Chapter Five #2
think he’s naturally a reserved guy. But I’m pretty sure he knows
you exist.”
Keeley made a disgruntled
sound.
Delaney took in the atmosphere. For a
Thursday night, the place was hopping and she realized Keeley’s
idea of getting away from the farm had been a good one. With
James’s funeral coming up on Saturday, Delaney needed a distraction
from what was sure to be an emotional wringer of a day.
They’d come through the door on the
bar side of the business. Big-screen TVs above the bar displayed a
baseball game with the volume low. She spotted Mateo Reynoso
wearing his usual SFD ballcap with the visor pulled low, sitting on
a stool at the bar and popping peanuts in his mouth as he watched
the game.
He spotted them coming in and rose to
his feet. “Hey, Delaney, Keeley. Haven’t seen you in a while.”
Mateo possessed the longest eyelashes she’d ever seen on a man. He
was saved from being too pretty by a tough squared jaw and a
well-muscled physique.
The year before he’d represented the
fire department in the town’s annual triathlon, coming in first in
the contest that included biking, running, and swimming events.
Delaney wondered why neither she nor Keeley couldn’t have fallen
for someone as rock solid as Mateo, but they’d all been pals since
high school and were comfortable keeping things as
friends.
He stood and gave Keeley a quick hug,
then turned to wrap his arms around Delaney, murmuring in her ear,
“Sorry about James, Laney. He was a good man.”
“Thanks, Mateo.” He
released her and she stepped back. “How’s your mom? I heard she
broke her wrist.”
“She did. Misjudged the
last step on a ladder and fell. But it hasn’t slowed her down much.
She’s already back to work. We’ll be at the service.”
“I’ll look for
you.”
“Come sit with us,” Keeley
urged.
“Maybe in a bit.” Two
months before, Mateo’s fiancée had dumped him days before the
wedding and Delaney knew her friend was having a hard time getting
past the heartbreak.
Keeley gave Mateo a smooch on the
cheek. “I’ll stop in at the shop to say hey to your mom before I
leave town.”
A couple rose from a table in a corner
not far from the bar and headed for the door, and Keeley zipped
forward to snag it, Delaney trailing behind. “This is the best
table,” Keeley said. “It’s far enough from the band so we can talk
without yelling, and it’s an excellent spot to
people-watch.”
They settled into their seats on the
same side of the table, their backs to the wall, Delaney hooking
her purse on the back of her chair. She eyed the band as Keeley’s
head swiveled, her eyes gleaming. “Look at all these people
checking each other out. I love the human mating ritual. In fact,
if I weren’t dating Oliver, I’d consider partaking myself. There
are a couple of really cute guys here.”
“I thought you were
thinking of breaking up with Ollie. You said he’s more into you
than you’re into him, and staying together wasn’t fair to
him.”
Keeley nodded and looked glum. “The
other day he was talking about what our kids would look like, and
since I have no intention of marrying him or having babies with
him, it’s time. But as that unhappy event has yet to happen, I
can’t do anything other than look.”
“Back to Owen. I think he
may have been checking you out.”
“Are you kidding? Further
proof he acts like I don’t exist: he hardly speaks a word to me.
How can a bartender be surly and not like to talk? It’s
unnatural.”
“He’s not surly, and I’ve
talked with him. I called him the other day and asked about the
band and he was helpful.”
“Well, he doesn’t talk to
me. Maybe he’s decided he doesn’t like me. Some people don’t, you
know.” Keeley tapped her lip with a fingertip. “Back to the subject
at hand. While I’m currently otherwise committed, you, on the other
hand, have made casual dating into a science. The minute guys want
to get serious you dump them.”
“That’s because I don’t
want serious.”
“I know. Now that Walker’s
home, and since I haven’t seen him in forever, I need to get a look
at him. I want to judge if he’s worthy of you saving yourself for
him all these years.”
It was stupid, but even hearing his
name made her heart skip a beat. “I have not been saving myself for
Walker.”
“I’m not talking about
‘saved yourself’ in the abstaining from sex kind of way, but more
in the avoiding emotional investment way. You haven’t been open to
a real relationship with anyone else because you’re hung up on your
high-school-early-college crush.” Keeley shrugged. “Now that he’s
back, it’s a good time to figure out your feelings.”
Had she saved herself for Walker?
Delaney shifted uncomfortably, because pining after the guy who’d
made it clear he didn’t want her was pathetic in the worst way. She
didn’t want to be pathetic.
Music drifted over the conversation as
the band tuned their instruments. “Hey,” she said as a thought
occurred. “You’re forgetting Josh. We went together for almost a
year.”
Keeley had the “you’ve got
to be kidding” look down pat. “Josh was so unimportant it took you
a whole minute to even remember you’d dated him. He was safe
because he wasn’t looking for serious either. That is, until he met
your friend Annie and fell flat on his face in love. If I remember
correctly, you practically pushed him at her, and then hosted their engagement party.”
“They’re a cute couple. I
couldn’t be happier for them.”
“You just proved my point.
You weren’t emotionally invested in Josh. You don’t commit
emotionally because you’re still in love with someone
else.”
The server came to the table and
Delaney breathed a relieved sigh. Anything to distract Keeley from
Delaney’s pitiful and depressing love life was welcome. Since one
drink was her limit, she’d make it a good one. “Strawberry
margarita for me.”
“I’ll have a margarita as
well, but make mine classic,” Keeley said. “And we’d like a big
serving of the loaded nachos. Don’t skimp on the guacamole and add
extra cheese, with two plates. Thank you.” Keeley gave the server
her sunny smile as Delaney groaned.
“How could you? You know I
have no willpower when it comes to Easy Money’s loaded nachos, with
not skimpy guacamole and extra cheese.”
“Girls’ night out,
remember? We’re here to enjoy ourselves. Plus, you burn off the
calories working on the farm. I, on the other hand, will have to
put in an extra hour at the gym. But the nachos will be worth the
torture.”
Delaney sat back, feeling herself
relaxing. It was hard not to have fun when she was with Keeley, and
tonight had the added benefit of distracting her from James’s
death.
Keeley launched into a description of
the end-of-year event her school put on, with glowing reviews of
how well her students had done. “As you know, this kind of thing
can be difficult, especially for kids who have autism or anxiety
issues.”
“You’re so good with them,
though. And it’s nice hearing how much progress these kids make in
your class.”
“Thanks, friend. Now I
need my principal to agree with your assessment when she does my
end-of-year evaluation.”
“You’ll do fine, because
you’re awesome. In fact—”
The outer door opened and Walker
stepped into the bar and completely derailed Delaney’s train of
thought.