Page 29 of The Hot New Bartender in Town

“Right.”

“So, you know…” She presses her lips together. “If we had known, then obviously we’d have spent more time in certain areas of the park.”

“What are we talking about here?” I joke. “The Carousel or the Tilt-A-Whirl?”

“Bumper cars,” she says, smirking. “The kind without seat belts.”

“Nice.”

“Not that it matters.” She sits back, looks down. “We just had one night.”

“Did we?” I ask, these words slipping right through all my filters.

“Yes,” Tish says. “Our parents are getting married, Riley.”

“Not yet. We still have two days to get this out of our systems before forever holding our peace.”

She frowns, but it softens quickly. “You’re not serious.”

“Oh, I am.”

“We shouldn’t,” she says, fiddling with her empty glass. “I mean, what if we do this again and…”

She goes quiet, but I know what she was about to say.

What if we do this again and… it’s still not enough?

I extend a hand across the table. I rest it on her wrist, her fingers stiff against her glass. “I think it’s worth a try,” I say, my fingertips sparking from the contact, from the undeniable connection we share. “Don’t you?”

Tish doesn’t move. Only her chest rises and falls, her eyes locked on our hands. Moments pass by in a blur; people around us talking and laughing and fading by.

Just as I’m about to admit defeat and pull my hand back, Tish nods.

“Okay,” she says.

My fingers flinch. “Okay?”

She pushes the empty glass away. “Okay,” she says, her eyes full of resolve. “Let’s do it. Let’s get this out of our systems.”

Oh, damn.

I move to stand and get the hell out of here immediately. “All right,” I say. “Let’s go.”

“But...”Tish says, stopping me. “We have to agree — right now — that no matter what happens, it’s just tonight.” She locks eyes with me, staring hard. “When morning comes, we’re...”

“Family.”

I expect a grimace of some sort, but she nods. “Yes,” she says. “We’re family.”

I nod as well, fully in agreement. In theory, anyway.

Who knows how I’ll really feel in the morning?

Tonight, I just want her.

10

RILEY

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