Page 6 of The Waiter at Table 6

Her words send a spark of shock through me. Oh my God, she’s right. He’s a decade younger than me. What was I thinking? What on earth would he want with a woman like me?

Regret drops like lead in my stomach. “Actually, wait, I don’t think?—”

But she’s already walked off, my voice drowning in the sounds of the bar.

“Shit, shit, shit,” I mumble under my breath, sinking down into my seat and wishing the ground would swallow me whole. My gaze darts around the bar, looking for an exit, but of course the universe chose this moment to pack the bar tightly with people all around me. There’s nowhere to go without pushing my way through.

I almost don’t want to watch. But I can’t help myself; I have to see Ryder’s reaction. Will he be confused? Disappointed? I knew he was just being polite at the restaurant...

But then the bartender slides the beer in front of him, and her head jerks over her shoulder. And I watch in a frozen stupor as Ryder’s gaze shifts from the drink…to me.

The smile that appears on his face is blinding.

It’s enough to make the tension in my chest loosen. Slightly. I even manage a little wave.

If possible, that makes his grin even wider. I see his lips move as he says something, though his eyes never leave mine. And then he’s pushing his way through the crowd and heading right in my direction.

The barstools around me have all been taken, but there’s a spot beside mine that he immediately slides into. And suddenly, he’s close enough that I can smell the intoxicating scent of him, can see the way his curly hair has given up on staying styled and is now plastered with sweat against his face in a few places. With his beer in one hand and the other braced on the bar top, he looks entirely comfortable being in my proximity.

“Hi, Vanessa,” he says, his voice like silk. He sounds nothing like the professional waiter I met two hours ago. Now, he sounds like a man—charms turned up to level one thousand.

My mouth goes dry.

“Hi,” I squeak out. I clear my throat and try again. “I decided to take you up on your bar recommendation.”

That mischievous twinkle in his eyes brightens. “I’m very happy to see that.”

I can’t summon a breath to respond to that.

He takes pity on me and nods toward his beer. “Thank you for the drink. But aren’t I supposed to be the one to buy you a drink?”

I gather the rest of my courage, trying to find the woman I was five minutes ago before this second-guessing kicked in. “Would you have?” I ask.

His gaze pierces right through me. “Every night until you sent me away.”

God. I’m not equipped to handle this man.

His eyes flick to the drink in my hand. “I see Sami talked you into her favorite cocktail.”

My gaze jumps over to the bartender, eyebrows lifting. “Wow, this really is a small town. Does everyone know everyone?”

He chuckles and takes a sip of his beer. I have to fight to not gape at the sight of his throat moving on the swallow.

“Just the people who work here year-round,” he answers. “When the summer crowd isn’t here, it’s a pretty small town.”

I nod in understanding, even though I can’t picture what that kind of community is like. I’ve lived in big cities all my life—knowing the bartender’s favorite drink isn’t something I’ve ever experienced.

“So, you’re here on vacation, I’m assuming? I would’ve noticed you before if you lived here.”

I take a big breath. “Actually, I just moved here.”

Ryder’s eyebrows rise. “Really? Why’s that?”

Welp, might as well be honest. He’s already seen me get stood up tonight.

“My divorce was just finalized, and I got the beach house in the settlement.”

He lets out a low whistle. “Damn.”

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