jack, debating whether it’s worth risking the well-being of whatever pin-sized fetus may be growing inside of me. My period isn’t due to arrive for more than a week. Getting mashed to cure my woes is out of the question.
Damn James Kendall for weaseling his way inside my head as well as my knickers.
Deciding being alone in my flat is only adding to the direness of the situation, I pin my hair behind my head and don a pair of stilettos with one of my favorite dresses before hitting the cobblestone path toward Leona’s. It comes as a great comfort to be surrounded by the familiar lull of rock music and immersed in the local culture. All day I was keen to call Evelyn, but as it has to do with her brother and one of her mates as well, I knew it would only give her something to fret about.
The next person in queue to always offer a steady shoulder stands behind the bar when I arrive, chatting it up with a few young girls who look smitten with his large muscles and overall fit appearance. Can’t say I can blame them. When Nolan first inherited the bar from his grandmother a few years back, I was already a loyal customer but hadn’t had the pleasure of making his acquaintance. Those dark eyes and lush beard alone were enough to wet my knickers on the spot. I mean bloody hell. The man makes Henry Cavill appear to be a mongrel. It wasn’t long before we learned we had plenty in common as trust-fund babies. Then he told me of his adventures as a Marine, and I was ready to give him a proper shag.
Unfortunately, my weasel of an ex was still in the picture and the bond I formed with Nolan began to resemble more of a sibling nature, ruining any thoughts I had of wanting to jump his bones. I can’t help but think he would’ve eventually run off like everyone else in my life if we had been anything more anyway.
“Shar!” he calls out the moment he spies me headed his way. “What are you doing here? I thought you said you were staying home tonight, sugar cookie.”
The two young women immediately scowl in my direction with the dreadful code name for “save my ass” we established long ago when some bloke I had only just met got down on bended knee and asked me to be his bride. At the time I was desperate for Nolan’s assistance and came up with a term so ridiculous he knew I’d never otherwise use.
“I couldn’t possibly bare a moment longer without seeing my little sweet-tits,” I reply, flashing the women a wide smile.
Chuckling, Nolan moves around the bar-top to my side, and places a kiss on my cheek. “Excuse me, ladies, but this British beauty already stole my heart.”
Snarling beneath their breaths, they scurry away, eliciting a giddy laugh from my lips. April, one of the feisty waitresses with whom I’ve gotten shit-faced with a time or two, waves at me from his side and tilts her hand toward her mouth in the universal symbol for drink. I shake my head in small bursts, praying Nolan doesn’t catch on.
I grab Nolan’s thick bicep and smile. “Why on earth would you purposely ruin your chance at getting a proper shag?”
When he smiles back, a dimple pops into his right cheek. “They were students at NYU. Too young and naive for my taste.”
“What is your taste?” I tease, rolling my eyes to the ceiling. “Inquiring minds want to know.”
“I’ll let you know when I find her.”
I straighten the collar on his dress shirt and sigh. “Really, Nolan. You mustn’t continue working yourself to an early
Similar Books
