Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
"And you weren't ready for another complication."
"Something like that."
"And now?"
"Now, I'm not so sure."
His hazel eyes locked on mine as he said, "Well, if that's the case, I'll take you up on that dinner, and we'll see how things go from there. How does that sound?"
"Yeah, that sounds great."
“Good deal.” He opened the door as he told me, "I’ll go see about the tow, and just message me about dinner.”
“Sure thing." He was just about to close the door when I said, "I'm really glad you stopped tonight."
"Best decision I've made in a while. Almost as good as going to that Star Wars marathon."
He gave me a playful wink, then closed the door, leaving me in a puddle of nerves and hormones. I'd done it. I'd made a date with him, and I couldn't have been more nervous and excited. I couldn't wait to tell the girls.
I didn’t want them to worry, so I sent them a quick message, letting them know that I was going to be late. I walked over to the window, hoping for one last look, but sadly, Ronin had already gone. Thankfully, it wouldn't be long before I saw him again.
The kids would be with their dad the following weekend, so it would be the perfect time to have him over. I just had no idea what I would cook or wear. The mere thought of it was enough to get my anxiety going. I figured I could use a little advice from the girls, so I called an Uber and had him drive me straight to the restaurant.
Keeley had her mind set on getting out and about, so we decided to try out Danvers. It was a sports bar where a lot of local guys liked to hang out, and rightly so. There were flat-screen TVs mounted on nearly every inch of available wall space, each one tuned to a different game. Men and women alike would gather around to watch their favorite team, filling the room with their cheers and groans as their teams gave it their all. There were pool tables in the back with pendant lights hanging above, giving the space a more relaxed feel.
When I walked in, the roar of cheering from a couple of guys at the bar, the bright TV screens, and the various smells coming from the kitchen nearly put me in sensory overload. I took a quick glance around and spotted Keeley and Ryan sitting in the back by the pool tables. As I made my way over, I couldn’t help but notice all the empty tables and chairs.
Other than a few guys at the front bar, the place was basically dead. And Keeley didn’t look happy about it. In fact, she looked fit to be tied. I gave her an encouraging smile as I slipped into the booth next to her and asked, “How’s it going?”
“It’s whatever,” Ryan answered. “What about you? What happened to your car?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I’m pretty sure the alternator has gone out on it.”
“Alternator?” Ryan cocked her brow. “That’s a big word from someone who knows nothing about cars.”
“Yeah, well... the guy who stopped to help me was quite informative.”
“Oh, really?”
“Um-hmm.” I couldn’t hold back my smile as I told her, “He really came through for me tonight.”
“Do tell.”
“He checked everything over, and when he couldn’t fix it, he called me a tow truck. He even got a friend to help fix it without costing me an arm and a leg.”
“Sounds like he went above and beyond.”
“He most certainly did.”
Clearly uninterested in my car troubles, Keeley scanned the room and grumbled, “This place is an official snooze-fest.”
“Yeah, I noticed that. So, where is everybody?”
“Apparently, there’s a big basketball game at the high school tonight.” Ryan shrugged. “State playoffs or something.”
“Oh, I had no idea that was tonight.” I picked up a menu and quickly scanned it, hoping that something might draw my interest. “So, what are you guys having?”
“I just got an appetizer,” Keeley answered. “I’m not very hungry.”
“I got the burger and a beer, but the waitress is slow-moving. I’m not sure if she’ll ever make it back.”
The words had barely left her mouth when Flynn, the bar’s owner, came over to our table with a concerned expression. “I’m sorry to keep you ladies waiting, but our lead waitress called in sick today, and we’re doing our best to get caught up.”
“It’s fine. We don’t mind waiting.”
Flynn was young and handsome with an adorable smile. Keeley and Ryan had mentioned many times that they’d found him attractive, but sadly, he was taken—very taken. Lauren, his fiancé, was a regular at the shop and was a real beauty, so Keeley kept her flirting to a minimum as she smiled and replied, “But it would be great if we could get our drinks.”