Page 19 of From Best Friend to Bride
That was what made Hartford Green the perfect hidden getaway. Si liked it because we got a nice, steady stream of new customers to bolster his bank account, and I liked it because the pub very rarely found itself bursting at the seams.
You could come in, have a pint, get a nice warm meal, and maybe enjoy a bit of live music on a Friday or Saturday night.
In other words, our little town was the perfect base for people looking for a quiet break without the hubbub of a big tourist trap.
I hoped it stayed that way.
It made my life much easier.
Danny approached the bar and leant forwards on it, fixing his dark gaze on me. “Hey there—”
“If you finish that, I’m going to throw you out by your ear and put your picture on the banned wall,” I said firmly, pointing to the corkboard with a picture of Si’s ex-wife, the mayor, and Mr. Harrison’s pet goat.
“Aw, you’re no fun.”
I tilted my head to the side and studied him.
“What? Are you finally falling for my charms?” He gave me a lopsided grin that would have made another girl’s heart flutter.
But not mine.
My heart was no butterfly.
I barely caught my sister’s snort at the other end of the bar. “No,” I said, tapping his arm so he’d lift his elbows off the bar for me to wipe it. “I was deciding whether I still want to serve you or not.”
“Don’t be a spoilsport.”
“Then don’t ever start singing that bloody song in front of me again.” I tossed the cloth under the bar. “Same again?”
“Please. You can use the same glasses.” He watched as I pulled them towards me and began pouring the first pint of Black Valor, the locally brewed draught beer he and his friend had been drinking all night. “When do you finish?”
“Same time I always do,” I said, finishing the first pint. “I’m here until closing.”
“You must be tired.”
Yep.
I was tired of this.
“Not really. I’m used to it.” I stepped back to see the head on the second pint, then finished up and set the glass in front of him. “Six-ninety, please.”
Danny brandished his card. “Are you ever going to open up to me, Delilah?”
“Perhaps in your dreams.” I rang up his order and plugged the price into the card machine which I handed to him with a smile. “Your patronage is appreciated.”
He tapped his card against the contactless reader with a sigh. “I guess I’ll keep dreaming, then.”
“You do that.” I tore off the receipts and handed him his before turning around. “Thank you!”
“What does a guy have to do to get your attention, huh?” Danny asked.
I opened my mouth to reply he’d have to magically become three years older, but I was beaten to it by a very familiar voice saying, “She prefers lilies to roses. She’d rather eat a pizza than a curry, and she likes movies over books. Purple is better than pink, and she’d rather wear jeans instead of leggings. Spin class beats yoga, and given the choice on spirits, she’ll always choose rum over gin.”
Slowly, I turned around, only to see Danny gaping at Fred like he’d given him the cheat codes to my life.
What a load of bullshit.
Spin class beats yoga? What a sadist.
