One
LACI
The first and third Fridays of every month was girls' night. Each week we chose a new place to blow off some steam, discuss our kids, and complain, lovingly, about our husbands, well ex-husband for me. And believe me, it was never a loving complaint.
It wasn’t typical of us to pick the same place twice in a row, but that was before Hart’s Pass Brewery & Pub opened. Tonight was our second visit. And the reasons why were pretty straightforward. Great drinks and the sexy owner and brewmaster, Luke Hart.
“Laci, you going with the Candy Cane hard seltzer again? I can’t believe they’re keeping it year-round now.
Oh, and look, they have Key Lime Pie hard seltzer mini cupcakes.
Let’s skip the sliders and have dessert instead?
” Audrey, my closest friend in the group, grabbed my arm.
She put her menu down, daring the rest of us to deny her request.
“Audrey, don’t tempt me. We’re not going to rehash this old argument again, okay?
Dessert is meant to be served and enjoyed after a meal.
” Blayne picked up Audrey’s menu and handed it back to her.
“I’ll treat everyone to the cupcakes later.
I need protein first. Otherwise, someone is going to have to drive me home after just one beer. ”
“Lightweight!”
“Deidre, hush. Now, everyone decide on which beer you want, and I’ll flag down the server. I’m ready for a drink after the day I had.” Audrey winked at me. “Or maybe, I should request Luke come take our order.”
I let out a sigh and shook my head. Audrey was the only one who knew about my long-ago connection to Luke.
“I’m sure he has better things to do than entertain a table full of women who’ll be going home to husbands who have no idea that their wives have been lusting after the newest pub owner in town. ”
Although I wasn’t a beer lover, it was the area’s first brewery to produce and serve hard seltzer, which I did love.
However, it had quickly become bittersweet torture.
And Luke Hart was the source of that torture. We were once friends. Classmates at the local university almost twenty years ago.
A lifetime.
During my sophomore his senior year, I was his tutor.
He was the football star who needed help with biology.
And I wanted him to be my first. I thought the hook-up would happen at a frat party—finally, but after an ex caused a scene—his, and too many shots consumed—me, I ended up giving his roommate that honor.
A month later, I peed on a stick. It sealed my fate. Epic sad story.
The shotgun wedding two months after that long-ago night haunted me each time I looked Luke’s way. The whole “what could have been” had been buried all those years ago but had now come roaring back. And I had it bad for him. Probably more so now.
There we nights in my marriage where I closed my eyes and pretended Kevin was Luke. At the time I felt guilty, but as the years passed and our sex life became non-existent, the guilt was replaced with detailed fantasies, and most of them starred Luke.
On our first visit to the pub, I’d thrilled at his expression when he’d looked at me, recognition dawning in his eyes as they’d widen, then his gaze darkened a bit, and I was propelled back in time to our first tutoring session.
I’d been instantly smitten, or more accurately in lust, but he’d never indicated any interest. So I spent a semester pining for him until that fateful last night.
And now fate had intervened, and I was no longer the shy virgin.
I spent that night trying to get my nerve up to approach him.
The pub was packed, and we never got beyond a few fleeting glances as one group after another commanded his attention. So, tonight I came armed with a plan and plenty of nerve. I excused myself from the group to say hello without the prying eyes of my friends.
I became more emboldened with each step I took as he watched me as I made my way to the bar. Unfortunately, he was holding court over a group of rowdy middle-aged men working their way through a tasting of the pub’s darker brews.
I changed direction and visited the ladies' room. While washing my hands, I studied my pinkened face from the hard seltzer and the emotional buildup of speaking to Luke. I ran cold water over my wrists, hoping to cool down. I needed a new plan.
On my way back, he turned and winked at me, his intense gaze following me as I kept him in my peripheral vision.
So hot and bothered by the short interaction, I drained my glass of ice water as soon as I sat back down and spent the next hour avoiding the bar.
So turned on, I feared if I did, I’d do something out of character and march over and proposition him in front of the group of men without batting an eye.
Our server appeared and deposited a fresh drink in front of each of us. “Compliments of Luke. Enjoy.”
Audrey, Blayne, and Deidre lifted their glasses in gratitude toward the bar while I took a small sip before turning toward Luke.
He flashed a smile and nodded to the table.
But our gazes held much longer as my friends resumed their conversation.
I half stood when yet another group snagged his attention, and the moment was gone, but not the anticipation of what could happen next. It was going to be a long night.