2. COLE
two
cole
“C an I get a gin and tonic with a lime? Tanqueray.”
I follow the deeply Southern accent to its owner. A woman I’ve never met before sits at the end of the bar, next to the stools that the newlyweds just vacated. Thankfully, the Links couple took their shenanigans home.
The unfamiliar newcomer wipes down the bar in front of her. She bunches the napkins like she’s afraid of them, or as if they’re not good enough to do the job. Once she’s done, she sets her purse there, clutching the straps with her perfectly manicured fingers. Her hazel-colored hair falls loosely over her tanned shoulders, but what holds my attention is her light brown eyes.
At first glance, they sparkle, but there’s also a hint of sadness in those amber eyes. Are the overhead lights playing tricks on me?
Who is she?
I’ve been back in town long enough to know everyone around here, but nothing about this woman rings a bell. I definitely would’ve remembered if I’d seen her before.
“Excuse me?” She slowly waves a credit card over her face.
“Right. Sure thing.” Nodding, I shake myself loose from the strange trance she put me in. But as I pour the tonic and grab a lime, I steal glances her way.
She rubs her hands together on the counter in front of her and peers around the bar, her frown deepening.
After I pass her the drink, I wipe my hands on a rag. “Should I start you…”
She distracts me by leaning over to grab a straw from the holder in front of me. In the process, I’m granted a good look down her blouse, and I suppress the urge to bite my damn knuckles.
Her bra is silky, with a little blue bow in the middle.
How sweet, yet …
“You were saying?” She lifts a brow.
“A tab.” I clear my throat. My mama would kill me if she knew I was anything other than a perfect gentleman. “Would you like to start a tab, ma’am?”
“No. I’m just here for one.” Her shoulders remain high like she’s on alert, and then she pins me with a glare that I imagine would make even my harsh old man cower. “And don’t call me ma’am . Please and thank you.”
“You got it, darlin’.” I accept her card and check her out—for the drink. It takes every ounce of strength not to continue checking her out in the less-than-gentlemanly way.
I move to the other end to get Joe and Petey another beer, putting distance between the mystery woman and myself. Then I place an order for wings for another customer and make three margaritas for the ladies at table five.
Scarlett flips her long ponytail over her shoulder and walks up to grab the tray holding the fresh drinks. Rolling her eyes, she says in a hushed tone, “Every freaking Thursday, they come here to stare at you. I don’t know why I’m the one serving them and not you.”
“Because you’re less of a liability.”
“Yeah, right. Like you’d even know what to do with them. I’m pretty sure Lisa would give her left arm to find out, though.” She snickers and balances the tray on her shoulder as she walks toward the ladies.
Then I turn toward our new guest at the other end of the bar.
It’s been a whole three minutes since I last glanced her way. Her gaze flits from the crowd to the ground and back up. I saunter toward her, squinting for a good look at her eyes, and I notice the sadness yet again.
The woman still clutches her purse like anyone in here would steal it. Beside it is her drink, still full. “Something wrong with your drink?” I cross my arms on the bar in front of her.
She settles her doe eyes on me. “No. I’m just not sure why I ordered it. I drove here, and it wouldn’t be responsible to have a drink before I get behind the wheel again. I just really wanted it. It’s been… a day.”
I lean in closer and shrug. “I’ll give you a lift.”
She places her hand over her chest and grimaces like I suggested I give her a lift in exchange for unspeakable sexual favors. “I most certainly will not accept a ride from a stranger.”
“You’re in Sapphire Creek, baby. No one’s going to steal your purse or kidnap you,” I say with an easy smile.
She loosens her grip on her purse, and her lips part. “That’s not what I was thinking.”
“What were you thinking, then?”
Her shoulders slump. “Fine. You caught me. It’s been a while since my last visit, and it was hardly a pleasant one. Then again, I’m starting to think I’m holding a grudge for no reason.” Her tone is lighter than before, and when her lips loosen into a small grin, I pause.
I don’t normally make fast judgments about people, not like others in this town do, but when this woman smiles, she catches me off guard.
Not sure what I expected, but the way it lights up her face, transforming it and instantly wiping the previous sadness away…
My fucking chest swells.
“I’ll take only a few sips, so I won’t be needing a ride.” She tucks a strand of shiny straight hair behind her ear, then brings the straw to her pink lips for a quick taste. “I’m here to visit my aunt. I don’t want to show up drunk in a stranger’s car, as much I’d love to give folks something to talk about. I’ve already done plenty of that back home.”
“Where’s home exactly?”
The same shadow from before darkens her features once again. “Atlanta.”
That explains why I’ve never seen her before.
Another regular calls for my attention, and before I go, I point to the mystery woman. “One second.”
After I make a new drink and grab a few more beers, I enter them into the computer. When I look to the end of the bar, it’s empty. No purse, drink, or crumpled napkin. Like she was never there at all.
I scan the rest of the room, searching every table and booth for a sign of her, but I come up empty.
“I think she left,” Joe offers.
“What?”
“The pretty little thing you’re all flustered about—she’s gone.” Joe nudges Petey.
“I’m not flustered. I was just… looking for her glass. You can’t take them out of the Tap.” I shrug, trying not to appear too affected, but my heart pounds against my chest like it’s trying to escape. I barely scratched the surface of that puzzle of a woman.
“Those puppy-dog eyes don’t fool us.” Petey shakes his head.
“Guys, relax. I don’t even know her name. Just that she had brown hair and was sitting right there.”
“Who?” The woman appears seemingly out of nowhere and shifts the strap of her purse over her shoulder, her large eyes twinkling with amusement now.
I rub my chin, embarrassed to admit how relieved I am that she’s still here. “We thought you left.”
“And take my drink with me? It’s not ladylike to steal.” She tsks as she sashays back to her seat. She sets her drink onto the table and slides onto the stool just like before.
I laugh under my breath and check the bar for empty glasses or bottles that need refilling. Thankfully, it’s later into the night now, and people are slowly returning home to relieve babysitters, take their dogs out, and settle into bed for a decent night’s sleep before work tomorrow.
Scratching my head, I approach the woman again and lean my back against the beer coolers, facing her smug expression. “You heard nothing.”
“So, you weren’t talking about pretty little things, or your puppy-dog eyes? Because the ones I’m looking at sure do fit the description.” She toys with her straw as her slow perusal of me toys with my ego.
“Fine. You caught me.” I throw my hands up and come forward to lean over the bar. “I’m glad you’re still here.”
“Why’s that?” Something in the coy twitch of her lips indicates she already knows the answer.
“Why don’t you stay a minute and find out?”
“Are you coming onto me, Mr. Big Shot?”
The nickname momentarily distracts me, but there’s more at stake than figuring out where she heard it. It was probably just Scarlett, anyway. She’s used it on me eight times in the last half hour alone. “Would that be a bad thing?”
She swallows another sip, which brings her closer to the bottom of the glass. She’s clearly abandoned her previous resolve to leave here without finishing it.
And that’s pretty much the only answer I need.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“Gigi.”
“I’m Cole Rivers, aka Mr. Big Shot.”
“Is this where you say this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship?” She pins me under her gaze as she finishes the last of her gin and tonic.
Her slender throat bobs, challenge and promise laced in her question.
I toss a towel over my shoulder and stand upright, reaching my full height. Then I peer down at her with a smirk. “Not at all what I was thinking.”