Page 10 of Mr. Infuriating

“Well, if you change your mind…”

The whistle blew to start play, so thankfully she let it go when I told her again, “I appreciate it, but I’m really not interested in dating right now.”

If you know anyone who’d be up for one night, however, give her my name.

Obviously, I kept that to myself.

But now that the idea was in my head, I made a mental note to visit Derrick at the bar soon. Maybe even tonight after the game.

Chapter Three

Gretchen

Even though I’d arrived past our agreed-upon time, I still beat Laura to Flannigan’s, so I took a seat at the bar where I could see the TV and the door.

“What can I get you?”

The bartender was hot, and judging by his flirty grin, he knew it.

“I’ll just have a Coke until my friend gets here.”

“Are you waiting for a guy or a girl?” he asked as he scooped ice into a glass.

“Does it matter?”

“Not to me. I just wanted to know who to keep an eye out for.”

“My best friend, Laura.”

His flirty grin turned mischievous as he pressed a button on the bar gun and shot soda into the tumbler. “You girls gonna paint the town red tonight?”

“Honestly,” I glanced at his name badge and continued, “Derrick, I’ll be lucky if I make it past nine o’clock.”

He pushed a black straw into the ice, then set the drink in front of me. “Long day, huh?”

“A hundred seventh graders have a tendency to drain your energy.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” he said with a laugh. “My nephew is in seventh grade, and he’s a cool kid. But I couldn’t imagine a hundred of him, all day, every day.”

“It can be challenging. Fortunately, I get them in chunks of twenty at a time. But honestly, I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

He smiled thoughtfully at me.

“You found your calling.”

“I found my calling,” I agreed before taking a sip through the straw.

Derrick filled drink orders while he chatted with me. I didn’t get the impression he was hitting on me, and he definitely wasn’t angling for a big tip considering I’d ordered a four-dollar soda. He genuinely seemed interested in talking to me. I found I enjoyed his company, too, and it wasn’t until my phone buzzed that I realized I’d been waiting a while for my friend.

Laura: Please tell me you haven’t left your house yet.

I glanced at my watch.

Me: I’ve been at Flannigan’s for thirty-five minutes. Where are you?!

Laura: I am so sorry! I’m still at work! My boss came in just as I was getting ready to leave and dangled a chance to be part of a big project in front of me if I helped him with the presentation. It’s taking longer than I thought it would. I think I can probably get out of here in an hour.

Me: I don’t want to wait an hour. We can do this another time.

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