Chapter 4
Gavin
“It was an absolute pleasure to meet you,” I smile as I take the girl’s hand in mine and give it a warm squeeze.
“The pleasure was all mine, Mr. Lacey,” she says. My attention turns to my son, Ben, who is beaming from ear to ear.
“You did well, son. She is a keeper.”
“I know she is,” he says, looping his arm around her and planting a soft kiss on her smiling lips.
I love it. I love every ounce of it.
As the father of adult children, nothing makes me happier than seeing them happy.
I really do like his fiancée. She’s free-spirited, beautiful, and full of life, just like him. It’s a match made in heaven or at a zipline course, since that’s where they met.
“Well, I’m happy for both of you,” I say, giving each of them a hug. “But I won’t keep you any longer. Thanks for having dinner with me.”
“Thanks for paying,” my son says, swiping one more chip from the basket on our table, which is covered in drink glasses and empty plates.
“Yes, it was so good. I love Mexican food,” she says. “We should go to Mexico sometime, love!”
“That sounds amazing,” he says, kissing her again.
“Alright well, you two have fun,” I say, and they smile and wave before heading out the door.
It’s kind of funny. This cantina is my go-to for great food and good vibes. When my son’s lovely fiancée said this is where she and Ben wanted to meet for dinner, I couldn’t argue with that.
I run my hand through my hair, switching hats for the evening.
It’s a wild thing to be a dad with grown kids as a single man.
Right now, I’m a single man who needs a celebratory drink, and I’m not afraid to drink alone.
The night is young; the nightlife is buzzing, and I can count on the cantina to have some of the best cocktails in Denver.
I’m not a man whore though.
I am actually very picky about who I keep company with.
But as a forty-five-year-old widower who has been single for ten years, I can’t be blamed for preferring the other side of the bed to be warm from time to time.
I’m not a dating app kind of guy, either. I like dating the way I like my whiskey–old fashioned.
The bartender sets my drink in front of me, and I take a slow sip, relishing the flavor. I enjoy the Angostura bitters, the barrel-aged bourbon, the tang of the orange peel, and the slight sweetness of the simple syrup.
I suck my teeth with contentment. It was a good dinner. I haven’t seen my son that happy in ages.
Out of my two kids, he’s the one I was a little worried about.
Madison is still single, but she’s also a stubborn career woman. She’s an ER nurse with direction and drive.
I know Allie would be proud of her. I like to think she would be proud of the way both our kids turned out, even if it has taken our son a little longer to settle down. That’s something I could never blame him for, not without being hypocritical.
My phone buzzes, and Madison’s name pops up.
Gavin: Are your ears ringing?
Madison: Why? Are you talking about me?
Gavin: No, I’m alone. But I was thinking about you.
Madison: Fair enough.
Madison: So? How was dinner?
Gavin: Exceptional. Your brother found a great girl.
Madison: I knew you’d like her.
Gavin: Wish you could have come. We missed you.
Madison: So do I. But compound fractures wait for no one.
Gavin: That’s my girl.
Madison: Always. Drink a beer for me.
Gavin: Will do.
Madison: Just not an IPA.
Gavin: LOL. Noted.
I set my phone down and pick up my cocktail, letting my eyes sweep over the room. The energy in here is great; it’s warm and vibrant inside these walls. Outside, snow and ice cover everything, but the January blues can’t put a damper on the nightlife in here. I love that about Denver.
But something about tonight feels different. I don’t think it has anything to do with my son’s new engagement. I am excited about it though, and it’s at the forefront of my priorities.
I can’t stop thinking about the girl from the other night.
It’s been a couple of weeks.
Something about her left a taste in my mouth that I don’t want to replace with anything else.
I’ve been on a lot of dates and spent a lot of time with beautiful women in flirtatious conversation. Often leading to more.
But I can’t get Charlotte off my mind.
She is so different from anyone else I’ve ever met. She’s the opposite of what usually catches my eye.
That’s not to say she wasn’t attractive.
She is a bombshell. I’m usually attracted to women who are a little more extroverted, a little more forward.
But she was a mystery from the start, a puzzle to be solved, like a little blonde Rubik’s Cube.
Oddly enough, it was a massive turn-on. Every time I thought I had her figured out, she stumped me again.
It was a challenge, and I do love a challenge.
And that dress. I can’t remember the last time I saw a sweater dress, but she pulled it off. She looked like a quirky, tequila-flavored, lost little librarian, looking for a good time. Hold the lime.
I chuckle to myself when my phone buzzes. My brother, Elias, is calling, and I answer mid-chuckle.
“What are you laughing about?” he asks.
“Oh, just women’s fashion,” I say.
“I’m gonna sidestep around that,” he says, and I laugh.
“That’s probably for the best. What’s up?”
“I’m calling to ask how your dinner date went with Ben and his girlfriend,” Elias says. In the background, I can hear his kids playing, and his wife, Bethany, yelling, “No more Go-Gurts before dinner!”
At forty-four, Elias is only a year younger than me, but he didn’t marry until later in life. Allie and I tied the knot in our early twenties and had Ben right out of the gate. Elias and Bethany have been together for about ten years. Their two kids are young and they have another on the way.
“You mean fiancée,” I correct him with a grin.
“Holy shit,” he laughs. “So the rumors are true! Hey Beth, Benny popped the question!”
“I told you!” I hear her call out. “Put it on speakerphone. Listen, Gavin, we had a running bet going. Elias said he thought he was going to propose in the spring on some epic hike or at the beach or something. But I knew that boy couldn’t wait that long. He has the patience of a toddler.”
“And the ambition of his father,” Elias adds.
“I like to think Ben is way cooler than I am,” I say, stirring my cocktail with the tiny black straw.
“Well, no shit he’s cooler, but you two are the same. Zealous. Rebellious. Fly by the seat of your pants type of men. That’s why Beth and I had a running bet going.”
“What? That he was going to propose before the ice melts?” I ask with a grin.
“No, that he would settle down before you,” he laughs, and my grin dips a little.
I know he doesn’t mean it in a negative way, but it still stings.
“Yeah, well, it’s hard finding the right woman when you were already married to her for 20 years,” I say, taking a sip of my old-fashioned to numb the pang in my heart.
“I get that.”
“You’ll find love again, Gav,” Bethany calls out.
“Maybe,” I say. “Right now I’m not sure I’m even looking for it.”
“Too bad that’s not how love works,” Elias says.
“Nope,” Bethany adds. “True love isn’t something you can hunt down. When it's right, love finds you, and there will be nothing you can do about it.”
I finish my drink in one gulp. I’m not sure how I feel about that.