Page 25 of Cupid Loves Curves

“Good. Good. The others will be here in a few. Grab those tables in the back,” Waylon says, nodding to the corner by the empty pool tables. “I’ll get a beer and be right over.”

Nathan and Reggie burst into the bar, laughing about something, and join Waylon. As usual, Reggie leans against the bar and moons at Marian, and Marian pretends she doesn’t notice.

“They need to fuck and get whatever that is,” Daryl tilts his head toward Reggie and Marian, “out of their systems.”

I watch as Reggie looks at Marian the way I looked at Jess. Reggie won’t admit it, but he has it bad for the curvy brunette behind the bar and has for as long as I’ve been living on King Mountain.

“Alright,” Waylon says loudly after everyone has grabbed a seat. “There shouldn’t be too much to go over this week. Mathis, Foster, how are the rental cabins? They good to go for the upcoming season?”

Daryl glances at me, and I nod for him to give the report. He pulls his notebook from his back pocket and flips through the pages.

“Here we are. Cabin One, the deck boards we put in a few years back are holding up well. Wasn’t sure how they’d be after the storms this winter, but they’re fine. Cabins Two and Three could do with a fresh coat of paint. Remember those college kids from last year?”

Waylon strokes his beard and nods. We all remember those kids. Aside from damn near burning down this side of the mountain when they decided to get drunk and start a bonfire, somehow all the walls got marked up. It’s a mystery we never figured out, and with the walls structurally fine, we figured maybe we didn’t want to know what happened.

“Yeah. Anything else?”

“Nope,” Daryl says, snapping his notebook shut and wedging it in his back pocket.

“Good. I’ll order some paint, and we’ll get those walls painted. We’re already booked up for most of the season.”

We all groan. Having tourists running around our side of the mountain is an annoyance, but it funds Waylon's work, so we all deal with it. There are other cabins, but Waylon usually takes care of those personally.

“Alright, that’s a wrap, gentlemen,” Waylon says, standing at the head of the table, his voice deep. “Good work this week.”

The rest of us stand and start lining up quarters on the pool table.

Daryl sidles up next to me, a mischievous glint in his eye that I know all too well. “You know, Luke,” he starts, and I brace myself for whatever ribbing is coming my way, “I might’ve done you a solid by entering you in that contest.”

“Solid or not, I’ll bury you on the other side of the mountain if my match turns out to be a crazy woman,” I retort.

The guys erupt into laughter as Daryl shares the story of the matchmaking service, and they all raise their beers to me.

“Can’t wait to hear these stories.” Nathan chuckles, nudging with his elbow. “Luke Foster’s Wild Adventures in Love.”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t help chuckling. “Let’s keep the word ‘wild’ out of it, huh?” Maybe it won’t be as bad as I expect. Who am I kidding? It probably will be as bad as I fear.

“Hey, it’ll be the highlight of our next meeting.” Daryl grins, slapping my back.

“We’ll see,” I say drily, but humor softens my words.It’s just one night, I tell myself. Getting back in the saddle with women doesn’t sound like the worst thing, but aside from my ex, I’ve been fine minding my own business and not getting emotionally tangled up with a woman.

We settle around the pool table, the felt surface worn from years of use. Daryl racks the balls as I grab fresh beers from Marian.

“Your break, Luke,” Daryl calls.

I stride over, cue in hand, and line up my shot. Leaning forward, the world narrows to the white cue ball and the colorful triangle before me. The crack of impact sends the balls scattering, and the five ball sinks into the corner pocket.

“Nice shot,” Daryl compliments.

We fall into the easy rhythm of the game, the comfortable silence between us filled with the softsnickof pool balls and the scent of beer.

“Think this matchmaker found a woman who will be able to handle your grumpy ass?” Reggie teases as he watches Daryl and me play.

“We’ll see,” I reply. My gaze is on the table, but my mind wanders to the what-ifs of this matchmaking nonsense.

“Ah, I bet this matchmaker has an amazing woman ready for a chance with King Mountain’s most eligible bachelor,” he says.

“Most eligible disaster, more like,” I mutter. It’s been too long since I allowed myself to consider the prospect of someone else getting close, but maybe itistime. I haven’t been in a while, but maybe I should schedule an appointment with my therapist at Warrior Cares and see what he thinks.

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