Seventeen
Oliver
Dad has brought me back to Charlston for more Scrabble. The man is fully invested in his revenge plot against AJ to win Thanksgiving Scrabble this year. He made friends with a few of the older women and promised them coffee and sweet treats if they played a few games with me and him.
Naturally, I said yes. I can’t wait to see AJ’s rage when she finds out the lengths he has gone to try and beat her.
Secretly my money is still on her to win.
And I’ll be sure to take bets the day of Thanksgiving.
We are on our second game and I’m out of coffee.
These women would probably stay here until the shop closes if Dad asked them to.
“Thank you ladies for being so kind and giving up your afternoon for me!” Dad leans in and hugs them both while they just blush at his attention. Dad has never once given another woman even a hint of a thought while we were growing up. He just has this natural charm that makes all women go weak.
“Anything for you.” They both say in unison before turning to face me.
They wrap their arms around my waist and squeeze tighter than any woman their age should have the strength to do.
“And this young man too! Cheryl already told us you were taken but just keep in mind we have granddaughters.” One winks and the other blows a kiss as they pull away and let me go.
I ignore the look that Dad is giving me about their “girlfriend” comment.
“Next time, he will have to bring one of my brothers.” I offer and watch their eyes light up. I have a feeling they would adore Maxie.
“Oh yes! Triplets. Wild boys you must have Eddie.” Violet raises her eyebrows. I only remember her name because she is wearing a purple top. When she was introduced to me earlier she said she prefers to match her name in some way in every outfit. And I thought of Mia with her cherries.
Dad clasps his hand over my shoulder and grins at them both. “They are good boys.” Motioning to their car parked on the side of the street he says, “You ladies have a good day. I’ll see you next month.”
I watch them get into the car and know it’s coming before he turns to face me, “Girlfriend?” He cocks his head with amusement shadowing his face. He’s hinted at something going on between me and Mia a few times but never pushes it.
“I only said it to get the other old lady to leave me alone.” I groan.
He full on laughs and the small wrinkles around his eyes start to crinkle. Dad never actually looks his age, but moments like this are the only time you can tell. “You heading home?” He digs his keys out of his pocket.
“I think I’m going to take a walk actually.” I don’t come to Charlston enough. So the opportunity to walk around and just take in the life around the area downtown is too enticing to pass up. He hugs me before heading the opposite way to the garage where he parked his car.
I roam around for a few blocks. Just taking in every business and old building.
There’s always so much art in Charleston.
I come close to a dessert bar that I know for a fact AJ secretly comes to on her birthday each year and I nearly trip over air.
Walking in is the cherry girl herself. I stop short at the corner of the bar when a man holds a door open for her.
She’s dressed in sophisticated sex. A large white silk button down that hits the top half of ridiculously toned thighs.
I follow her golden tanned legs all the way down to the black heels.
But my personal favorite is her wild hair and red lips.
She brings her eyes up to the guy still holding the door for her and gives him a small tilt of her lips.
She doesn’t notice me standing in the distance and it takes less than two seconds for me to make the decision to crash this fucking date.
I casually enter the same bar, quickly finding them at a table in the far corner.
I motion to the bar before she has a chance to look up and see me standing here.
Finding an open stool at the bar, I keep my back to her and her date but still pivot enough to watch her out of the corner of my eye.
Her date looks obnoxious with his groomed blonde hair, crisp shirt, and slacks.
It’s a harsh contrast to my jeans, black henley, and unkempt hair.
And something shifts in the air because I watch her look around like she feels it too.
I swivel on the stool and pull out my phone.
Oliver
Want to make a deal?
Her hand goes to the side of her leg and I watch a slow sexy grin spread her lips before she fixes her expression and gives the guy her attention again.
And we find ourselves in the same situation as before.
Her attention on her date doesn’t last but a minute or two before she is focusing on her phone again.
Mia
You know I love to play.
Oliver
He orders you a vodka martini with extra olives and you come back to my house again this weekend.
I’m studying her so closely that I know the second she reads the text and puts together that I’m in the same room. Her eyes try to covertly scan the bar until I turn around completely to make it easier for her. I start typing again.
Oliver
You look fucking incredible by the way.
I bring my eyes back up to hers to see that she is still locked on where I’m sitting. She makes a huge show of crossing her legs and letting her shirt ride up treacherously high on her hip. She’s moving her hand under the table over her phone but her lips are moving as she speaks to him.
Mia
Deal. Let me know if my panties are showing?
I bring my hand up to cover my mouth and contain the laughter threatening to bubble out of me.
God, I’ve missed her. She’s been gone all week, never showed up to the house last Saturday like she said she would and she hasn’t shown up to the gym to do all of her media stuff she normally does.
The thought of just randomly running into her is unfathomable to me.
Did she have family in Charleston? Did she want to hide her date from us?
“Milla!” The bartender calls out as a tall girl with long black hair walks up to the bar.
“Goes to Mia’s table.” He taps the tray with the drinks on it.
Un--fucking-believable. There is a vodka martini perched on the tray with a toothpick with four olives.
That has to be extra olives than usual, right?
I watch the waitress bring the drinks to her table and I don’t even try to hide my shit eating grin as she darts eyes over to where I am sitting.
I hold my glass of water out to her and wink.
I watch them have their entire date as I fight the urge to walk over and sit next to her just to see if her body reacts like it always does.
She is all measured smiles and full of conversation as she sits with him.
I go through two full glasses of water. I wait for the bartender to ask me to leave for not ordering anything when he makes his way over to me.
“You know Mia?” I don’t really answer him but he knows I do by my lack of words and the fact that I don’t even look up fully at him.
He’s cleaning out a few glasses as he nods his head.
“His name is Blake. His dad owns some big law firm.” He educates me on the guy that she is sitting with.
“Can you make a cherry margarita?” I ask him instead of acknowledging what he said to me.
He gives me a look that tells me of course he can.
I grab my napkin that I haven’t used because I needed to keep my hands busy holding my glass.
I look around for that waitress, Milla. When I find her, I waive her over.
“Can I borrow your pen?” It’s not red, but it’ll get the message across.
I scribble a message on the napkin for her as her drink is being made.
He’s blonde.
I don’t know if she finds blondes attractive or not.
I don’t care though because I’m not blonde and I know she finds me attractive.
I hand the napkin over to Milla after she takes the drink and watch her walk across the bar to where Mia is sitting.
They’ve been over there for nearly thirty minutes now.
I think that’s enough time for her to want to be over here instead.
Milla drops the napkin down first and gently places the drink on top.
As if she already knew there was note waiting for her, Mia moves the drink out of the way and she flips the napkin over.
I watch her mouth twist into a smirk. Game over lawyer boy.
It takes approximately two minutes before they both stand up and he kisses her on the cheek before leaving.
I had to grip the underside of the bartop to ground myself from going over there.
Is this how she felt when that girl was sitting on my lap?
Don’t think about that, you’ll get hard again.
Gathering her new drink and purse, she walks over to join me.
The thing I didn’t notice about her outfit before is the buttons are undone so low that it is painfully obvious she’s not wearing a bra.
This girl was created with the intention to torture me.
“I like blondes.” She immediately corrects me as she reaches the bar.
“You like brown eyed brunettes more.”
She sits and my eyes catch all the soft bare skin of her legs. “What are you doing here, Ol?”
“Dad had an appointment.” I partly lie. If she knows Dad is literally training in Scrabble to beat AJ, she would rat him out.
I watch her eyes widen in concern before she asks, “Is he okay?” It dawns on me that she’s worried about my dad because of his recent health scare with his heart. Something dense falls in my chest over this girl caring for my family.
I gently put my hand on her thigh, reassuring her. “He’s fine.” I remove my hand and point to her drink. “I guess you’re coming back over this weekend.” I give her a victorious grin.
“Blake always orders the same drink.” She rolls her eyes, not impressed with my accurate guess of her dates drink order.
“You go on a lot of dates with Blake?” I know I don’t technically have a reason to ask but I do anyway.
“When I need to.” That’s the only answer I get.
“Why are you here? We’ve missed you at the gym this week.”
“I love this place and my grandma is here.” I don’t know a lot about Mia.
The little bit I do know, I know from AJ.
But I know she loves her grandma. “I actually have to go and meet her now so I can’t stay.
But thank you for this.” She takes a large sip of the drink I bought her before setting it back down.
I want to ask more about her date and where she’s been.
I almost ask if I can come with her to meet her grandma just to have the excuse to be around her more.
But she’s walking out the door before I have the chance to make up my mind.