Page 5 of His Last Shot
They must be because she blushes almost immediately.
Just then, the doors to the kitchen swing open on their hinges, and a man whose height rivals mine walks through carrying chili cheese fries. Before heeven sets the platter down, the three men are already diving in. “So, Rachel here is an expert at reading people,” he interjects into the conversation. “It’s a game we like to play. I bet she already has you figured out.”
“She does, huh?” I shift in her direction, intrigued.
He smiles warmly at her. A smile she returns.
Dang it.A boyfriend, maybe? My heart sinks.
“Thanks,” she mumbles under her breath to the man while giving me a quick glance.
Slick leans forward to address me. “She’s never wrong.”
Rachel sighs, hesitant. She has now taken up drying glasses. As she pivots to place one along the row of clean ones, a tendril of hair falls from her bun and grazes the smooth tan skin of her neck.
Lord. I’m in trouble.
I lean back on my barstool, resting my forearm along its back, trying to steady myself yet also exuding confidence. Even though I’m feeling anything but around her. “Alright then, try to read me, Rachel. I’m ready.”
She sighs, pops out her hip, and rests her hand on it. “Okay, fine.”
She’s sassy. Add it to the growing list of things that interest me about this woman.
And since we are on the subject, what is it about her? There is an immediate pull, a magnetic force I’m having a hard time ignoring. I have never experienced a connection like this with any other woman. Which is probably why, at forty-five years old, I’m still single.
And naturally, at my age, that lends itself to rumors.
He’s a player.
Stay away from that one. He will break your heart.
So, like what? Are you allergic to marriage or something?
Why are you so picky?
Trust me, I’ve heard them all. And it’s not that I haven’t wanted to settle down. It’s just that this is marriage. A lifelong commitment. I don’t take it lightly.
Plus, seeing what my cousin has with his wife, Laura. I want that. He was lucky enough to find an incredible woman. But for me, it just hasn’t happened yet. Even though I want it to.
And for that reason, I have had one semi-serious relationship. It lasted six months, and I tried. I really did. I regret breaking her heart, but she wasn’t the one. And I have been dating, searching, and longing for the right woman ever since.
Perhaps I just found her.
Rachel gives me a once-over, her gaze holding mine, and for a moment, time suspends as we allow the tension to engulf us. Just as she opens her mouth to speak, a crash comes from the kitchen. Her head whips towards the doors. The tall guy takes off running with Rachel hot on his trail. “Micah, we need to do something about…” The statement fades as soon as she disappears behind the swinging door.
With that interruption, Randy gets out of his stool and slaps two fifties on the bar. Seems like a lot of money for a beer and some fries, but whatever. He faces me and points. “She likes you.”
This takes me aback. “What?”
“She is going to murder you, Randy,” Tiny speaks up as he rises from his stool and pulls a hundred out of his wallet.Geez. These guys are generous tippers.
Randy continues, “Oh, come on, Tiny. She hasn’t taken her eyes off of him all night long.”
Interesting.
“But you know her policy on dating customers,” Tiny interjects.
Even more interesting.
