7. Chapter 7
Chapter seven
Jonathan
“ E arth to Jonathan.” Frankie’s chirpy voice and finger snap broke him from his trance.
Half irritated and half grateful for his little sister’s interruption, Jonathan shook his head, trying to dislodge the new arrival from his mind. “Sorry, got distracted for a moment.”
The entire group turned overtly to see what had captured his attention. Or rather, who had captured it. Beer glasses dropped onto the table, and metal chair legs scraped jarringly against the concrete floor as his friends swiveled in their seats to get a better look. Jonathan rolled his eyes and rubbed a hand down his face. “Way to go, guys. Super subtle.”
“Ooooh. Pretty lady.” Kristen turned back to Jonathan, wiggling her eyebrows. “I approve. Go talk to her.” She flicked her hand, dismissing him from the table.
“Yeah. She’s cute,” Frankie agreed with a broad grin.
“Ladies, ladies. Keep it down. We don’t want to scare her off before Johnny has a chance to make a play,” Zac joked, salivating at the mystery woman as though she was a walking steak and he was a cartoon wolf.
“You’re all the worst,” Jonathan said, chuckling despite himself. He grabbed the dwindling pitcher of beer and topped off the abandoned pint glasses sitting on the table. Best to ignore the group of meddlesome pains-in-his-ass who he called friends.
“I think the consensus is that you should go talk to her. She’s by herself and has glanced your way at least twice since sitting down,” Kristen stated, quite matter-of-factly.
“She’s probably waiting for someone. Besides, I am here with you guys,” Jonathan reminded his friends.
“Well, if you aren’t going to talk to her, I’ll introduce myself and invite her over,” Zac purred as he slid his chair back. Jonathan sat back and crossed his arms, calling his friend’s bluff. They stared each other down for a moment, a game of chicken entirely in play. Zac stood.
With a very uncharacteristic tone, Jonathan hopped up and barked, “Sit.” Zac returned to his chair, a feisty smirk dancing across his lips.
Not a physically aggressive man, Jonathan still entertained the urge to smack the smugness right off his friend’s broiled face. Knowing the sting would be magnified due to the SPF negligence increased the temptation.
Ugh. I don’t have time for this.
“Fine, if I go say hello , will you get off my back?”
They all nodded emphatically.
“Ok, then.” Jonathan threw back the last gulp of beer and slammed down the glass. Sliding back his chair, he rose to his feet and strode across the room. Knowing his friends, they were all shamelessly watching him as he walked toward the mystery woman. She glanced up. Surprise painted across her face along with something else. Trepidation? The sparkle of her evergreen eyes offset the rosy glow spreading across her cheeks. She was nervous. Why did that make him feel a little giddy?
No, that’s guilt.
He felt guilty that he was using her as a pawn in his cleverly evasive trick. Or maybe it was from knowingly leaving her open for Zac to swoop in and bother her. Jonathan weaved purposefully around tables, continuing in her direction. At the last moment, he veered left toward the exit. Turning at the door, he gave his friends a little wave accompanied by an I-got-you grin and left the tavern.
Lucy
Lucy strolled back to the Wilhelm Haus Inn. The sun had fully set an hour ago. The darkened sky shrouded above like a black hood pulled up over the town. Only pinpricks of light speckled the dome overhead, stars in a spray of sparkling glitter. The streetlamps lit her way back while other tourists scurried from one restaurant to another. Most of the shops had closed for the night, only the establishments serving beer and other libations remained open. Shouts of laughter and merriment traveled out of every beer garden. And for a little town, there were a lot of beer gardens. Front Street was beyond charming this time of night. Despite it being June, the evening was still brisk. She pulled her jacket tighter around her to ward off the unseasonable chill hanging in the air.
Lucy patted a hand on her stomach; Gunther hadn’t steered her wrong. The Rooftop Tavern made a damn fine burger. The atmosphere of the bar was lively without being raucous and quaint without being a hole-in-the-wall. It was just what she needed for her first night in Leavenworth.
The scenery wasn’t too bad either. Lucy thought about the attractive guy wearing flannel sitting at the opposite end of the room. Tall, dark blond, clearly the outdoorsy sort. Just her type. Typically, she didn’t have a type, but after dating someone like Brodan, she thought an overcorrect was in order. For a moment there, it seemed like the mountain man was coming over to talk to her until he changed directions and exited through the door. She shrugged; she would have chatted with him, sure, but with her early morning, there was no way she’d be willing to stay out late.
Oh, god, I sound old.
Either way, the food, the atmosphere, and the view were an excellent start to her soul-searching vacation.
Full and happy, Lucy was ready to settle into her room and take a leisurely soak in the hot tub before crashing for the night. She used her key card to unlock the door and pushed into her room, the creak sounding twice as loud now that the sun had set and the town was settling down. She almost forgot about the state of things inside. A flip of the light switch reminded her all over again of the tacky display of romance.
She chose to ignore it. Nothing was going to ruin her trip.
Lucy stripped down, leaving a trail of clothes behind her as she walked to the private balcony. She grabbed the sparkling wine and a fistful of chocolates along the way. A peek outside the sliding glass door confirmed she had adequate privacy, and she hopped into the tub, settling into one of the corners.
Relaxation blanketed her. The warm, churning water swept away any stress or anxieties she’d been feeling earlier about going on the backpacking trip the next day. Her only remaining reservations were whether she’d get along well enough with the guide and if she could manage with her heavy pack. She was no couch potato, but she also hadn’t hiked or been to a gym in years. Plus, she severely overpacked. She’d probably struggle, but being a paying customer, it was unlikely that her hiking companion would complain. And if they did, well, then there would be no tip.
Who am I kidding? I’d still tip them .
Between sips of bubbles, Lucy’s thoughts drifted back to the flannelled guy at the tavern. He really was handsome. Maybe that’s exactly what she needed: a vacation rendezvous with a sexy local. He’d be quite a palette cleanser.
She quickly dismissed the notion. She’d just fallen into single status and didn’t need some guy to come along and disrupt her journey of self-discovery. Even if that man stood a full head over her and probably smelled like pine needles and testosterone, she wasn’t looking to lose herself again.
But there wasn’t any harm in fantasizing.
She imagined him in the hot tub with her. Naked and flushed from the heat of the water. Smoldering amber eyes devouring the sight of her as the tops of her breasts peaked above the surface. Maybe he’d grab hold of her feet and massage them then pull her closer so he could reach and rub other, more satisfying areas of her body. What did he look like under that plaid button-up? He probably had just the right amount of chest hair that spanned his pecs and teased a line down his belly. Following a path all the way down past his boxers until it met his . . .
Woo! Is it getting warm in here or is it just the hot tub?
Lucy grinned, enjoying the night sky and naughty thoughts, while she soaked all her worries away.