Page 13 of Waiting for Tuesday

He pushed through the door to the bar, where he could see one of the girls lying halfway over the counter, helping herself to the bottle of tequila.

“The natives are growing restless,” Colin muttered.

I blew out a breath and jogged back to the bar. “Ladies, ladies…”

Chapter FIVE

Tuesday

* * *

My second beerlasted to the end of the night. Past Becky’s endless flirtation with Colin, past all the wayward glances my eyes took to Donovan, and all the way to midnight, when I was finally free to go home.

Colin came toward us—his nametag removed but a wide grin and swagger in its place.Time to go home.I took a sip of water, grabbed my bag from the back of my chair, and hopped from my seat. “Well you guys have fun. My fairy godmother is calling my name.”

Becky frowned, somehow making her look more beautiful than always, and grabbed my arm. “Did you have any fun at all?”

“Of course I did.” I looked down at her. “I was with you, wasn’t I?” I scrunched my nose, letting her know I wasn’t upset in the slightest, then looked toward the hall. “I’m just going to stop by the ladies’ room before I leave. I’m serious, you have fun.”

Becky smiled, but I could tell she wasn’t buying it. “Let us walk you out?”

I glanced over to Colin, seeing he was definitely ready to go, and shook my head. “Nah, I’ll be fine.” I leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Enjoy your foreplay, and call me in the morning.”

“Whatever.” She laughed.

Hitching my bag over my shoulder, I headed to the hall before she could stop me. I was determined not to look over to the bar again. I was being ridiculous. I wouldn’t go out with Donovan if he asked me, yet for some reason, I couldn’t stop staring. The last I’d seen, only a few girls remained at the bar, and soon I knew it would dwindle to one.The one. The fan girl who would win the Donovan prize.For some reason, I didn’t want to know. Didn’t want to know if it was the one with the freckles, the redhead, or the blonde with a killer rack. I wanted to go home, crawl between my organic cotton sheets, and fall asleep.

I was so tired. Maybe more exhausted than I’d ever been in my life. There were too many orders to process, too many phone calls to make, and too many papers to sign. After I let the crew in the next morning, I’d head back home, turn my phone on silent, and hibernate until winter.

When I entered the nearest stall, the door to the hallway banged open, and I turned around. A couple of drunken women stumbled into the bathroom, both giggling and unstable. I nodded, recognizing the redhead from the bar, and closed the stall door behind me. I hung my purse on the back hook, pulled down my panties to my knees, and then heard someone mention Donovan's name. I froze. I couldn’t help it—I was more interested than I cared to admit and leaned my ear against the door. My heart squeezed in my chest, and my panties still held up by my knees.

“Do you have any condoms? I’m going home with him tonight.”

My eyes instinctively closed.

“Shit, Susan, are you serious?”

“YES! I like him. Don’t you?”

“Well yes. Everyone does… Are you sure?

“Yes!”

Both girls laughed again, and I sat down on the toilet.All the air left my lungs, and I looked down to my feet. I didn’t know why it affected me so much, but it did. I almost felt like crying. The door to the hall eventually opened, and the sound of music filtered in then out again, indicating I was once again alone. I stood slowly, pulling my underwear back into place, but my stomach sank to the floor.

I guess Susan won.

I opened the door, for some reason feeling defeated, and went to wash my hands. It was stupid to be upset. I wouldn’t have time for a relationship for another year, he obviously had more women than he could handle, and besides… He wasn’t my type. I rubbed my hands together, not bothering to dry, and pushed the bathroom door open with my back.

“Ooof!” I hit a wall. A wall that wore a black t-shirt and smelled like sunshine and hops.

My eyes moved upward. Over a chest that was solid and muscular, to a chin shadowed with the barest amount of stubble, all the way to Donovan’s intoxicating eyes that smiled at me. Literally.

“We have to stop meeting like this.”

It was the most cliché thing for him to say, something I would have rolled my eyes at normally, but I found myself grinning. I couldn’t help myself. He wore a smile that was a mixture of little boy and pure devil at the same time. It was charming to say the least. But I quickly sobered—Donovan was going home with Susan tonight.

I pushed past him without saying a word and headed for the parking lot. I needed to put distance between us—needed to put myself to bed before this man made me do things I’d regret.

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