Page 42 of Savannah Sweethearts

“But you don’t. You call me Alonso. And I kind of like that.”

Pink crept up my neck and I turned from him. “Oh. I could call you Senor Ortiz. I much prefer Alonso myself. I thought your name was Hey Yo when Tyrell first mentioned you.”

He pulled into a gas station and parked. I ran in and when I got back to the car, he looked at me. “What are you doing after work?”

“Nothing. It will be late, and it’s my birthday.” I checked my phone for the time even though it was right in front of me on the dash clock.

“Want to grab a bite and play pool?”

“With who?”

“Me.”

The smile that spread across my face was instant. There was no way I could have hidden it. “Yeah. Sure. As long as it’s your treat.”

“What? I bought you those flowers.” His Chesire cat grin was just as wide as mine and I knew he was playing with me.

“How many times do you think I turn twenty-eight?”

He bit his lip and my insides melted a little. Maybe I was thawing to Alonso Ortiz.

“Okay, birthday girl. My treat.”

Alonso

It used to be that Tyrell, Rex, and I would go out every week and play pool, eat bar food, and unwind from work. But then Rex got married and they had a kid. And Tyrell had been dating Ashley for about six months. All of which meant my Friday nights at P’s and Cues were over. Going alone was nearly always a bad idea.

I’m not sure why I invited Piper to go out, except that when she blushed and looked at me with her doe eyes from under incredibly long eyelashes, I only knew I wanted to spend more time with her. This was my twenty-one-year-old self’s dream. Of course, now we were coworkers so any sort of funny business was strictly off the table. But I had a feeling Piper and I would enjoy some flirting back and forth.

After work, I went up to her desk and tapped my fingers on it. “Want to meet there or take one car?”

She scrunched her mouth up and wrinkled her nose. “Where is it?”

“Over in Midtown.”

She squinted her eyes, perhaps trying to pull up a map in her mind. “I’m over at Whitemarsh. I think I’ll just meet you.”

Whitemarsh Island was one of the ritziest neighborhoods in Savannah. How did she afford to live there? Even with a generous signing bonus, she wouldn’t be making enough on her own to afford a place on Whitemarsh Island. I was a little stunned until she giggled at me.

“I see that look. I moved back in with my parents until I can find a place on my own. I just need the time to go out and apartment hunt.” She locked up her desk and stood, pulling a small purse onto her shoulder.

“Oh, there are a few places open for rent by me.” I might have sounded a little too eager to offer that information.

“Where is that?”

“Starland. I live in a loft above a tattoo parlor. In fact, my tattooist, Joel, works there.” I pulled my shirtsleeve up over my left shoulder to show off a quarter sleeve he had recently done for me. “Do you have any tattoos?”

Piper’s cheeks pinked immediately. “I do. But none you’ll ever see.” With that, she strode past me. “Text me the address of this place and I’ll meet you there.”

Within ten minutes we were parked and walking into P’s and Cues. It felt good to walk in with a gorgeous lady on my arm, even if she wasn’t mine. The place was part gastropub and part dive bar with pool tables. We slid into an empty booth and both awkwardly looked around everywhere but at each other.

A bubblegum chewing waitress with bubblegum-colored hair approached us. “What can I get you?” She winked at me then looked at Piper. “Oh, you’re Piper Campbell! I know you from Action News.”

Used to being recognized, Piper put on what I had learned was her professional smile. It was wide but didn’t reach her eyes. “I am, thank you. Thank you for watching. This is my producer Alonso Ortiz.”

She leaned on the table and smacked her gum. “What a name. Alonso Ortiz. Whatcha drinking Alonso?”

The waitress was eyeing me, which I usually would have enjoyed, but not with Piper sitting across from me. It wasn’t like having my guy friends around where we competed for the attention of a good-looking female.

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