I grabbed her hand. We were trying to look comfortable with each other. I figured it was in character. Brazen, but in character.
She didn’t pull away.
The guys watched me with slack jaws as we made our way out of the bar. I put my other hand low and flipped them off.
When we got out into the parking lot, I let go of her. I pulled the bills out of my wallet and handed them to her.
She took the cash, counted it, and then tucked it into my shirt pocket. “Uh, the deal was fifty-fifty,” I said, digging for the money to give it
back.
“I’m paying you for the tow service.”
“Nope. I don’t accept,” I said, handing her the wad of bills. She crossed her arms.
“You did the lion’s share,” I said, holding it out. “You earned it.”
“I wouldn’t even be here if you hadn’t hauled me out of the ditch. I would have paid Drunk Carl a lot more than fifty bucks. And I get to decide what to do with my ill-gotten gains. That’s how ill-gotten gains work.” She gave me a wry grin.
I shook my head with a smile. I could see she wasn’t going to fold, and I didn’t fight her too hard because if I wasn’t going to be out fifty bucks, I wouldn’t hit the guys up for the money tomorrow. Finances were tight for
everyone in the off-season. And anyway, this had been well worth the entertainment value alone.
“So do you do this often?” I asked, putting the bills back in my wallet. “I have to say, this was the highlight of my week.”
She smiled. “Must be a slow week.” I laughed a little.
A soft breeze blew a strand of hair across her face and she dragged it away with a finger. God, she was gorgeous. Red hair, fair skin, freckles peppering her nose. Deep brown eyes. Athletic. I’d seen more than she probably intended when she was getting changed in her car. I could smell her perfume. I didn’t know what it was, but my guess was it was something expensive.
This was a woman so far out of my league it wasn’t even funny. It was hard to believe that she was even here, standing in this parking lot full of cracked asphalt in the middle of nowhere, wearing that dress and those heels. Like a model had wandered away from a photo shoot for a fashion magazine and gotten lost.
And she was right about the fog. It hugged the edges of the parking lot like there was an invisible force field around the VFW. It was weird. And not great to drive in, that’s for sure.
We stood there for a moment. Then she nodded to her car. “Well, I better get going. You have to feed your kid—hey, is there anywhere to get food close by?”
I shook my head. “No. Rochester’s the closest city to Wakan, and that’s forty-five minutes north.”
She pursed her lips. “That’s what I thought. Okay, well. It was nice hustling your friends with you.”
“Yeah, you too.”
She smiled at me for another moment. Then she turned and headed for her car, and I stood there, watching her.
“Hey,” I called.
She turned. “Yeah?”
“I could make you something to eat. At my place.”
“What are you going to make me? Because I’m a very picky eater,” she said without skipping a beat.
I smiled. “Well, I don’t have any dinosaur chicken nuggets if that’s what you’re hoping for.”
This drew a laugh, and I grinned.
I mentally scoured the contents of my fridge. “Probably a grilled cheese?
With fresh tomato and basil in it?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Fresh tomato and basil?” “I have a garden.”
“I don’t do one-night stands.”
I laughed. “Well, that escalated quickly.”
“I’m serious. I’ve never had one and I never will. If your goal is that, you’re going to be severely disappointed.”
“My goal is not that,” I said honestly, smiling at her.
She nodded, taking a few steps until she stood looking up at me. “Okay.
But I have to inform you that I’m bringing my Taser.” “Fair enough.”
“And I will definitely use it if I have to.” She gave me a stern look.
I made a matching serious face. “You won’t have to. But I believe you.
You look violent.”
She fought a laugh, trying to keep her serious expression. “And I’m taking my own car. You’re not driving me.”
“Of course.”
“One last thing.” She cocked her head. “Is there anyone out there under the impression that they are in a relationship with you?”
I laughed. “It’s just a grilled cheese, you know. It’s not that serious.” “Oh, I know. But if I was under the impression that I was in a
relationship with someone and I came home to find them making a grilled cheese for another woman, I would not be happy.”
“I said I didn’t have a girlfriend.” “Completely different question.”
“No,” I said, smiling. “Nobody is under the impression that they’re in a relationship with me. Is there anyone out there who is under the impression that they’re in a relationship with you?”
She laughed. “No.” “Okay.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
I woke up the next morning at six a.m., naked and happy after having the best date of my entire life.
And then I realized she was gone.
