Page 72 of His to Love
“A friend of Tyson’s is a friend of mine, Blue.”
“Thanks, then,” I told him.
He turned his attention to Charlie and scowled, pointing a finger. “You shout like that again and you’re fired.”
“Hey,” Charlie said, lifting his hands and taking a step back. “Of course. Next time a beautiful woman is sitting at your bar, telling me she knows you, I’ll just let you ignore her. Gotcha.”
“You’re a pain in my ass,” Declan muttered as he walked away. Based on the wink he flashed me, I figured he was joking. For some strange reason, Charlie was completely enjoyable. But young, way too young for me. I would guess that he had just barely turned twenty-one, based on the still slightly boyish features of his face.
“You love me!” Charlie shouted to Declan’s back. He showed me a mouthful of teeth with his large grin and shook his head.
“I’m not sure antagonizing your boss is the best choice.”
“We have fun here, and he knows I wouldn’t risk my job by pissing him off. It’s all good.” He gave a shameless shrug and began wiping down the bar top.
I lost myself in the mind-numbing silence of the televisions above the bar and sipped my drink, taking my time and keeping in mind the fact I still had to drive in a little while. I was watching ESPN baseball highlights, something I couldn’t care less about, when a female voice next to me made me jump in my seat for the third time that night.
“You know Declan?”
My head jerked back and I turned to find one of the women from the table who’d been drinking margaritas standing in front of me and smiling happily.
“Umm.” I had no idea who these people were, but when I glanced over her shoulder, they were all shooting me curious looks, giggling into their drinks. “Um…sort of.”
“Oh, of course. That was awfully rude. I’m Paige. My friends and I come here almost every Thursday night.” She leaned in and whispered. “In truth, my friends and I love to ogle Declan every time we can get a glimpse of him. He humors us because Thursdays are his margarita night and we drink them by the pitcher. I figure our nights here are very profitable for him.”
“Oh…”
My lips parted, stunned by this woman in front of me. She was either slightly crazy or one of the friendliest people I’d ever met in my life.
“I haven’t seen you here before,” she said. She glanced at Charlie and flashed him a wink as he walked by. “Cute, isn’t he? I tell ya, the men in this town keep getting better looking by the minute.”
My mind whirled, trying to keep up with her.
“So are you new here?” she asked, startling me again.
As her friends went back to laughing, I began to relax. She seemed genuinely curious, if a little crazy.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I’ve been living in Colorado, but Detroit is home. I’m moving into an apartment in town this weekend.”
“And how do you know Declan?”
“I’m sort of dating a friend of his.” I chewed on my lip, wondering if I had said too much.
“That’s fantastic. And we have to hear more. Or anything you know about Declan really. Seriously, my friend Suzanne over there has nightly dreams about the man…but she’s married.” Her hand wrapped around mine and she tugged me off my chair. I had no choice but to follow her, unless I wanted to rip my hand out of hers. That would either cause a scene or spill my drink, so I opted to go with her. “Charlie!” she shouted, seemingly not caring that she was pulling a stranger behind her. “Bring our new friend a chair; she’s joining us.”
“Oh, I really can’t.” I dragged my feet into the carpet. “I’m sorry, but I just came to eat. I really can’t stay.”
“That’s okay.” She shrugged and smiled. Did she ever stop doing either? “You can eat with us. It’s better than being alone.”
She had a point. Still…“I don’t really know Declan. I’ve only met him once.”
“That’s okay, too. You can ogle him along with the rest of Latham Hills.”
I lost the fight and quickly snagged my drink while she tugged me along. When we got to the table, she waved her hand at everyone.
“Everyone, this is…” Her bright eyes widened and she suddenly looked embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t even ask your name.”
“Blue.” I looked at the three other women sitting around the table. Their faces were all equally happy, with slightly flushed cheeks from the margaritas they’d been drinking; they seemed friendly and open. “My name is Blue.”
